Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Where to begin with this set's nearly 14 hours of extras? Try the commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer, who spins a good story in his blow-by-blow account of the grueling production. He weaves in minibios of Steiner, the stars, and every other main player in the movie's making, and he manages to find Hollywood tidbits and technical whatnots that aren't included in the other bonuses.

Most of those extras are on the second Blu-ray Disc. Nearly all of them, though, are transferred from standard-def sources, so whereas some look grand, others are difficult to watch after experiencing the film in all its glory. But frankly, again ...

That's because, in the bevy of bonuses, even a previously available, 20-year-old documentary like The Making of a Legend is informative and entertaining. Narrated by Christopher Plummer, this 2-hour TV special gives interesting background on the life of producer David O. Selznick, drawing parallels between Scarlett's indomitable, they're-notgoing- to-lick-me spirit and his own. The plentiful clips from other Selznick fi lms, home movies, and screen tests are a real pleasure. Playing more fast and free with the facts is Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War, a 90-minute TV special from 1980 (on home video for the fi rst time) with Tony Curtis as Selznick.

Among the brand-new extras is 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, an hour-long documentary narrated by Kenneth Branagh. It delves into the historical and social factors that helped bring about an all-time bumper crop of classics that year, showing how each studio (major or independent) managed to outdo itself as never before or since. (Each of the 10 nominees for Best Picture that year would probably sweep the board these days.) There's also a half-hour featurette on this classic's continuing legacy and how the movie has inspired museums and collectors.

The topics of other featurettes range from the film's restoration (involving the realignment of its three-strip Technicolor) to a 1940 short on The Old South, which does a solid job of explaining the cotton trade and its reliance on slavery. You can also watch famous scenes dubbed into French and Italian and see a prologue explaining the Civil War to international audiences.

And what of our stars? A 65-minute vintage documentary (and boy, does it look and sound vintage) tells through interviews how a poor would-be actor became Clark Gable. A much more recent (and higher-resolution) doc looks at the career of Vivien Leigh; narrated by Jessica Lange, this 45-minute piece includes wonderful clips of Leigh's film performances. More than a dozen other cast members get 1- to- 4-minute bios (also with examples of their work). And in Melanie Remembers, Olivia de Havilland reminisces at age 88 in 2004; she is now 93.

Besides the two Blu-ray Discs, there's a DVD with the same 6-hour documentary on MGM that appears in the Ultimate Collector's Edition of The Wizard of Oz. Despite its hokey presentation and standard resolution (if only all those gorgeous clips were in high-def!), it's even more involving the second time around. You also get a music sampler on CD whose cues are so evocative that you can almost taste a mint julep (even if the sound has the same problems that mar the film's mono track).

Inside the velvet box, beneath the beautiful image of Scarlett at Tara on the underside of the lid, you'll find a host of physical extras: maina 20-page reproduction of the original 1939 souvenir program, ten 5 x 7-inch artwork cards, and a gorgeous 40-page hardcover book containing images of theatrical posters, set designs, and costume drawings. The box even includes a stack of revealing correspondence from Selznick in which he takes directors like George Cukor, John Ford, William Wyler, and this movie's helmsman of record, Victor Fleming, and moves them around his productions like dancers at a ball.

Yes, this Ultimate Collector's Edition is also available on DVD. But when it comes to the splendor of Blu-ray . . . well, now we can all give a damn.