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"The Shining"
Best Videos 1999
By Michael Blowen
1. "The Stanley Kubrick Collection"
2. "Arlington Road"
3. "Brazil" (Criterion Edition)
4. "Chinatown" (1974)
5. "Henry V" (1943 version)
6. "Shakespear in Love"
7. "Lost Horizon" (1937 version)
8. "Pinocchio" (1937)
9. "Gulliver's Travels" (1939)
10. "A Bug's Life"
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his year signaled the beginning of the end for VHS, and the celebration of the DVD as the home-video force for years to come.
The digital video disc has exploded on the market. The sharp, clear video and CD-quality sound, combined with extra features such as multilingual tracks and discussions of the films by stars and directors, has reinvigorated the home-video industry. Unlike many technical advances that simply gouge the consumer, this little disc is worth every penny. Business is so big, with retail and Internet sales, that no one is exactly sure how many DVDs have been sold to date. Estimates range from a low of 18 million to a high of 44 million. One thing is certain - the reproduction houses can't keep up with demand and orders for many ''available'' titles are backlogged for weeks. Orders for new discs are backed up at least six months for independents and even the major studios must use their considerable clout to get their discs released in a timely manner. Macrovision, the company responsible for encoding discs with anti-piracy devices, estimates that by the end of 2000 more than 10 million DVD players will be in service.
The biggest news of the year was the release of the Stanley Kubrick Collection through a cooperative arrangement among MGM, Warner Bros., and Columbia. Kubrick is one of the few directors whose work is immeasurably enhanced by the quality that DVD brings to motion pictures. The set comprises ''Lolita'' (1962), ''Dr. Strangelove'' (1964), ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968), ''Barry Lyndon'' (1975), ''A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), ''The Shining'' (1980), and ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987). Even though this was the video release event of the year, it's not perfect. The titles don't include the ancillary features associated with DVD, and some of the prints, particularly ''The Shining,'' don't look as if they were remastered. But that's nitpicking. Seeing ''Barry Lyndon'' again in a brilliant print illuminates Kubrick's masterful adaptation of the Thackeray novel in which atmosphere and tone take center stage. The black-and-white imagery from ''Dr. Strangelove'' is unparalleled and ''A Clockwork Orange'' is even more frightening today then when it was first released.
While ''Arlington Road'' may not make a Top 10 movies list, it's one of the best DVDs because star Jeff Bridges and director Mark Pellington actually question judgments they made. Instead of perceiving the commentary track as a way of rewriting history and self-promotion, they deal with how they could have made a better film. Their honesty and openness is rare.
There was such a controversy about the final release print of ''Brazil'' that Terry Gilliam considered having his name removed from the credits. After numerous articles and a book detailing his war with Universal, the documentary ''The Battle of `Brazil,''' included in the three-disc Criterion Collection set, is a magnificent document for the art vs. commerce debate that is staged every day in Hollywood. While some might say that Gilliam's film doesn't deserve this much attention, it does. Ironically, one of the great themes of his film is interference by a totalitarian force - precisely the issue raised by the film's original release in 1985. The details are so precise that a college film teacher could wrap an entire course around the ''Brazil'' DVD.
Director Roman Polanski, producer Robert Evans, and screenwriter Robert Towne contribute useful information about the making of ''Chinatown'' (1974). It's too bad they couldn't persuade star Jack Nicholson to contribute because that's just what's needed to complete the story. However, as it is, the remastered print is as good as it gets.
Laurence Olivier's ''Henry V'' (1943) is breathtaking on DVD. The remastered Technicolor print does full justice to the actor-director's spectacular adaptation of Shakespeare's intimate epic. The Battle of Agincourt sequences vibrate with pageantry and color while Olivier never loses sight of the play's intimacy. ''Henry V'' makes a great double bill with ''Shakespeare in Love.'' The latter, aside from crisp images, has some useful extras, including biographical information about Shakespeare and some sharp insights from Oscar-winning screenwriter Tom Stoppard.
While Frank Capra made better pictures than ''Lost Horizon'' (1937), none of them will be better served on DVD than his adaptation of James Hilton's classic novel. Film historian Robert Gitt and critic Charles Champlin make for lively companions on the DVD's alternate track. Don't confuse this one with the dismal 1973 musical remake.
The three best animation DVDs are ''Pinocchio'' (1937), ''A Bug's Life'' (1998), and ''Gulliver's Travels'' (1939). While the Disney ''Pinocchio'' lacks the behind-the-scenes add-ons that would enhance its educational and entertainment value, there's no mistaking the brilliant drawings that are enhanced by the DVD format. It's fascinating to put some of the detailed images on pause/still, the better to appreciate the artistry of the animators. ''Gulliver's Travels'' was the best animated film ever released by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Dave Fleischer, this adaptation retains the Swiftian tone, which should appeal to fans of satire, and the sense of drama generated by Gulliver's adventures. Great for the whole family. Eventually, ''A Bug's Life'' will be seen in the same classical light as ''Pinocchio'' and ''Gulliver.'' Aside from a great explanation of special effects, ''A Bug's Life'' also includes ''Geri's Game,'' a short subject also produced by the folks at Pixar.
