Important Announcement for Comedy Fans

[silverscreenselect]

Since there appear to be a number of people on this Bored who are fans of a certain little known 1963 comedy by Stanley Kramer, I thought you would want to know that in January, the Criterion Collection is releasing a new combination Blu-ray/DVD version of the film. Criterion is a limited edition DVD producer that puts out some of the best DVDs around, usually featuring top quality movies that have not gotten the proper critical attention over the years. The release of Mad, Mad World includes the seldom-seen 197 minute roadshow version of the film with some scenes that have been restored for this DVD version for the first time by film historian and preservationist Robert Harris, who has helped restore Lawrence of Arabia, the first two Godfather movies, Spartacus, Vertigo, and My Fair Lady. The DVD/Blu-ray also includes a host of extras including:

-- Audio Commentary from TV and comic book writer Mark Evanier, screenwriter Michael Schlesinger, and cameraman Paul Scrabo, all fans of the movie
-- A new documentary on the film's special effects by Craig Barron, who did the effects on Titanic
-- A 1974 TV talk show segment featuring Kramer, Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar and Jonathan Winters
-- Press interviews and promotional footage done at the time of the film's 1963 premiere
-- A 2012 program about the film hosted by Billy Crystal
-- A collection of radio and TV ads for the film made by Stan Freberg, introduced by Freberg himself

Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays typically feature outstanding audio and video and the best extra features you will find anywhere. The material in this package is the same on either two Blu-ray discs or three standard DVDs. It's listed at $50, but is available for pre-order on Amazon at $30. You are not, however, likely to find it at Best Buy or Walmart. I would highly recommend this to fans of the movie. The release date is January 21.

http://www.criterion.com/films/28579-it ... -mad-world

http://www.amazon.com/Its-World-Criteri ... +mad+world