Alfonso Cuaron's visually sumptuous Great Expectations comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Surround, while a French soundtrack has also been recorded in Dolby Digital surround. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials are limited to the original theatrical trailer. Although the disc would benefit from an anamorphic transfer, the quality of the image and the sound are strong enough to recommend this 20th Century Fox release.
Robert Young's made-for-television adaptation of Jane Eyre comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a featurette about Charlotte Bronte. This is a fine release for fans of literary adaptations and costume dramas.
Hugh Wilson directs Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine in the comedy Guarding Tess, which comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. A closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while English, Spanish, and French soundtracks have been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. Subtitles are accessible in all three of those languages as well. Supplemental materials include the theatrical trailer. This is a fine release from Columbia/TriStar that boasts excellent sound and picture quality.
David Yates satirical mini-series about the Victorian age, The Way We Live Now, comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include biographies of the cast. This is a fine disc from BBC Home Video that will appeal primarily to fans of costume films.
This adaptation of George Eliot's Middlemarch aired originally in the United States on PBS stations around the country. This DVD release contains the entire six-hour production presented in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Supplemental materials include a making-of featurette.