Top 10 DVDs of 2007

by Brian Eggert

Ruling the home video market in 2007 were The Criterion Collection and Warner Bros. once again; both companies put out some expansive editions, finally getting to some long-promised titles (such as Blade Runner: The Final Cut and new versions of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and Sanjuro). Breaking new ground was Criterion’s Eclipse line (browse their releases HERE), which impressed with a number of low-priced boxed sets of important pictures.

It was an expensive year for DVD collectors—below are the best of the best. If you haven’t picked these up, do.

1. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982) - Five-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition

Without a doubt, 2007’s most impressive package was the 5-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, released by Warner Bros. on Dec. 18th. What an incredible film, even before the recent polish; it was entered on Deep Focus Review’s Top 100 Films and into The Definitives. With five diverse versions of Ridley Scott’s classic, groundbreaking neo-noir, even the casual fan will be slowly turned into a devoted follower of this foundational piece of science fiction. If you’re a fan of the original Director’s Cut, Theatrical Version, or International Version, you’ll have those at your disposal; also included on disc five is a “Workprint Version” that takes a unique approach to the film’s setup, with a drastically altered tone, as well as missing scenes and narration in the finale. There are commentaries by almost everyone involved with the picture, an exhaustive full-length documentary called “Dangerous Days: Making of Blade Runner”, and enough featurettes to make anyone an expert on the production.

And that’s saying nothing of the über-cool packaging; carry around your discs in a limited edition briefcase, a replica of the case Deckard has in the movie. Inside are a mini-spinner car, a plastic origami unicorn figure, a lenticular motion film clip, and plenty of collector’s photographs. Now if all that doesn’t do something for you, perhaps you should sit yourself down for a Voight-Kampff test, because you’re probably not human.

2. Ace in the Hole (1951, Criterion Collection)

The Criterion Collection’s stellar year peaked with Billy Wilder’s forgotten cautionary tale Ace in the Hole. A biting attack on journalism, the film features reporter Kirk Douglas turning out lies to better his story, which ultimately cause the death of an innocent. Working on this after Sunset Boulevard, Wilder was on a roll with Double Indemnity and A Foreign Affair behind him, and the hit Stalag 17 waiting ahead. All are relatively downer pictures, so it’s no wonder the writer-director’s bleak outlook peaked here. And yet we’re wrapped up in the intriguing amorality of Douglas’ character, a fast-talking paper man with liquor in his veins and wheels always spinning in his head. While airing occasionally on TCM, Wilder’s picture was maligned in its initial run for its blatant cynicism toward news media, therefore never received a home video release. In addition to Criterion’s clever packaging and in-depth supplements, the ideal new transfer perfectly restores this classic for today's audiences, which at first were unwilling to support such pessimistic filmic themes. Today, Ace in the Hole is as potent as ever. Long elapsed by history, Criterion might have single-handedly revived this picture, which I truly believe is one of the great masterpieces of cinema.

4. The First Films of Samuel Fuller (Eclipse)

This set includes:

--I Shot Jesse James (1949)
--The Baron of Arizona (1950)
--Steel Helmet (1951)

Samuel Fuller was an underdog to be sure; thankfully, he’s a Criterion favorite. This Eclipse presentation of his first three directorial efforts proves his radical nature was present from the start. Any fan of 2007’s brilliant The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford needs to see Fuller’s I Shot Jesse James, which punctuates the homosexual tension between James and Ford with a stark exclamation point. Steel Helmet was the first film about the Korean War, painting a grim anti-war picture wherein the director worked from his own WWII experiences. And of course The Baron of Arizona, which stars Vincent Price in possibly his best role, exemplifying the director’s obsession with rogue characters. Three essential titles, available together for $35.96—you’ll rarely get better bang for your buck.

4. House of Games (Criterion Collection)

We Criterion aficionados received a few pleasant surprises this year with this release: first, that David Mamet’s masterful first-feature would be given the DVD treatment it deserves; second, MGM would now allow their titles to become Criterion discs; third, a hint that more Mamet is on its way (Homicide, I hope). House of Games remains the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer-director’s best film, but that says nothing of his subsequent work. Here is a model for movies like The Spanish Prisoner, Heist, and Things Change—all movies about The Con in some respect, peppered with Mamet’s signature staccato dialogue. An impressive new digital transfer improves on the previous bare-bones release, bringing all the film’s darkness into striking clarity. Also, it gave me an excuse to include House of Games into The Definitives.

5. Yojimbo & Sanjuro (Criterion Collection)

I tried not to include DVD re-releases, but when Criterion takes the time to revisit a title, particularly these two pivotal Akira Kurosawa samurai classics, attention must be paid. As with 2006’s impressive 3-disc release of Seven Samurai, both films feature a new subtitle translation more accurate to the original Japanese, a sparkling new transfer, and improved audio. Documentary segments from the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create, which have been included on Criterion’s more recent Kurosawa titles, were included for both as well. Here’s hoping Criterion finds it in their hearts to return to Kurosawa’s noirish drama High and Low and his comedy-adventure The Hidden Fortress, both needing a revamped transfer and added supplements. Until then, this double-feature boxed-set is well worth the double-dip.

6. Sansho the Bailiff (Criterion Collection)

Prior to this two-disc release, Sansho the Bailiff had eluded me. My experience with Japanese master Kenji Mizoguchi was limited: only Criterion’s release of his Ugetsu, and Image's The 47 Ronin discs (with their cheap transfers and even worse subtitle translations). But the power of this sobering film overtook me, particularly its serene beauty and gentle imagery. In my Definitives entry, I wrote that Mizoguchi’s pointedly Japanese stance to storytelling was a welcomed doorway into a specific cultural world, one where narrative flows diagonally from traditional Western archetypes. Packaged in an optimal digi-pack case, this faultless release glowingly displays Criterion’s appropriate class and quality. Order it HERE.

7. The Departed (2-disc Limited Edition Tin)

Best Buy offered this exclusive tin packaging for Warner Bros’ two-disc edition of Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, my personal favorite film from 2006. I like that the DVD art avoids the Photoshopped cheesiness applied to the film’s other releases. And what a fine set otherwise, featuring Scorsese on Scorsese, an interesting TCM original documenaty, as well as "Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed", a doc about the Boston gangster who inspired Jack Nicholson’s character. With his incomparable cast and rapid-fire pace, Scorsese returns to his roots, making a crime picture worthy of Mean Streets, Goodfellas, and Casino. He finally earned his long-elusive Best Director Oscar, despite year after year of unjust losses. This extensive release does the film, and its director, justice.

8. Death Proof / Planet Terror

Grindhouse’s theatrical underperformance worried the Weinsteins, sending the high-concept double-feature by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez to the operating table. Severed from each other on DVD in hopes that Miramax would recoup the heavy losses, both Planet Terror and Death Proof received individual releases, each with missing content inserted back into the film and boatloads of features. Tarantino's car-chase-slasher, far superior to Rodriquez’s schlocky horror-fest, works much better in home video form, as “Missing Reel” messages don’t have the same effect unless shown theatrically. Luckily for the studio, consumers rushed out to buy both titles, surely making Grindhouse, even in this divided form, a minor financial success and major creative one.

9. Pan's Labyrinth - New Line 2-disc Platinum Series

Guillermo Del Toro established himself as one of the great cinematic visionaries of our time with his masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth, even if he doesn’t have the Best Foreign Film Oscar to prove it (Yes, I’m still upset about that). Split between entertaining sci-fi yarn like Hellboy and pensive horror stories like The Devil’s Backbone, his distinctive filmography peaked in 2006 with this part-myth, part-wartime atrocity tale. Showcasing those beautiful and horrifying visuals is this release’s spotless transfer. With two-discs worth of features, the most impressive content is Del Toro’s pre-production material; we see a vast collection of concept art produced by the director himself, demonstrating his wondrous talent and imagination.

10. Stanley Kubrick - Warner Home Video Directors Series

This set includes:

--2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
--A Clockwork Orange (1972)
--The Shining (1980)
--Full Metal Jacket (1987)
--Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

This long-awaited set of Special Editions came up two titles short, lacking Barry Lyndon (arguably one of Kubrick’s best) and Lolita. But that's no reason to discount the great majority of the director’s oeuvre being showcased in two-disc releases. Aside from crystalline new transfers and audio touch-ups, each title is packed with new documentaries and featurettes. And those of you Eyes Wide Shut fans can finally see Kubrick’s uncut version, originally cut for American audiences to avoid an NC-17 rating. Most notable is the transfer on 2001: A Space Odyssey, which has been released something like five times on DVD prior to this, all of which I purchased in hope for a worthy transfer; finally we have it. Be sure to watch the full-length documentary called "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures", with some interesting behind-the-scenes footage of Kubrick in action. With a reasonable price tag, there wasn’t a better boxed set, outside of Eclipse titles, released in 2007.

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**Honorable Mentions:

--28 Weeks Later
--49th Parallel: Criterion
--Army of Shadows: Criterion
--Bicycle Thieves: Criterion
--Black Book
--Brute Force: Criterion
--Children of Men
--The Documentaries of Louis Malle
--Drunken Angel: Criterion
--Duck, You Sucker!
--Flushed Away
--Hot Fuzz: 3-Disc Collector’s Edition
--Late Ozu
--The Naked City: Criterion
--The Prestige
--Ratatouille
--Rio Bravo: Ultimate Edition
--Sawdust and Tinsel: Criterion
--Scarface - Universal Cinema Classics
--Spider-Man 2.1