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Order this DVD from Amazon.com
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Rain Man
Special Edition
(MGM Home Entertainment)
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| DVD Release Date:
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February 3, 2004
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| Length:
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134 mins.
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| Rated:
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R
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| Format:
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Widescreen (1.85:1)
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| Audio:
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English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
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| Subtitles:
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Subtitles: French, Spanish, Captions: English
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| Extras:
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Audio Commentary by Director Barry Levinson, Audio Commentary by Screenwriter Ronald Bass, Audio Commentary by Screenwriter Barry Morrow, Original Featurette, Deleted Scene, Photo Gallery, Original Theatrical Trailer
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As VHS is gradually going the way of Beta, we are seeing many classic movies being re-released on DVD. Although Rain Man was originally brought to DVD format in 2000, it has now joined the ranks of DVD classics with the release of a Special Edition DVD.
Rain Man was "the" picture of 1988. It won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for Best Actor. For this alone, it is worth seeing again (or for the first time if you were living under a rock in 1988).
Rain Man is the story of Charlie and Raymond Babbitt, brothers who are reunited following the death of their father. Although Charlie, a man who is incapable of expressing emotion, initially seeks out his brother as a means of securing financial gain, he ultimately learns the value of family and gains a new level of self-awareness. Yes, it is your typical morality tale, but the journey in this movie is something worth watching.
We are treated to some very special performances in this movie. We see a much younger Tom Cruise in the role of Charlie Babbitt, and through his performance we are able to catch a glimpse of the fine actor that he would become. We see Dustin Hoffman at his glorious best as Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant. There is also a decent supporting performance by Valeria Golino.
What else can I say about this movie? It is timeless - it does not need cheap gimmicks or special effects to make it a good movie. It is a simple film with a simple message, and that is simply good enough for me.
The extras on this DVD are the "standard" fare. You have three commentary tracks - one by director Barry Levinson, one by screenwriter Ronald Bass and one by screenwriter Barry Morrow. They offer some interesting insight into the making of the film, including some background information that many movie buffs may be surprised to hear.
There is an "original featurette" from 1988 about the making of the film. It consists primarily of interviews with Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Barry Levinson, Mark Johnson, Peter Guber and Jon Peters. It does not provide a lot of insight, but does give us an interesting perspective on tacky 80's hairdos. (What were Jon Peters and Peter Guber thinking?) There is one deleted scene from the film, and a photo gallery.
This film is a "must-have" for any movie buff's collection. Owing the movie is the primary draw here - but with the exception of the commentaries, don't expect a lot from the extras on this one.
| The Movie: |
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9/10 |
| The Extras: |
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7/10 |
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Erin Cullin - Senior Editor
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