DVD Details for Henson Anniversary Editions
A few days ago I reported that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will be releasing deluxe "Anniversary Edition" DVDs of "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" on August 14, 2007. These classic Jim Henson fantasy film are each presented on two-discs and will feature film transfers from newly restored high definition film masters and will comes complete with all-new audio commentary tracks and hours of newly created bonus features. Below are a listing of the disc features.
The Dark Crystal - 25th Anniversary Edition
Disc 1:
• "The Dark Crystal" (2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen)
• English and Japanese Dolby-Digital 5.1 surround sound
• English, French and Japanese subtitles
• Feature-length audio commentary by Brian Froud
Disc 2
• "The World of Dark Crystal": The original 1982 making-of documentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Original Work Print Scenes
• Character Drawings & Designs
• "Reflections of the Dark Crystal": Two all-new behind-the-scenes documentaries that include rediscovered footage from the Henson archives and newly recorded interviews with the people who created The Dark Crystal (including David O’Dell, Dave Goelz, Katheryn Mullen, Brian Froud, Brian Henson, Jane Gootnick, Mira Velimorivic and others).
• ...and much more!
Other Specifications:
• Special lenticular packaging
• Release Date: August 14, 2007
• Suggested Retail Price: $24.99
Labyrinth - Anniversary Edition
Disc 1:
• "Labyrinth" (2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen)
• English and Japanese Dolby-Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
• Portuguese Stereo Sound
• English, French, Japanese and Portuguese subtitles
• Feature-length audio commentary by Brian Froud
Disc 2
• Ïnside the Labyrinth": The original 1986 making-of documentary
• Drawings & Designs
• "Journey Through the Labyrinth": Two all-new behind-the-scenes documentaries that include rediscovered footage from the Henson archives and newly recorded interviews with the people who created Labyrinth (including George Lucas, Brian Henson, Brian Froud, Karen Prell, Dave Goelz, Mira Velimorivic, Gates McFadden, Toby Froud, Jane Gootnick and others).
• ...and much more!
Other Specifications:
• Special lenticular packaging
• Release Date: August 14, 2007
• Suggested Retail Price: $24.99
5 comments:
I wish they'd release these as "Superbit" editions with the DTS tracks included, as they did a few years ago but with the bonus features on a seperate disc.
Hopefully the HD versions will have both the DTS track AND the new special features included.
I always felt that "Dark Crystal" was not as successful as Jim Henson's original cloth Muppets. Once the puppets were designed to look and move in a more realistic fashion, they showed their limitations. The main character's of this film especially look dead. The realist designs combined with the lively Muppet movements only make the characters look less alive. Kermit the Frog is so much more expressive than anything in "The Dark Crystal."
The only character of this sort that I feel worked was "Yoda" in "The Empire Strikes Back."
"Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" were both a complete mess. The stories and direction of both films were poorly done in every aspect. To be honest, I have never seen them again outside of there original theatrical releases. I personally can't imagine wanted to own either of them.
I can't disagree more with "Anonymous".
It's true that the cloth Muppets had more flexible, expressive faces than the stiff foam Gelflings, but I truly enjoyed the rich fantasy of "Dark Crystal". It had one of the most fully-realized universes put to film, and a very clear, simple storyline created from it... I don't know what part of it was a "mess" to you.
I've rewatched "Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" many times on DVD, and the detail and craftsmanship of both movies never fails to amaze me. I'm sorry you can't see anything in them that's enjoyable, because they're classics.
"The screenplay by David Odell, based on a story by Mr. Henson, is without any narrative drive whatever. It's without charm as well as interest."
-Vincent Canby New York Times review from 1982.
This is just one of the many reviews for the Dark Crystal when it was originally released. Most reviews were highly unfavorable. The film was a huge bomb at the box office.
I remember seeing it with my friends and no one I went with liked it. In fact, most of the audience came out of the theatre very disappointed.
The Dark Crystal made over $40.5-million during its initial 63-day theatrical run, with an estimated production cost of $15-million, making it a fairly decent financial success. Even without being adjusted for inflation it is the second highest grossing puppet film of all time (and the Henson Company’s second highest grossing film) – second only to The Muppet Movie. The Dark Crystal is also the 17th highest grossing live-action fantasy film (which is impressive being that almost all of the fantasy films that rank in front of it are big-name films from the past 5 years - Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, etc. The Dark Crystal did very well in the box office back in 1982 – plus it has a massive cult following since the initial theatrical run. Labyrinth was somewhat of a flop (bringing in only $12-million and being the lowest grossing film of Jim Henson’s career).
You can find out about the film grosses of all the Muppet and Henson films here: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Muppet/Henson_Films_by_Box_Office_Grosses
Also the Dark Crystal was somewhat of a critical success - winning a Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and earning the grand prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. The film was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects.
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