7 / 10
score
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The Disc

Extra Features

As the Special Edition release, I expected extra features and wasn’t disappointed. Although there is no commentary, the hour long documentary Dalton Trumbo: Rebel in Hollywood is a fine alternative as it traces Trumbo’s upbringing, the novel and film Johnny Got His Gun and Trumbo’s appearance in front of  the HUAC hearings and subsequent imprisonment and blacklisting. The piece relies heavily on his son Christopher who acted as producer and 1st AD on the film so can talk at length about the shoot and what happened following Senator McCarthy’s interest in his father.

Also included is a deleted scene which shows xxx turning around and getting into bed naked, something that was cut out and really doesn’t need to be in the film as the scene works perfectly well as it is.

The disc also features the video for ‘One’ and the trailer. The set includes a booklet with a lengthy and well written essay by Calum Waddell which is an excellent read.

Inline Image

The Picture

A surprisingly good image though it does show its age and hasn’t seemingly undergone a massive restoration process to sharpen the picture and remove grain and scratches. Somehow, though, the slightly questionable quality works as it is set in 1918 and looks dated.

The different textures and colour palettes that represent the real (black and white), memories (colour) and fantasy (garish, oversaturated colour) help you to distinguish where Joe’s mind is and work well as an aesthetic device.    

The Sound

The fairly uncomplicated Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is clear, but not without a little bit of damage, there is a slight background hiss and the odd crackle. The overall impression is of a soundtrack that is undemanding and does its job well.

Inline Image

Final Thoughts

When I read the book, I couldn’t imagine how one would film such a novel. It isn’t necessary unfilmable but so much of it takes place in the protagonist’s mind that I didn’t think the film would do the subject matter justice. I was wrong and Dalton Trumbo, despite his lack of experience and making his directorial debut, does a solid job of bringing his book to the screen. It is very well acted and scripted and this DVD is a fine release. If you like the book and didn’t buy the previous release then this is one you should really check out.

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