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DVDs in the Works

Archive for May, 2011

Planet Earth in new Special Editions

Planet Earth Special Edition

In 2007 we released the incomparable Planet Earth on DVD and Blu-ray. It was our very first foray into the Blu-ray format, and we admit we’d do a few things differently now. The original Blu-ray was on four BD25 discs; today we’d opt for the higher bit rate capacity of BD50 discs. Also, it was decided for purity’s sake that the Blu-ray would contain only high-def material. Unfortunately, the standard-def material included the remarkable stories in the “Making Of” featurettes as well as the three-part documentary Planet Earth – The Future, and we began to get clamors for those to be added to the Blu-ray.

Among the extras that are new in both the DVD and Blu-ray Special Editions are audio commentaries, isolated music and effects option, and two high-def programs, Planet Earth’s Greatest Moments and Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth, a 50-minute look at the elusive cat in the mountains of Pakistan. Two standard definition extras, Secrets of the Mayan Underworld and Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert, were shot at the same time that Planet Earth crews were in the location. Finally, both Special Editions will offer a special sneak peek at Executive Producer Alastair Fothergill’s next blockbuster project, Frozen Planet.

Fan Alert: The May 28th issue of Radio Times has revealed the next three Sherlock stories which will make up Season Two. The exact titles are “A Scandal in Belgravia,” “The Hounds of Baskerville” and (oh, no! not yet!) “The Reichenbach Fall.” The cognoscenti are already arguing over who should play Irene Adler, the woman who (as Holmes remarks) “eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.”

The early 20th century IN COLOR!

The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn (Archives of the Planet)

A century ago French philanthropist Albert Kahn set off on a world tour with his chauffeur Alfred Dutertre. Dutertre had taken crash courses in photography, cinematography and in the Lumiere Brothers’ latest invention, the autochrome process, a fool-proof method that yielded remarkably true-to-color images. Luckily, Khan’s chauffeur was a quick study, and the resulting footage and photos of the diverse cultures they encountered inspired Albert Kahn to build nothing less than an Archive of the Planet. Spanning 22 years (1908-30) in more than 50 countries, his photographers left an unprecedented record of how ordinary people lived all over the world. There are more than 72,000 autochrome plates alone, but the black-and-white film footage brings this amazing era to life in the ten-part BBC series The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn. The onscreen historians are palpably moved by the glimpses into long vanished cultures and nations in transition, and there is much for the amateur genealogist to study as well. Look for the DVD later this year.

We are saddened by the news that Edward Hardwicke (Oppenheimer, Poirot: The Hollow died on Wednesday.  He is best known for the stalwart support he gave to Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes in his seasons as Dr. Watson from 1984-94. The son of Hollywood actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke, he made his film debut as a child actor in A Guy Named Joe (1943). Click here for the BBC News obituary.

Hamlet at Elsinore

Michael Caine & Christopher Plummer

If the release of Kenneth Branagh’s Thor is making you nostalgic for his Shakespearian period, you’re not alone. So what better time to talk about Hamlet at Elsinore? Made in 1964 to commemorate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, and rarely seen since, this version of the play has become legendary. Filmed on location at Kronborg Castle in Denmark, it drew together a fantastic cast: Christopher Plummer (The Last Station) as Hamlet, Michael Caine as Horatio and Robert Shaw (A Man for All Seasons) as Claudius. Even smaller parts were carefully cast. A young Donald Sutherland delivers as Fortinbras in the final scene, and Sixties comedian Roy Kinnear (Willy Wonka, Help!) worked his special magic as the Gravedigger.

A couple of years ago, we were at an event in which Michael Caine declared that Plummer was the best Hamlet he had ever seen, and that prompted us to make a serious search of the BBC Archive for viable footage. We’re happy to announce that this year we restored the film digitally, and it was shown at the Sarasota Film Festival last month. As an extra, we are including the interview with Christopher Plummer taped onstage at the festival. To get an inkling of what’s in store from Hamlet at Elsinore, check out the video below. While it’s a tantalizing sampling of short, unrestored clips, it once was all anyone could hope to see. Look for the DVD this fall.

FAN ALERT: This week’s Doctor Who episode “The Doctor’s Wife” is the one that Neil Gaiman fans have been looking forward to even before last season began. The author of American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Coraline and Sandman is a life-long Doctor Who fan, and we can’t wait to see the result of this meeting of the minds. It airs on BBC America at 9pm ET on Saturday, May 14th .

Made-in-the USA Top Gear

Top Gear

When the US version of Top Gear was being launched last November on The History Channel, we admit that we were skeptical. The success rate among reformatted TV series is lower than anyone cares to admit, and the question that came up most often was, “Which one of the hosts is supposed to be the next Clarkson?” Is it comedian Adam Ferrara (Rescue Me, Ugly Betty)? Or the champion race driver Tanner Foust? Or racing analyst Rutledge Wood? Happily, the three have built a dynamic of their own over the premiere season, and are returning in new season on The History Channel later this year.

Many of the stunts in Top Gear: Season 1 DVD have a peculiarly American flavor, such as a moonshine run along an actual Prohibition route in the Deep South, and the challenge between the Dodge Viper and the Cobra helicopter is some of the most exciting television we’ve seen this season. The 7.5-hour DVD (coming out July 19th) also includes the popular “Big Stars in a Small Car” segments with astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Lost actor Dominic Monahan (Hetty Wainthropp Investigates), Modern Family’s Ty Burrell, musician Kid Rock, Avatar star Michelle Rodriguez and skateboard legend and game designer Tony Hawk.

DOCTOR WHO FAN ALERT: Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, The Diary of a Nobody) is guest-starring as a 17th century pirate in this week’s Doctor Who episode “The Curse of the Black Spot” at 9pm ET on Saturday, May 7th.