Hollywood gears DVDs to older generation
Most marketing mavens consider those between the ages of 18 and 35 to be the most appealing customers for products, but the executives behind the DVD revolution in home entertainment have discovered that those approaching and into their golden years can generate unexpected riches. With the holidays right around the corner, Hollywood studios are flooding stores with potential gift titles. They range from a motorcycle documentary to a Sonny & Cher celebration and are geared for those in that fast-growing population of those 40 and older.
Some recently released titles designed to bring holiday cheer to that favorite mature adult on your shopping list include:
– “Bob Hope: The Road to Laughter” (Hart Sharp; $9.99, tape; $14.99, DVD): Woody Allen has long credited the late, great Hope with being perhaps the finest screen comedian in Hollywood’s history, something supported by this title that spotlights 90 clips from the comic actor’s motion picture career. The documentary also features interviews with four writers Larry Gelbart, Mort Lachman, Sherwood Schwartz and Melville Shavelson – who worked with Hope.
– Four vintage Humphrey Bogart favorites – “To Have and Have Not,” “Dark Passage” (both with Lauren Bacall), “They Drive By Night” and “High Sierra” (both with Ida Lupino) – have been released by Warner Home Entertainment ($19.99 each, DVD only). The black-and-white favorites include documentaries, radio shows and outtakes as extras.
– “Crime Story: Season One” (Anchor Bay; $59.99, DVD only): Before becoming a major film director thanks to works such as “Heat,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “The Insider” and “Ali,” Michael Mann created “Crime Story.” The gritty NBC series, which premiered on Sept. 18, 1986, chronicles the obsessive efforts of rule-breaking cops (led by Chicago policeman-turned-actor Dennis Farina) who stop at nothing in their battle against young gangsters led by Ray Luca (Anthony Denison of “Chasing Papi”). The 5-disc set contains the original two-hour pilot and all 20 episodes from the first season.
– “Harley-Davidson: The Legend” (Eagle Rock; $6.99, DVD only): This bargain-priced documentary chronicles the history of the motorcycles that have gone from a cult appeal to a mass appeal in recent years. The program offers images of Harleys from 1903 to the present and also contains segments on customized motorcycles, including ones at the Gott museum, the official museum of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
– “Le Cercle Rouge” (Criterion; $39.99, DVD only): Directors John Woo and Quentin Tarantino sing the praises of French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville (1917-73), who was a master at creating striking visuals and stoic characters in shadowy crime worlds. This striking low-key picture shows Melville at the top of his game. The 1970 film tells the story of an ill-fated thief (Alain Delon, who also stars in Melville’s brilliant “Le Samurai”) who becomes involved with a prison escapee (Gian Maria Volonte) and an alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand) in pulling off a complex robbery. This incredible package contains the complete 140-minute director’s cut of the film and numerous extras, such as 30 minutes of on-set and archival footage featuring Melville, Delon and Montand, the original theatrical trailer, and a 24-page booklet with an introduction by Woo and critical essays.
– “The Mark of Zorro” (Fox; $19.99, DVD only): Some of the greatest swashbuckling moments in motion picture history occur during this 1940 black-and-white favorite. Tyrone Power stars as the 19th century nobleman, Don Diego de Vega, who wears a mask and battles a lethal enforcer (Basil Rathbone) and his soldiers. Linda Darnell co-stars. The DVD also features a documentary, “Tyrone Power: The Last Idol,” on the dashing star.
– “Naked Lunch” (Criterion; $39.99, DVD only): Gifted Canadian director David Cronenberg, whose credits range from “The Fly” to “Spider,” plays head games with viewers during this adaptation of William S. Burroughs eccentric novel, which was long considered impossible to capture on celluloid due to its drug-induced imagery. Cronenberg has Peter Weller play Burroughs and weaves events from the writer’s life into the offbeat narrative. In addition to a high-definition digital transfer, this disc package provides numerous extras. Those include commentary by Cronenberg and Weller, a making-of-documentary, excerpts from the novel read by Burroughs and a 32-page booklet with essays on the intensely strange, oddly compelling work.
– “The Phantom of the Opera: The Ultimate Edition” (Image; $24.99, DVD only): This double-disc set contains the original 1925 version with Lon Chaney in the title role and the 1929 “restored version” with still galleries that show missing and deleted scenes. The silent classic concerns a madman who lives beneath the Paris Opera House and becomes an unseen mentor to a beautiful young singer. “Phantom” remains most famous for the make-up tricks by Chaney, who used chemicals to dilate his pupils, cotton and celluloid discs to heighten his cheekbones and wires to pull his nose upwards. These digitally re-mastered discs provide the best way possible to study Chaney’s still-haunting performance.
– “The Red Violin” (Universal; $14.99, tape and DVD): Samuel L. Jackson stars in this undiscovered gem that traces the history of a violin beginning with its original crafting in 17th century Italy. Canadian director Francois Girard provides a decidedly different tale that’s part history lesson and part thriller. It’s perfect for a viewer seeking something both challenging and entertaining.
– “Seabiscuit: The Lost Documentary” (Hart Sharp; $9.99, tape; $14.99, DVD): Missing for more than 60 years, this 1939 documentary was made by Seabiscuit’s owner, Charles Howard, who created it in honor of the four-legged champion being named Horse of the Year. It shows Seabiscuit’s birth, the animal’s purchase by Howard, trainer Tom Smith putting Seabiscuit through workouts and one of the horse’s first races (in which he came in fourth place and won $50).
– “The Sonny & Cher Ultimate Collection” (R2 Entertainment; $79.99, tape and DVD; available only by calling 800-503-4848 or www.sonnyandcher.com): The entertainers made their variety show debut in 1971 as a five-week summer replacement for “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The couple’s quirky humor, gentle banter and outrageous outfits quickly turned them into television world favorites. This “Collection” contains the original, unedited episodes of the network series and musical numbers such as the two singing “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You Babe.” Guest stars include Michael Jackson & The Jackson Five, Tina Turner, Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett.