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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment No film in history has captured the worlds imagination like Walt Disneys first full-length animated masterpiece Through astonishing Blu-ray high definition technology experience this timeless classic in its most spectacular presentation ever With an all-new state-of-the-art digital restoration and Disney Enhanced High Definition sound the breathtaking animation and unforgettable music of the most revered Disney film of all time will enthrall you like never before r / r / Join the beautiful princess Snow White as she escapes her jealous stepmother the queen and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs But when she falls under the queens wicked spell only true loves kiss can save her r / r / r / One of the brightest nuggets from Disneys golden age this 1937 film is almost dizzying in its meticulous construction of an enchanted world with scores of major and minor characters including fauna and fowl each with a distinct identity When you watch Snow Whites intricate graceful movements of fingers arms and head all in one shot it is not the technical brilliance of Disneys artists that leaps out at you but the very spirit of her engaging girl-woman character When the wicked queens poisoned apple turns from killer green to rose red the effect of knowing something so beautiful can be so terrible is absolutely elemental so pure it forces one to surrender to the horror of it Based on the Grimm fairy tale Snow White is probably the best family film ever to deal in mythic terms with the psychological foundation for growing up Its a crowning achievement and should not be missed em --Tom Keogh / em / span class h1 / span span class h1 / / span span class h1 Stills from em Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs / em Click for larger image / / span / r border 0 cellpadding 4 cellspacing 4 width 100 tbody align center valign top mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite1 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite2 gif width 300 / r / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite3 gif width 300 / r / / / align center valign top mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite4 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite5 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite6 gif width 300 / / r / / align center valign top mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite7 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition) WARNER HOME VIDEO Warner Home Video An All-New Wizard of Oz With State of The Art Ultra-Resolution Picture Quality and Over 10 Hours of Bonus Extras DVD Features Disc 1 MovieCommentary by Historian John Fricke Including Archival Interviews with Cast Crew and Family Restoration Featurette IllustratedVideo Storybook and Supporting Cast Profile RoundupDisc 2The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Making of a Movie Classic and Memories of O Studio Warner Home Video Release Date 09/ 29/ 2009 Run time 101 minutes Rating G When it was released during Hollywoods golden year of 1939 em The Wizard of Oz / em didnt start out as the perennial classic it has since become The film did respectable business but it wasnt until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its popularity soar And while em Oz / em s TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul Ted Turner who owns the rights the advent of home video has made this lively musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films Young Dorothy Gale Judy Garland her dog Toto and her three companions on the yellow brick road to Oz--the Tin Man Jack Haley the Cowardly Lion Bert Lahr and the Scarecrow Ray Bolger --have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of fantasy for children As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothys enchanted ruby slippers Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of children for more than six decades The films still as fresh frightening and funny as it was when first released It may take some liberal detours from the original story by L Frank Baum but its loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a spectacular film Shot in glorious Technicolor befitting its dynamic production design Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor em The Wizard of Oz / em may not appeal to every taste as the years go by but its required viewing for kids of all ages em --Jeff Shannon / em On the discs / r The 2009 Wizard of Oz Two-Disc Special Edition DVD has the sharp 2005 restoration using Warners Ultra Resolution process and an accompanying featurette on how its done The technicians also discuss how the sound was remixed though that would have been more effective had it included surround-sound demonstrations the featurette is in 2 0 Other features include a commentary track by critic John Fricke supplemented by vintage cast interviews he offers a lot of trivia and debunks the myth that Shirley Temple was ever close to getting the Dorothy role profiles of nine cast members and clips of other movies they appeared in including Toto a lightly animated 10-minute storybook narrated by Angela Lansbury and the original mono track and a music-and-effects track New for 2009 is a sing-along track that you can turn on as you watch the movie or you can select from 10 numbers to sing along with karaoke-style subtitles The second disc has the Lansbury-hosted North by Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray] Warner Brothers Warner Home Video Cary Grant teams with director Alfred Hitchcock for the fourth and final time in this superlative espionage caper judged one of the American Film Institutes Top-100 American Films and spruced up with a new digital transfer and remixed Dolby Digital Stereo Grant plays a Manhattan advertising executive plunged into a realm of spy James Mason and counterspy Eva Marie Saint and variously abducte Cary Grant teams with director Alfred Hitchcock for the fourth and final time in this superlative espionage caper judged one of the American Film Institutes Top-100 American Films and spruced up with a new digital transfer and remixed Dolby Digital Stereo Grant plays a Manhattan advertising executive plunged into a realm of spy James Mason and counterspy Eva Marie Saint and variously abducted framed for murder chased and in another signature set piece crop-dusted He also holds on for dear life from the facial features of the Presidents on Mount Rushmore backlot sets were used But dont expect the Master of Suspense to leave star or audience hanging A strong candidate for the most sheerly entertaining and enjoyable movie ever made by a Hollywood studio with Citizen Kane Only Angels Have Wings and Trouble in Paradise running neck and neck Positioned between the much heavier and more profoundly disturbing Vertigo 1958 and the stark horror of Psycho 1960 North by Northwest 1959 is Alfred Hitchcock at his most effervescent in a romantic comedy-thriller that also features one of the definitive Cary Grant performances Which is not to say that this is just Hitchcock Lite seminal Hitchcock critic Robin Wood in his book Hitchcocks Films Revisited makes an airtight case for this glossy MGM production as one of The Masters unbroken series of masterpieces from Vertigo to Marnie Its a classic Hitchcock Wrong Man scenario Grant is Roger O Thornhill initials ROT an advertising executive who is mistaken by enemy spies for a U S undercover agent named George Kaplan Convinced these sinister fellows James Mason as the boss and Martin Landau as his henchman are trying to kill him Roger flees and meets a sexy Stranger on a Train Eva Marie Saint with whom he engages in one of the longest most convolutedly choreographed kisses in screen history And of course there are the famous set pieces the stabbing at the United Nations the crop-duster plane attack in the cornfield where a pedestrian has no place to hide and the cliffhanger finale atop the stone faces of Mount Rushmore Plus a sparkling Ernest Lehman script and that pulse-quickening Bernard Herrmann score What more could a moviegoer possibly desire --Jim Emerson Also on the Blu-ray disc / r North by Northwest is a great-looking Blu-ray disc with a sharpness and colors that seem like youre watching the film for the first time New on the 50th anniversary edition are a one-hour documentary on Hitchcocks work The Masters Touch Hitchcocks Signature Style and a shorter one 25 min specifically about the film North by Northwest One for the Ages Its packaged in one of Warners Blu-ray books with trivia character profiles and stills and vintage art Older extras include screenwriter Ernest Lehmans commentary track a 90-minute profile of star Cary Grant the documentary from 2000 Destination Hitchcock The Making of North by Northwest hosted by Eva Marie-Saint Gone with the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] WARNER HOME VIDEO Warner Home Video Period romance War epic Family saga Popular fiction adapted with crowd-pleasing brilliance Star acting aglow with charisma and passion Moviemaking craft at its height These are sublimely joined in the words Gone with the Wind This dynamic and durable screen entertainment of the Civil War-era South comes home with the renewed splendor of a New 70th-Anniversary Digital Transfer capturing a hi Period romance War epic Family saga Popular fiction adapted with crowd-pleasing brilliance Star acting aglow with charisma and passion Moviemaking craft at its height These are sublimely joined in the words Gone with the Wind r / r / This dynamic and durable screen entertainment of the Civil War-era South comes home with the renewed splendor of a New 70th-Anniversary Digital Transfer capturing a higher-resolution image from Restored Picture Elements than ever before possible David O Selznick s monumental production of Margaret Mitchell s Pulitzer Prize-winning book can now enthrall new generations of home viewers with a majestic vibrance that befits one of Hollywood s greatest achievements r / David O Selznick wanted em Gone with the Wind / em to be somehow more than a movie a film that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like In many respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic and all-time box-office champ in terms of tickets sold and in some respects he fell far short of the goal While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic the second is ramshackle and arbitrary But theres no question that the film is an enormous achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction color sound cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American story as fully as possible Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic Olivia de Havilland angelic and lovely Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic As for Clark Gable were talking one of the most vital masculine performances ever committed to film em --Tom Keogh / em em / em r / span class h1 Stills from em Gone with the Wind / em 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition click for larger image / / span / r border 0 style height 450px width 1117 tbody style text-align left style text-align left style text-align left style text-align center mg src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 1lg jpg style vertical-align middle width 300 / / / style text-align left mg src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 2lg jpg style vertical-align middle width 300 / / style text-align left style text-align center mg src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 3lg jpg style vertical-align middle width 300 / / / / style text-align left style text-align left style text-align center mg height 300 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 4lg jpg style vertical-align middle / / / style text-align left style text-align center mg height 300 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 5lg jpg style vertical-align middle / / / style text-align center mg height 300 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ It's a Wonderful Life [Blu-ray] PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO Paramount George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all and it s Christmas As the angels discuss George we see his life in flashback As George is about to jump from a bridge he ends up rescuing his guardian angel Clarence Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn t been for all of his good deeds over the years Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide Now perhaps the most beloved American film Its a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years due to a copyright quirk Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings Frank Capras masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema a multilayered work of Dickensian density George Bailey played superbly by James Stewart grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls dreaming dreams of adventure and travel but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf Frustrated by his life and haunted by an impending scandal George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve A heavenly messenger Henry Travers arrives to show him a vision what the world would have been like if George had never been born The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot the directors optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II Capras triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement Its a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release and it won no Oscars Capra and Stewart were nominated but it continues to weave a special magic --Robert Horton Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition + Standard DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray] Buena Vista Home Video Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Awaken your senses to the majesty of SLEEPING BEAUTY Walt Disneys ultimate fairy tale See more than youve ever seen before through the magic of state-of-the-art technology and experience this groundbreaking film restored beyond its original brilliance in the way Walt envisioned it -- pristine beautiful utterly breathtaking From the grand celebration of Princess Auroras birth t Awaken your senses to the majesty of SLEEPING BEAUTY Walt Disneys ultimate fairy tale See more than youve ever seen before through the magic of state of the art technology and experience this groundbreaking film restored beyond its original brilliance in the way Walt envisioned it pristine beautiful utterly breathtaking From the grand celebration of Princess Auroras birth to the fateful day when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and falls under Malificents evil curse to Prince Philips courageous battle against a fire-breathing dragon the stunning artistry and spine-tingling sounds will transform your home into a fantastic world The adventures continue as you are immersed into a wonderful world of bonus features r r BONUS FEATURES r In the original story Princess Aurora sleeps for 100 years before being awakened by a princes kiss In the Disney version Prince Philip comes to her rescue much sooner r George Bruns orchestral score which was nominated for an Academy Award expertly blended famous themes from Tchaikovskys ballet r With a budget that exceeded 6 million in 1959 this was Walt Disneys most lavish and expensive animated feature to date r Determined to make the characters as realistic as possible Disney had a live action film shot with actors posing as Sleeping Beauty the Prince and Maleficent for the animators to use r New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the fight between Prince Philip and Maleficent the noisiest and scariest go-round he Disney has ever put into one of his films r Live Menus Featuring A Real Time Castle Environment r All-New Making Of SLEEPING BEAUTY Featurette r Deleted Songs r And More r DISNEY BD LIVE innovative features premiering on Sleeping Beauty include Chat and Create Custom Video Messages With yoru Friends As You Watch The Film Shop For Add-Ons and Downloads Maleficents Challenge Game Living Menus Real Time Castle Environment Changes Based on Your Location System Requirements Running Time 75 minutes Format BLU-RAY DISC Genre CHILDREN/ FAMILY Rating G UPC 786936746228 Manufacturer No 05560800 Disneys 1959 animated effort was the studios most ambitious to date a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky In the 14th century the malevolent Maleficent not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday This of course would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love Things almost but not quite turn out that way thanks to the assistance of some bubbly bumbling fairies named Flora Fauna and Merryweather Its not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be anyway Instead those fairies carry the day as well as of course good Prince Phillip whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since See it in its original glory here And Malificents castle filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways manages a certain creepy grandeur -- David Kronke On the Blu-ray / Sleeping Beauty was the last and most lavish of Walt Disneys animated fairy tales He told the artists not to hurry and to give him a moving illustration The film required almost four and one-half years and one million finished drawings Instead of the 19th century storybook illustrations that had influenced the look of Snow White and Pinocchio the artists adapted the flattened perspective and jewel-like colors of 15th century French illuminated manuscripts The results remain unmatched for sheer visual opulence However Sleeping Beauty suffers from a weak story the vision of an ageless princess slumbering in a vine-shrouded tower was replaced with elements of Snow White and a boy-meets-girl musical The evil Maleficent and the three Good Fairies Flora Fauna and Merryweather dominate the film rather than Princess Aurora and Prince Philip Sleeping Beauty was originally released in 70mm and the Blu-ray edition restores the film to its original splendor Many earlier releases trimmed the wide-screen images and/ or muted the glowing palatte The Bonus DVD looks good on a flat screen monitor but it pales in comparison to the richness of the Blu-ray In addition to the commentaries The Sound of Music (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Special Edition) TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT 20th Century Fox Shot in Salzburg against the majestic Bavarian Alps THE SOUND OF MUSIC is considered one of the greatest screen musicals ever made Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director Robert Wise the film based on a real family and their true events tells the story of a young postulate Maria Julie Andrews who after proving too high-spirited for the Mother Abess and o Julie Andrews in the heartwarming true story that has become a cinematic treasure Rodgers and Hammersteins The Sound of Music Julie Andrews is Maria the spirited young woman who leaves the convent and becomes a governess to the seven unruly charm and songs soon win the hearts of the children and their father but when Nazi Germany unites with Austria Maria is forced to attempt a daring escape with her new family When Julie Andrews sang The hills are alive with the sound of music from an Austrian mountaintop in 1965 the most beloved movie musical was born To be sure the adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein IIs Broadway hit has never been as universally acclaimed as say em Singin in the Rain / em Critics argue that the songs are saccharine even the songwriters regretted the line To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray and that the characters and plot lack the complexity that could make them more interesting Its not hard to know whom to root for when your choice is between cute kids and Nazis r align left cellpadding 6 cellspacing 0 tbody align center mg align top border 0 src http / / images amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ aplus/ charmian-carr gif / r / span class tiny Read our interview with r / Charmian Carr who played r / Liesl von Trapp in em The r / Sound of Music / em / span / / / tbody r It doesnt matter Audiences fell in love with the struggling novice Maria Andrews the dashing Captain von Trapp Christopher Plummer and yes the cute kids all based on a real-life World War II Austrian family Such songs as My Favorite Things Do Re Mi Climb Every Mountain and the title tune became part of the 20th century Zeitgeist In addition em The Sound of Music / em officially became a cult hit when audiences in London began giving it the em Rocky Horror Picture Show / em treatment attending showings dressed as their favorite characters and delivering choreographed comments and gestures along with the movie So why resist especially when the 40th Anniversary Edition is the best DVD yet / The DVDs / r / As if the direct involvement of Julie Andrews werent enough the 40th Anniversary Edition of em The Sound of Music / em is a must-have for fans because of the fond sense of nostalgia that will touch all but the worst cynics heart Andrews introduces both discs and contributes a commentary track on the film Its a joy to hear her speak about the film for example she explains how she solved her dislike for the lyrics of I Have Confidence and also heard are remarks by Christopher Plummer who at one point refers to his being 48 which if true would mean his comments were made in about 1975 Charmian Carr Liesl choreographer Dee Dee Wood and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (DVD/Two-Disc Blu-ray + BD Live w/DVD packaging) [Blu-ray] BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment No film in history has captured the worlds imagination like Walt Disneys first full-length animated masterpiece Through astonishing Blu-ray high definition technology experience this timeless classic in its most spectacular presentation ever With an all-new state-of-the-art digital restoration and Disney Enhanced High Definition sound the breathtaking animation and unforgettable music of the most revered Disney film of all time will enthrall you like never before r r Join the beautiful princess Snow White as she escapes her jealous stepmother the queen and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs But when she falls under the queens wicked spell only true loves kiss can save her r r Bonus Features Include Snow White Returns Storyboard Featurette Was Walt planning a Snow White sequel With newly discovered storyboards Disney animators show how this sequel would have played out Princess and the Frog Sneak Peek Exclusive sneak peek at the 1st 5 minutes before it hits theaters The One that Started it All Featurette This featurette within Hyperion Studios reveals how Snow White forever changed the world of movies and the world at large All New Tiffany Thornton Music Video to Someday My Prince Will Come Audio Commentary with Walt Disney One of the brightest nuggets from Disneys golden age this 1937 film is almost dizzying in its meticulous construction of an enchanted world with scores of major and minor characters including fauna and fowl each with a distinct identity When you watch Snow Whites intricate graceful movements of fingers arms and head all in one shot it is not the technical brilliance of Disneys artists that leaps out at you but the very spirit of her engaging girl-woman character When the wicked queens poisoned apple turns from killer green to rose red the effect of knowing something so beautiful can be so terrible is absolutely elemental so pure it forces one to surrender to the horror of it Based on the Grimm fairy tale Snow White is probably the best family film ever to deal in mythic terms with the psychological foundation for growing up Its a crowning achievement and should not be missed em --Tom Keogh / em / span class h1 / span span class h1 / / span span class h1 Stills from em Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs / em Click for larger image / / span / r border 0 cellpadding 4 cellspacing 4 width 100 tbody align center valign top mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite1 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite2 gif width 300 / r / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite3 gif width 300 / r / / / align center valign top mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite4 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite5 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite6 gif width 300 / / r / / align center valign top mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ SnowWhite7 gif width 300 / / mg height 200 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ Disney/ Images/ Gone with the Wind (Two-Disc Special Edition) WARNER HOME VIDEO Warner Home Video Studio Warner Home Video Release Date 11/ 17/ 2009 Run time 238 minutes Rating G David O Selznick wanted em Gone with the Wind / em to be somehow more than a movie a film that would broaden the very idea of what a film could be and do and look like In many respects he got what he worked so hard to achieve in this 1939 epic and all-time box-office champ in terms of tickets sold and in some respects he fell far short of the goal While the first half of this Civil War drama is taut and suspenseful and nostalgic the second is ramshackle and arbitrary But theres no question that the film is an enormous achievement in terms of its every resource--art direction color sound cinematography--being pushed to new limits for the greater glory of telling an American story as fully as possible Vivien Leigh is still magnificently narcissistic Olivia de Havilland angelic and lovely Leslie Howard reckless and aristocratic As for Clark Gable were talking one of the most vital masculine performances ever committed to film em --Tom Keogh / em em / em r / span class h1 Stills from em Gone with the Wind / em 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition click for larger image / / span / r border 0 style height 450px width 1117 tbody style text-align left style text-align left style text-align left style text-align center mg src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 1lg jpg style vertical-align middle width 300 / / / style text-align left mg src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 2lg jpg style vertical-align middle width 300 / / style text-align left style text-align center mg src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 3lg jpg style vertical-align middle width 300 / / / / style text-align left style text-align left style text-align center mg height 300 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 4lg jpg style vertical-align middle / / / style text-align left style text-align center mg height 300 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ images/ G/ 01/ dvd/ warner/ GWTW 5lg jpg style vertical-align middle / / / style text-align center mg height 300 src http / / g-ecx images-amazon com/ 2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray] Warner Brothers Warner Home Video A space mission that could reveal man s destiny is jeopardized by a malfunctioning shipboard computer A dazzling journey that tops them all and showed the way for other effects-packed films that followed When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C Clarke to collaborate on the proverbial intelligent science fiction film its a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarkes short story The Sentinel 2001 is a visual tone poem barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the films opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the star child at films end Kubricks vision is meticulous and precise In keeping with the directors underlying theme of dehumanization by technology the notorious seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving The director also leaves the meaning of the black rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion This theme in part is what makes 2001 a film like no other though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality Still the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness With spectacular painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time Kubricks film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling provocative and perfect --Jeff Shannon