Christmas Story [20th Anniversary Edition] [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Bob Clark's perennial holiday favorite A Christmas Story gets the two-disc special-edition treatment from Warner Bros. on this release. The film itself is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Clark along with stars Peter Billingsley and Melinda Dillon. The second disc contains original recordings of Jean Shepherd, whose work formed the basis for the film and who narrates the film; a making-of documentary; interactive trivia; a pair of featurettes; and the original theatrical trailer. This is a solid disc that will be enjoyed by fans of the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen), 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Pan and Scan, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: French, Spanish, English
• Features:
  • cc Disc 1:
  • All-new digital transfer in both full-screen and widescreen formats
  • Feature-length audio commentary by Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, and director/co-writer Bob Clark
  • Languages: English and Français
  • Subtitles: English, Français, and Español
  • Disc 2:
  • Original readings by Jean Shepherd, voice narrator of A Christmas Story
  • "Another Christmas Story" documentary with cast members and director Bob Clark, narrated by Peter Billingsley
  • "Get a Leg Up" and "A History of the Daisy Red Ryder" featurettes
  • Triple Dog Dare interactive trivia
  • Decoder match challenge
  • Hidden Easter eggs
  • Original theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Genie Awards

•     Won Best Director - 1984 (Bob Clark)
•     Won Best Screenplay - 1984 (Bob Clark)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1984 (Reginald Morris)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1984 (Mary E. McLeod)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1984 (Stan Cole)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1984
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1984 (Dino Pigat, Dave Appleby, Ken Heeley-Ray)
•     Nominated Best Sound Editing - 1984 (Steven Cole, Ken Heeley-Ray, David Evans, Wayne Griffin)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1984 (Tedde Moore)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Melinda Dillon - Mother
       Darren McGavin - The Old Man
       Peter Billingsley - Ralphie
       Ian Petrella - Randy
       Scott Schwartz - Flick

• Director:

  Bob Clark

• Producer:

  Bob Clark, Rene Dupont

• Book Author:

  Jean Shepherd

• Screenwriter:

  Leigh Brown, Bob Clark, Jean Shepherd

• Cinematographer:

  Reginald Morris

• Composer (Music Score):

  Paul Zaza, Carl Ziffrer, Carl Zittrer

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Alan Bernard

• Editor:

  Stan Cole

• Production Designer:

  Reuben Freed

• Art Director:

  Gavin Mitchell

• Co-producer:

  Don Carmody

• Associate Producer:

  Gary Goch

REVIEW:

• Marketed somewhat confusingly as a family film by the director of Porky's, Bob Clark's A Christmas Story took a while to catch on. But video and cable have conspired to boost its reputation into that of a latter-day holiday classic, and deservedly so. Its secret may be its ability to appeal to both children and adults. Clark wonderfully captures both Jean Shepherd's period detail (that's not just any BB-gun, it's a Red Ryder BB Gun) and, even more importantly, his ability to tell the story from a child's point of view. The film is plenty nostalgic, but it also captures the frustration and occasionally the outright terror of childhood and the absurdity of adult behavior. Of course, the earthy, bawdy humor doesn't hurt nor does the fact that Shepherd himself provides the near-constant narration. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide

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