Wednesday 24 November 2004

King of the World

According to Italian home theater magazine AF Digitale, 20th Century Fox is in the process of finally releasing the long-awaited Titanic: Special Edition in 2005. DVD content details are still vague, but the magazine reports that the film will receive a mega four-disc set featuring a new DTS ES 6.1 audio track. Of the extras, expect commentaries, deleted footage and mountains of other bonus material. This highly anticipated release is tentatively scheduled for the summer and arrives 5 years after James Cameron's original announcement.

What follows is an extract from an email sent to a friend in January 1998, which makes mention of a future DVD release!

Well, it's finally arrived after shattering the U.S Box-office:

"Navigating the sepia Ocean"

Your kind birthday wish was indeed prophetic! We managed to ensure elusive seating arrangements, at the Exeter Odeon, for Friday night's inaugural performance of "Titanic." As the cinema can only accommodate two screenings a day, the film is completely sold-out till next weekend! As you can imagine I was thrilled to have accomplished this feat with the aid of Tom.

So how was the special 'Birthday treat' movie? Superlatives prove to be, as ever, elusive! Nothing could've prepared us for the audacious spectacle. The sheer joyous grandeur that literally leapt from the great expanse of widescreen. My most immediate comparison would be that it had a similar effect on me as "Edward Scissorhands." I mean the finale was almost unbearable to watch! The tragic haunting beauty of DiCaprio and Winslet's 'simple' performance was on a par with Depp and Ryder or DiCaprio and Danes. I'm such a romantic eh! Their flawless 'twilight-hued' visages continue to remain a-fresh on my mind... I was in tears and could hardly breathe during their 'goodbye'... Having that "E.T" feeling all over again... Yes, James Cameron is indeed a master magician of beautifully painted montage and emotion. WOW!

Of course composer James Horner's lyrically seductive and beguiling score made no small impression either. A seamless merging of Enya's ethereal vocal, "Edward Scissorhands", "Wrath of Khan" (the best bits) and "Cocoon" to name a few stylized cousins. Of course I mustn't forget to mention the fact that I very affectionately recalled the trip to see "Heavenly Creatures" (Peter Jackson) in 1995. And the first time I saw Winslet. I was beguiled by her then. I'm willing to bet that she'll make an appearance in the Star Wars Prequels! Just a spooky hunch that's all...

The film transcended my giddy expectations. Cameron has truly come-of-age with this almighty epic. It gives me goose bumps just thinking about his haunting 'Ghost story.' That's all I can say. Can't wait to see the five-hour TITANIC: SPECIAL EDITION on DVD in 2000!!!!!!

To bring this post to a close. Fox's DVD releases are amongst the finest that commercial companies have to offer. The Day After Tomorrow benefits from a luxurious anamorphic print and DTS audio. The only disappointment is that the sound stage is predominantly confined to the front three channels, leaving the rears to convey ambiance. This treatment is inappropriate in a movie that relies on technological bombast. Complaint aside. Watching DAT, on my Sony Plasma, far surpassed the theatrical version, which was curtailed by the limitations of wear and tear.

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