Special Features

[happyfilmluvguy]

At the moment, I'm watching the second disc of "Shrek", and viewing the "Tech of Shrek" as it is entitled. Nowadays, DVDs include such additions, and many people buy dvds especially for the special features included. VHS (Videotapes) were the first to feature special features at the end of the films. Documentaries on the film itself were one of the featured features after the "Feature Presentation".

The movie "Shrek" has a lot of technical aspects that the creators feel should be explained for educational purposes. Special Features really are educational for the most part, and for someone who always wondered "how'd they do that?", the special features have opened a door into the behind the scenes world, where a camera is pointed at the crew rather than the cast.

So what special features have you enjoyed? What have you learned from them? What would you like to learn about the movie in a special feature? What DVD do you own that features more special features than others you have?

 

[The Outlaw Kyle]

I've enjoyed the directors commentary of several films. The modern "Pride and Prejudice", "Way of the Gun", "Serenity". The actors commentary from "Lord of The Rings:Return of the King" is especially good. The actors who play Merry and Pippin are so dang funny. I head an interview with David Lynch the other day on NPR, and he felt that the directors commentary was really an awful idea because it distracts from the "magic" of film making. I don't entirely disagree, and I think that if the director doesn't want commentary, then there shouldn't be any. That said, I always the enjoy the "making of" stuff.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I love commentaries if they stay on point. So many of them lapse into "the gaffer was a wonderful guy; the set designer was a great gal; the location scout was terrific" with no elaboration. That's all very nice, but it doesn't help my understanding of the film.

Off the top of my head I've enjoyed the commentaries on Meet Me In St. Louis, The Philadelphia Story (I adore Jeanne Basinger, I wish she'd do more commentary) and Sense and Sensibility. Pleasantville's commentary was really good too.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

The first commentary I heard spoiled me. It was on one of my favorite movies Peeping Tom. I've also been spoiled by Herschell Gordon Lewis' comments on his movies, and the commentary on Born to Kill, with a funny story about Lawrence Tierney. SO, I wish wish wish I had never played the horrendous commentary on another favorite movie Leave Her to Heaven. DO NOT play this commentary, you will never get it out of your mind. Among other clunkers, the movie critic got the characters' names wrong and completely dismissed the scene with the scattering of the ashes, and the incredibly annoying kid actor grown up is a jerk who thinks all performers existed to entertain him on the set. I won't name the commentator's names.
My dad and I liked watching the documentaries included with Hitchcock's films, who wouldnt'?

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I like commentaries as long as actors aren't involved. I like 'em even better if the directors aren't involved either.

However, I do enjoy director interviews.

Of course, it all depends on how much you like the movie. If you LOVE the movie, you will probably love anything extra you can possibly get your hands on. That's me for The Long Goodbye (<see avatar). I love every corner of those special features on the DVD, but other folks -- probably not.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

On the DVDs for a lot of Golden Era movies is something called "Warner Night at the Movies." If you click on that, it will show a trailer from another Warner's move from the same year, a newsreel, cartoon and short subject also from the same year, and then the feature movie. Lots of fun.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

Has anyone seen those featurettes on TCM with behind the scenes of films being made at the moment. There are also some showing the studios and other themes of that nature. Only these weren't created later, they were made as a sort of preview of the film during that year.

 

[Travis]

If I find the movie to be alright or even pretty good, I usually just watch the movie, but I love knowing that I have the option of the bonus features. However if I find something really cool about the movie, then I get really into the bonus features. I get really let down when a great movie has no extra features. I don't remember where I've seen it, but I remember at some point seeing a movie that had commentary tracks from different sources, actors, director, writer, things like that. I'd love to hear commentary on some of these period films that have come out in the last decade or so from the costume designers.

 

[Lady Day]

The best director commentary I ever experienced was on Spike Lee's Bamboozled.

I use to be all about deleted scenes. I mean I wouldnt get the special DVD without them. Now I could care less. I watche enough to see why they were cut. :eusa_doh:

I do find it personally annoying when the DVD does not have the film's theatrical trailer on it somewhere! I mean how hard can that be to put it in the disk! That just sits in my craw.


LD

 

[The Wolf]

different types of commentary

The best commentaries have the director/writer/actor tells amusing anecdotes, gives interesting information about filming and stays on track.
Highlander is a good example.
Another type is amusing people telling stories about the filming but are spliced from different recording sessions. Start the Revolution is like that. Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland and Bud Yorkin are intercut for the commentary. About 3/4 of the way through Sutherland signs off.
Sometimes it is a group commentary with person trying to keep people on track. John Landis does this with Kentucky Fried Movie. At times he is practically interviewing Zuckers and Abrahms.
The worst is the commentator that forgets to talk and just watches the movie. S/he usually can be heard laughing over the jokes or saying his/her lines slightly off from the soundtrack. Sadly one of my favorite performers, Stan Freberg, does this on the commentary to the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Rabbit's Kin". I would truly like to hear more of what he would have to say.
Those are the main types I can remember.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

P.S. Used Cars has great commentary.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

The best director commentary I ever experienced was on Spike Lee's Bamboozled.

I use to be all about deleted scenes. I mean I wouldnt get the special DVD without them. Now I could care less. I watche enough to see why they were cut. :eusa_doh:

I do find it personally annoying when the DVD does not have the film's theatrical trailer on it somewhere! I mean how hard can that be to put it in the disk! That just sits in my craw.


LD

In the Mood for Love: Some of the deleted scenes are better than the movie. My opinion, but ever since then, I give deleted scenes a chance. Directors sometimes forget themselves.

And seeing more Rachel Ward dressed-for-Mexico in Against All Odds is an argument for watching any deleted scene.

 

[The Wolf]

I forgot one of the other annoying types of commentary, when a contributor complains about how bad parts are and how s/he wished it was done differently. The director of The Specials does that all the way through the commentary on things that seemed fine when you first see the movie. After that it is easy to think "yeah, that does look wrong" or "It would have been better the other way".
Anyone else run across one of these types?

Sincerely,
the Wolf

 

[nubsnubs]

Hitler: The Rise of Evil

I have a DVD of the made for TV series 'Hitler: The Rise of Evil' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346293/
This is an incredible story of Hitler's youth, and his rise throught the ranks of the Nazi party. There is definately not more special features than other films, however, there is an incredible documentary about the making of the film and how objective the fimlmakers tried to be while researching Hitler's lost history. It made me appreciate the movie even more after realizing that they tried not to buy into the consensus of hatred towards the man, nor the mythology he recreated about himself. They tried to be objective and honest to the characters. Great movie and a great 'the making of' documentary.

 

[nubsnubs]

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Another good 'special feature' clad film: 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119668/

I had intentions of going to bed after the movie... in the end me and the wife stayed up very late surfing the special features.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Just watched my DVD of "All Through the Night" starring Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre. The director of that film was still living at age 99 and contributed to the commentary track. Sadly, he passed away soon after.

That had to be the oldest movie on record with a director's commentary.

The movie had an amazingly diverse cast, including the usual suspects like Barton MacLaine but also Jackie Gleason and Phil Silvers. Great flick and it dealt with Nazi spies in the United States. IMDB states that the film was first released on 2 December 1941, five days before Pearl Harbor.

 

[Rob]

So what special features have you enjoyed?

I enjoy Oliver Stone commentaries on his movies. I particularly like his commentary on the director's cut of Alexander. Answers quite a few of the questions I had as I watched the film.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

My favorite DVD special features would have to be those for Hellboy, V for Vendetta and The Incredibles. Deleted scenes are a must, for me. Especially if they're for an animated feature, such as the "deleted scenes" they added to Monsters Inc.

I love seeing how movies are made. For instance; in Hellboy, the graveyard looks like it goes on forever, but the set is only about fifty feet wide and not much deeper than the gate.

I generally don't play the commentaries; about the only one I do play is the one behind Bud Lucky's Boundin', from the special features disc for The Incredibles. He tells the viewer quite a lot about it. After about thirty years of doing pencil and paper animation, including a lot for Sesame Street, Bud was the fifth animator hired by Pixar.


Lee
_____________________________

"I like to think these days that thirty years ago I used animation to teach kids their numbers, and now these kids are teaching me how to animate with numbers." - Bud Lucky

 

[The Wolf]

How's that for timing?
I just watched All Through the Night last night also. It has a lot of nice bonus features. It has the "Warners night at the movies" feature, with trailer for Gentleman Jim, newsreel, one of my favorite cartoons: "Lights Fantastic", and a Joe Doahes short about quitting smoking (!). The DVD also has a featurette about character actors of old with modern character actors talking about their favorites.
The movie's good, too.

Sincerely,
the Wolf

 

[Diamondback]

Personally, just picking on what I've been too lazy to pull out of the DVD drive, I thought the extended cut and special features on The Punisher really added a whole lot of depth to the story.

Then again, I can remember when a standard-length movie was two hours and change, not this ADD-addled 90-minutes-or-less crap.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

What is one thing that was learned from the content of the special features?

One thing I learned from the Tech of Shrek, is that realistic hair is very difficult to create in computer animation, and that is can be also used as grass.