Cinematic bunny gets royal treatment when ‘Roger Rabbit’ hits video stores
The biggest cinematic bunny since Bugs first chewed on a carrot gets royal treatment with “Who Framed Roger Rabbit: 15th Anniversary Edition” (Touchstone; $19.99, tape; $29.99, DVD), which arrived in stores earlier this week. The terrific PG-rated picture is famous for its seamless blend of live action and animation.
The enjoyably outlandish story concerns a veteran Hollywood gumshoe, Eddie Valiant (British actor Bob Hoskins of “The Long Good Friday”), who reluctantly agrees to help a Toon Town character named Roger Rabbit (voice by Charles Fleischer) beat a phony murder charge. Valiant is inspired to help in the case by his sad-sack client’s sultry wife, Jessica Rabbit (voice by Kathleen Turner).
Directed by Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”), “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” won Oscars for best sound effects, visual effects and film editing, as well as a special achievement award for animation direction and creation of cartoon characters.
In addition to the massive technical pressures, Zemeckis also had to carefully handle the famous animated characters from different studios and artists. They include: Sylvester, Tweetie, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny (Warner Bros.); Donald Duck, Dumbo, Bambi, Minnie Mouse and Pinocchio (Disney): Tom & Jerry (MGM); Woody Woodpecker (Walter Lantz Studio); Heckle & Jeckle (Terrytoons); Droopy (Tex Avery), and Betty Boop, presented in black and white (Max Fleischer).
“There was a lot of pressure to not misuse the classic characters,” Zemeckis told me in an interview at the time of the film’s theatrical release. “We had to make sure that we presented them in their right tone and humor.
“It was a big responsibility, because you suddenly realize that you’re dealing with 60 years of an art form.”
To get an idea of the cost and effort involved in the production, one animated minute cost approximately $100,000 and required 20 animators a week to complete. The 103-minute picture, which was co-produced by Steven Spielberg, contains 55 minutes of animation.
The best way to see the groundbreaking film is on the double-disc DVD version, which contains both an anamorphic wide-screen and pan-and-scan image and was manufactured under George Lucas’ THX quality-control process, guaranteeing the best sound and image possible. “Roger Rabbit” has been pressed in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and contains numerous extras. Those include: three “Roger Rabbit” shorts (“Tummy Trouble,” “Roller Coaster Rabbit” and “Trail Mix-Up”), audio commentary by Zemeckis, a deleted scene, a split-screen comparison with and without the animated elements, and two making-of documentaries (“Who Made Roger Rabbit” and “Behind the Ears: The True Story of Roger Rabbit”). (The VHS version offers only one extra, the short “Tummy Trouble.”)
A fascinating ‘Fatale’
When Brian De Palma’s “Femme Fatale” arrived in theaters last November, the public immediately dismissed the erotically charged, stylishly dense thriller, which concerns a beautiful thief (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos of “X-Men”) who doublecrosses her cohorts.
Although a theatrical disaster, “Femme Fatale” (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD) seems destined for more success in video stores, where it arrived earlier this week.
Critics certainly didn’t forget the challenging R-rated film, which co-stars Antonio Banderas (“Frida”). The prestigious cinema magazine Film Comment polled international critics’ poll for the best 20 films of 2002, and “Femme Fatale” landed at No. 18. (At the top of the list was “Far From Heaven,” followed by “Adaptation.”)
The talented 61-year-old De Palma, whose credits include “Carrie,” “Blow Out” and “Scarface,” never plays it safe during “Femme Fatale.” With unusual camera angles, various split screens and unusual fantasy sequences, the 114-minute film moves along at a studied pace and practically dares viewers to keep up with the twists and turns.
Some will enjoy playing De Palma’s cinematic games, while others will find the set-in-France “Femme Fatale” about as involving as a ridiculously arty Obsession commercial.
A ‘Friends’ frenzy
The hottest show on television is also the most sizzling one in video stores.
On Tuesday, “Friends: The Complete Third Season” (Warner; $39.99, tape; $49.99, DVD) will arrive in stores with 25 episodes, each containing additional, previously unseen footage.
The Emmy Award-winning series stars Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courtney Cox-Arquette (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), David Schwimmer (Ross), Matthew Perry (Chandler) and Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and will return for a 10th season. The show attracts more than 34 million viewers each week and was the No. 1 rated comedy series last year.
How popular have the first and second season box sets been at video stores? More than three million have been sold to date.
For those who want to sample those early years, “The Best of Friends Season 1” and “The Best of Friends Season 2” (Warner; $14.99 each, tape and DVD) will also arrive on Tuesday. “Season 1” contains a guest appearance by former “Saturday Night Live” player Jon Lovitz, while “Season 2” features guests such as Julia Roberts, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Brooke Shields and Michael McKean.
Coming Soon!
The following VHS and DVD titles either have been or soon will be released to video stores.
If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the tape and disc offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web sites www.amazon.com or www.moviesunlimited.com, unless otherwise noted.
– “Far From Heaven” (Universal; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; April 1) with Julianne Moore (who received an Oscar nomination as best actress for her performance) in an R-rated drama about a repressed 1950s housewife with a closeted gay husband (Dennis Quaid of “Wyatt Earp”).
– “Secretary” (Studio Home Entertainment; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; April 1) with Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Adaptation”) and James Spader (“Crash”) in an erotically offbeat R-rated tale about an executive assistant open to being tied up on the job.
– “The Crime of Padre Amaro” (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; April 1) with Gael Garcia Bernal (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”) in the controversial R-rated Mexican film about a newly ordained priest who has a sexual relationship with a teenage girl.
– “Lady Jayne Killer” (Screen Media Films; $99.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; now available) with Erika Eleniak (“Under Siege”) and Adam Baldwin (“The Patriot”) in an R-rated action thriller about a female assassin being hunted by the mob and the LAPD.
– “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (Fox; $9.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; April 1) with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison in the 1947 romantic-comedy favorite about a widow’s friendship with the ghost of a sea captain.
– “West Side Story: Special DVD Collector’s Set” (MGM; $39.99, DVD only; April 1) with Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in the hit 1961 adaptation of the Broadway musical loosely based on “Romeo and Juliet.” The film won 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, and the double-disc DVD set features extras such as a retrospective documentary, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, original film intermission music, and a scrapbook (including a complete copy of the script and an introduction by screenwriter Ernest Lehman).
– “The Other Side of Heaven” (Disney; $19.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; April 1) with Anne Hathaway (“The Princess Diaries”) and Christopher Gorham (TV’s “Felicity”) in a PG-rated family tale about a 19-year-old who travels to the island kingdom of Tonga in the 1950s to become a missionary.
– “The Tom Green Subway Monkey Hour: Shenanigans in Japan” (Paramount; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; now available) with Green performing his raunchy stunts on the unsuspecting people of Tokyo.
– “I Love Lucy: Season One, Volumes Five and Six” (Paramount; $14.99 each, DVD only; April 1) with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in digitally remastered versions of their vintage TV show.
– “.hack//SIGN-LOGIN” (Bandi Entertainment; $29.99, DVD only; $64.99, “limited edition,” DVD only; now available), an anime import that takes place in a futuristic gaming environment where players log-on to test skills in virtual battles and then find that reality and fantasy collide.
– “The Ultimate Rangers: The Best of the Power Rangers” (Buena Vista; $19.99, DVD only; April 1), a collection of some of the greatest adventures of the live-action superheroes.
– “Bear in the Big Blue House: Live!” (Columbia TriStar; $12.99, tape; $14.99, DVD; April 1) with the seven-foot Cha-Cha-Cah’ing and the other characters from “Jim Henson’s Bear in the Big Blue House” series performing more than 20 songs.
– “Dragon Tales: Let’s Start a Band” (Columbia TriStar; $12.99, tape; $14.99, DVD; April 1) with Cassie, Emmy, Max and the other “Tales” characters in a full-length direct-to-video feature that blends animation and live-action music and contains 15 songs in a story about neighborhood youngsters who learn the importance of music. Erykah Badu and Dan Zanes make musical guest appearances.
– “The Wild Thornberrys Movie” (Paramount; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; April 1), a PG-rated adaptation of the popular animated Nickelodeon show that takes the characters to the Serengeti plains.