The Beauty and Power of DVDs

I just watched Dirty Dancing, the Twentieth Anniversary DVD set, which I recently found at our local Barnes & Noble store.  I listened to Patrick Swayze explain how similar his background was to that of Johnny Castle, the character he played.  And I learned how life came to imitate art, while rehearsing and shooting the film in 1987, as the cast got into their roles, literally as well as figuratively – very much as it happened during the filming of M*A*S*H, nearly two decades earlier.

I thought, once again, how much I loved DVDs and what I was able to learn from them.

Then, I wondered if I could explain clearly what I love about DVDs and why.

What and Why

I find that there are several reasons I enjoy DVDs so much:

1. I can see the film and the features so clearly,
2. I can learn so much about what the film is saying and what went into the film,
3. I can learn more about the film online – from Wikipedia and IMDb,
4. I can read the book as well – or beyond that, read books about the book,
5. I can also learn from DVDs that are specifically educational.

One thing I enjoy enormously is the clarity, and the speed and flexibility, of DVDs.  Subtleties that are contributed by actors, the director, the director of photography, the composer, and other artists, on both sides of the camera, are clearly and easily available to the viewer – like facial expressions, and eye color and movement.  These would disappear in the unclear image and rough sound of a magnetic tape.

In Irwin Winkler’s Life as a House, the expression on Sam’s face, as he watches his parents, George and Robin, dance to Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, in George’s half rebuilt house, speaks volumes.  And the expression on Peter Kimball’s face, when Robin tells him that she’s fallen in love with George again, could not be conveyed in dialog.

The original music by Christopher Young for Lasse Hallström’s Shipping News is stunning.

When I watch a DVD, I can quickly and easily replay any part where I was looking at one side of the screen and missed something on the other side.

I watch many DVDs more than once.  I find that I see or hear things on subsequent viewings that I hadn’t noticed before.  And sometimes, something learned elsewhere lends new insight.

I love to watch the DVD features – or play the film with a full-length commentary on – to learn more about what a film is saying, or about what went into a film.

In a feature with Stanley Kramer’s1967 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, it was pointed out how the film was as much about the Spencer Tracey – Katharine Hepburn love as it was about the interracial love between Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton.

With Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day, in one of the features, the director observed that the weather for the shoot, which began in winter and ended in spring, mirrored the emotional arc of the film beautifully.

In one of the “Appendices” accompanying Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, I learned how one of the stages in post production involved transferring the film images to digital, then a computer was used to adjust the color and highlighting, frame by frame, and then the adjusted images were transferred back to film.  The changes are invisible when watching the film, but if the before and after images are shown side by side, the effect is clear and impressive.

I also learned about how deeply Viggo Mortensen got into his character of Aragorn.  One feature told how Viggo carried his sword with him always, even off set.  And another explained how Viggo bonded with his horse, which he purchased and took with him, when the film was completed.

When I’m watching a film, I often go online to Wikipedia, and to IMDb, and print whatever pages are relevant and interesting, including cast lists and trivia.  I fold the pages and slip them into the DVD case, for future reference.

On occasion, I read the book as well.  I’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird, Shipping News, Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay, and Cold Comfort Farm.

In the case of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings – wonderfully deep, modern mythology – I read several books about the books.  One essay pointed out that Frodo is a flawed hero.  In the end, he was not able to complete his task.  The essay observed that Samwise was the true hero.  He is the only character in Middle-Earth who carried the ring and then willingly parted with it.

I also deeply enjoy educational DVDs.

Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation is an examination of world history, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day, through the art produced.  Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is an examination of the cosmos and the history of scientific exploration and discovery.  Peter Jennings hosted a series called The Century (the only VHS I’m including here) which is a wonderful presentation of the history of the U.S. from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1990s.

I was never a student of history, and these three sets together are a wonderful history curriculum for me.

I have not yet seen Jacob Bronowski’s The Ascent of Man – I recently ordered it.  I understand that it is another wonderful series which has stood the test of time, and that it follows the development of human society through it’s understanding of science.  I’m looking forward to adding it to my history curriculum.

Another series I enjoy is Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers.  These talks explore the social and psychological significance of mythology, through time to now, and across myriad cultures.

These five reasons contribute to my passionate enjoyment of the beauty and power of DVDs – and to my desire to share that passion with you.

Other DVDs I enjoy

I’ll wrap up by sharing a selection of other DVDs I enjoy.  I will try to give a list that reveals the range – and the restraints – of my viewing.

Drama

An Affair to Remember, Casablanca, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Steel Magnolias, Witness for the Prosecution.

Comedy

As Good As It Gets, The First Wive’s Club, Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ken Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing, Shirley Valentine.

Mel Brooks

Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Blazing Saddles, The Producers.

Mystery

Lord Peter Wimsey – both with Ian Carmichael and with Edward Petherbridge, Miss Marple with Joan Hixon, Poirot with David Suchet, Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett.

Musical

Oscar Hammerstein’s Oklahoma and Carousel, Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, Les Miserables – In Concert – The Dream Cast, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Royal Albert Hall Celebration, Peter Paul & Mary’s Carry It On.

Series

As Time Goes By, Are You Being Served? and Again!, The Good Life.