“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
(Plexifilm, 2002, 92 minutes, two discs, NR)
The day after last fall’s Chicago premiere of his Wilco documentary “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” (the Tribune gave it 3 stars), director Sam Jones was already thinking ahead to the extra footage he would be able to include on the DVD. “I realized I was getting all this musical stuff that wouldn’t fit,” Jones said. “There are so many great performances that I had that just wouldn’t fit in the size of the movie that I wanted to make. I didn’t want to make a movie that was too long, but I knew from the start that [the unused footage] was something I wanted to show more of.”
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“It’s hard to get people to see documentaries, and the DVD thing I always knew was going to be the main place that people saw it,” he continued. “That’s one of the challenges we face: How do you make something that people want to own, and not just rent? My goal all the time was to make it theatrical. That’s why I chose to shoot on film. But popping in that second disc of the 21 extra songs will be a whole separate experience, like putting on a record.”
Jones didn’t quite manage to squeeze in 21 extra songs, but the “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” DVD should not disappoint fans of the film or Wilco. The double-disc set features more than an hour of extra footage, including 17 unused musical performances.
Two songs are taken from a Jeff Tweedy solo show in San Francisco, while the rest are either full band performances and rehearsals, or recordings in various stages of development. Several of the additional, non-musical scenes show off the band’s sense of humor, not to mention more footage of comedian Fred Armisen as clueless Latino interviewer Fericito, all nice contrasts to the sometimes somber quality of the film itself. Jones and the four members of Wilco — Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy Bach and Glenn Kotche — provide a relaxed running commentary track over the feature on the first disc, although the band leaves the room during the scene that captures the argumentative low point of recording the group’s acclaimed album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” (Band member Jay Bennett was later ousted.)
Rounding out the impressive set are printed liner notes from Rolling Stone writer David Fricke and a diary kept by Jones during the making of the film.
New and notable
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (Buena Vista, 1988, 104 minutes, two discs, PG): A technical marvel (the Tribune gave it 3 1/2 stars), “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” pushed the fusion of live action and animation so far that few people remember just how inconsistent and shrill the rest of the film is. Indeed, 15 years later, the sheer logistics of such a complicated production still boggle the mind, and the new two-DVD special edition of Robert Zemeckis’ film sheds light on many of the movie’s special effects. Previously released on a disappointing, bare-bones DVD, “Rabbit” is more comprehensive and more fun on the new edition, though admittedly more complicated than it probably needs to be. Disc One includes the film in full-frame only, an older feature hosted by Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit), and three Roger Rabbit shorts shown theatrically.
Disc Two, which includes the widescreen version of the film, is where the real treats are to be found. First up is an appropriately animated commentary track that includes director Zemeckis, producers Frank Marshall and Steve Starkey, writers Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman, and visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston. They talk about the numerous technical hurdles they faced during production, and they dispel and affirm several myths surrounding the film — specifically the risque references inserted by animators run amok. (Yes, they were there, but Disney has since trimmed a handful of frames to thwart freeze-frame fanatics searching for lascivious flashes.) Even more info can be found on the “Toontown Confidential” pop-up text commentary.
Effects buffs will relish the numerous looks into the complicated process of combining actors and cartoons, including early effects sequences that ended up on the cutting room floor. There’s also a new documentary called “Behind the Ears” that ropes in the usual suspects for some reminiscing.
“Far From Heaven” (Universal, 2002, 108 minutes, one disc, PG-13): It may not have been nominated for best picture, but the gorgeous, intelligent and moving “Far From Heaven” (the Tribune gave it 4 stars) remains one of the best-reviewed films of 2002. A flawless homage to the melodramas of Douglas Sirk, retrofitted slightly to suit modern tastes, “Far From Heaven” boasts superlative performances from Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson, an amazing score from Elmer Bernstein, and beautiful cinematography from Edward Lachman.
Todd Haynes did receive an Academy Award nomination for his script, but mysteriously not for his direction, and if ever a film seemed to coalesce around the distinctive vision of its director, it’s “Far From Heaven.” Haynes offers a thoughtful and detailed commentary track on the DVD that delves into everything from the set design to the carefully modulated tone of the acting. Given the superlative talent supporting him, it would have been nice to have another commentary track from the actors or crew, but Haynes still provides plenty of food for thought.
Haynes is joined by Moore for a brief Q&A following a screening of the film, and both participate in the Sundance Channel’s “Anatomy of a Scene” feature and a fine “Making Of,” the latter valuable primarily for footage taken from Sirk’s films, comparisons that make Haynes’ achievement that much more apparent.
“Straw Dogs” (Criterion, 1971, 117 minutes, two discs, NR): Director Gaspar Noe, talking about his controversial film “Irreversible,” has said he wanted to make a movie more violent than “Straw Dogs.” But while “Irreversible” may be more explicitly unpleasant than “Straw Dogs,” Sam Peckinpah’s similarly themed confrontational masterpiece remains no less galvanizing. Of course, “Straw Dogs” was extremely controversial in its time as well, leading to a ban in some countries, and the story of a quiet mathematician (Dustin Hoffman) driven to violence after the rape of his wife (Susan George) remains a tough one for the squeamish.
In this and many respects, Stephen Prince’s commentary track is a useful guide, pointing out Peckinpah’s disorienting filmmaking techniques and addressing and dissecting accusations that “Straw Dogs” is an intrinsically sexist or fascist film.
Peckinpah himself frequently responded to critics, and some of his impolitic retorts are included in a gallery, along with a 1974 Playboy interview. Susan George and producer Daniel Melnick sit down for separate interviews, and Jerry Fielding’s score is offered as an isolated track. But best of all may be an 82-minute BBC documentary titled “Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron.”
Drinking and drugs robbed the director of much of his potential and earned him a reputation as a beast, but several of his friends and colleagues nonetheless attest to his many talents.
Etc.
“Futurama” was overshadowed by the legacy of “The Simpsons” and hampered by an erratic schedule, but the “Season One” boxed set highlights the now-canceled show’s sharp humor. “Secretary” is an unconventional love story centered on a relationship between James Spader andMaggie Gyllenhaal. It’s not for all tastes, but director Steven Shainberg (who recorded a commentary for the DVD) does a great job. Capitalizing on the success of “Chicago” comes a new special edition of “West Side Story” as well as a boxed set packaging of “Gigi,” “My Fair Lady” and “An American in Paris.”
Out next week: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Farscape Season 3.”
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