DVD PICKS
WALL-E (Disney): The new film from Pixar starts far into the future with the last robot on earth, a trash collector called WALL-E, being visited by another robot called EVE. When they come across plant life it triggers a response from the rest of mankind, who for centuries have existed on a giant mothership faraway.
Directed by Andrew Stanton (who also made Finding Nemo in 2003), this magical tale contains some of the most stunning visuals yet seen in animated films. Added to that is a surprisingly moving love story between two very different robots and a narrative filled with interesting themes such as: the environment, our relationship with technology and even obesity.
The extras on this impressive two-disc set are:
Disc 1
- ‘Presto’: Theatrical short that was seen in cinemas (5.30)
- BURN-E: An exclusive short about a minor character in the film.
- ‘Up’ Teaser for the new Pixar film
- Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds From The Sound Up featurette
- Audio Commentary with Director Andrew Stanton
- Deleted scenes
- Easter Eggs
Disc 2
- Deleted scenes
- The Imperfect Lens making of featurette
- Captain’s Log featurette
- Notes on a Score featurette
- Life of a Shot featurette
- Robo-Everything featurette
- WALL-E & EVE featurette
- Buy-n-Large Industrial Shorts (x5)
- WALL-E trailers
- Poster gallery
- The Pixar Story documentary*
Never before released on home video in the UK, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the UK edition of a restoration that won the prestigious Best Silent Film DVD award at the 2008 Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, Bologna, Italy.
A raft of special features on the two-disc edition include:
- A pristine transfer from a fine grain print struck from the original negative, featuring the director’s cut fought for by L’Herbier over many years, the film speed as projected in the late 1920s, and the entirety of each frame fully displayed
- New and improved English subtitles
- Newly improvised musical accompaniment by French composer and pianist Jean-François Zygel, who also provides a video introduction to the film and a documentary about accompanying silent cinema
- About L’Argent (Autour de L’Argent) (1928) – Jean Dréville’s 40 minute “making of” documentary
- Archival footage of star Brigitte Helm (fresh from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis) arriving in Paris for the shooting of L’Herbier’s film
- Archival screen tests of the L’Argent actors
- Marcel L’Herbier: Poet of the Silent Art (Marcel L’Herbier: Poete de L’Art Silencieux) (2007) – a 54 minute documentary profiling the director
- A demonstration of L’Herbier’s innovative sound techniques, which used 78rpm records during key scenes of L’Argent
- A lavish 80-page perfectly-bound booklet with archival publicity stills, a long essay by noted professor of French film Richard Abel (French Cinema: The First Wave, 1915-1929; French Film Theory and Criticism: A History/Anthology, 1907-1939; The Ciné Goes to Town: French Cinema, 1896-1914), newly translated interviews with L’Herbier, and newly translated extracts from the director’s biography.
The film might seem a distant arthouse oddity but given the paucity of decent DVD releases this week, it is well worth buying.
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The Armstrong and Miller Show (2 Entertain)
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World War II – Behind Closed Doors (BBC)
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> Buy WALL-E and L’Argent on DVD at Amazon UK
> Browse more DVD Releases at Amazon UK and Play
> Check the latest DVD prices at DVD Price Check
> Take a look at the current UK cinema releases (W/C Friday 21st November)
