EDtv: Collector's Edition
Universal / 1999 / 124 Mins / Rated PG-13


MOVIE
This was the second movie to deal with life in front of the camera, the first being The Truman Show. Now, unlike the Truman show, this guy knows that he is being watched. That guy is Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey) he has been selected to be the star of a new show called True TV a real life program that films Ed's life 24 hrs a day.

Ed's life turns upside down and he finds that he cannot have a normal life to live. Ed wants out but there is one small hitch, he is contracted to the network and he can't get out of it.

The movie is filled with great performances by Woody Harrelson and Ed's brother Ray. Jenna Elfman as Shari, Ray's girlfriend who falls for Ed after she finds out that Ray is cheating on her. Rob Reiner as the weasel head of the TV station. And Dennis Hopper in a short role as Ed's dad. Fun stuff and yet another great movie by Ron Howard.

VIDEO
Pretty good picture quality all round on this disc. The transfer is very sharp throughout and the colors are well rendered. There are some differences between the look of film and the look of the video camera, but these are all handled beautifully and is not a disruptive as you would think.

No MPEG artifacts were present. And there are no problems with the original master either.

EDtv is framed at 1:85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.

This is an RSDL disc. The layer change occurs at 114:59 during the end credits.

AUDIO

Ambience is a word I would use for this soundtrack. The movie is encoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 English sound. There is also a French Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. 

EDtv is a great soundtrack. The surrounds are not in your face, they are forever providing wonderful ambient sound which provides a nice enveloping sound field, this is a great example of effective sound design. The .1 channel was not used, but this is a movie that does not really require it.

There is also 2 commentaries encoded in Dolby Digital 2.0

EXTRAS
WOW, this disc is loaded with extras.

Audio Commentary 1: Director: This commentary track by Ron Howard. It gives some useful information, but just remember that Ron does have times where there is no commentary at all.

Audio Commentary 2: Writers: Babaloo Mendel & Lowell Ganz. This is a fun commentary track right off the bat. They do give some information about the creative process, but I think they were there to make jokes more than anything else.

Feature: Caught in The Camera's Eye. This is a very good documentary on the making of the movie. There are several informative interviews with the director and stars.

Original Theatrical Trailer: This is a fun theatrical trailer framed at 1:85:1 on Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. It sells the movie well, it's a pity it didn't do better.

Universal Showcase: These are trailers for 2 movies that are running at the theatre now. Firstly there is an excellent trailer for the new Steve Martin flick Bowfinger and a fun trailer for the upcoming Mystery Men also. These trailers are framed at 1:85:1 with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.

Reprise Soundtrack Presentation: This feature includes a small commercial for the EDtv soundtrack and then it goes into a couple of music videos. Number 1 is the video, Call & Answer by Bare Naked Ladies and the second is Real Life by Bon Jovi. Both these videos are in a 4:3 format with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.

Outtakes: There are a set of outtakes from the movie that run about 10 minutes.

Deleted Scenes: This is a great extra. A set of deleted scenes that go for about 40 minutes. It's interesting to see what was left out.

The other extras contain the following:

Music Highlights
Production Notes
Cast Notes
Filmmaker Notes
Web Links

The subtitles included on this DVD are

Closed Captioned (English)

This is one of the best set of extras I have seen. Ever.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Great movie, great sound design and picture. Absolutely wonderful extras all thrown onto one of the best DVD's available. Wonderful stuff.

16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS:
PLOT:
OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT

Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player:
Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver:
Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers:
Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 25 May 2000 01:46:47 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 1
No of Discs: 1
MPAA Rating PG-13
Running Time: 124 minutes
Case Type: Black Amaray
Release Date: 17/8/1999
Catalog Number: 20560
List Price: Personal Import
Distributor: Universal
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: NTSC
Disc Type: Label only
Disc Format: SS-RSDL
Chapters: 18
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: DVCC
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround
2.0 Surround

DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages:

English
French
Subtitles: Yes
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: Yes (2)
Theatrical Trailer: Yes
Teaser Trailer: None
TV Spots: None
Dolby Trailer: None
Documentary: Yes
Cast & Crew Bios: Yes
Deleted Scenes: Yes
Music Videos: Yes (2)
DVD Rom Content: None
Collectable Booklet: Yes
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: None
Production Notes: Yes
PURCHASE THIS DISC ONLINE

INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE INFO
OFFICIAL WEB SITE
VIEW TRAILER