This single-disc edition of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H is a pared-down version of the two-disc set that is also still available. The film is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves Altman's original aspect ratio. This is a film that really plays terribly when seen in pan-and-scan. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo, while a second English soundtrack and a French soundtrack have both been recorded in Dolby Digital Mono. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Altman. He discusses what it was like filming on the Fox set at a time when two other war films were being created, the initial tension on the set between himself and his two lead actors, how the film came together in the editing room, and various other aspects of the production. The two-disc set offers more whistles and bells, but this release is an outstanding way to acquire this fine film.
Based on the book Mathilda, by British children's author Roald Dahl, this film moves the setting from the U.K. to the U.S.; otherwise it follows the original closely. Mathilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) is an extremely curious and intelligent young girl who is very different from her low-brow, mainstream parents (Danny DeVito and real-life wife Rhea Perlman), who quite cruelly ignore her. As she grows older, she begins to discover that she has telekinetic powers. Not until a teacher shows her kindness for the first time does she realize that she can use those powers to do something about her sufferings and help her friends as well. Villains from the awful Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris), headmistress of her miserable school Crunchem Hall, to her parents and older brother begin to feel her ire. Look for Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman) in a small part as an FBI agent investigating Mathilda's shady father.