Bringing Up Baby (Two-Disc Special Edition)(1938) on DVD

For its DVD debut, this Howard Hawks comedy looks far better than any 67-year-old film should. The print doesn't dazzle like Warner's usual Ultra-Resolution process (Singin' in the Rain) but has better contrast and crispness than previous VHS versions. Peter Bogdanovich provides the commentary track. The director has done several of these, but he's more inspired here, probably due to his excellent remake of Baby (What's Up, Doc?) and his past interviews with Hawks. Bogdanovich does something we haven't heard in a commentary: imitating the director answering questions about the film. It works since his impression is pretty darn good. The second disc provides a short and a cartoon from 1938 plus two made-for-cable documentaries. The newer one on Cary Grant delivers a comprehensive look at the great star; the older one is an episode from critic Richard Schickel's outstanding series The Men Who Made the Movies. This retrospective has plenty on the director, and should play well for casual fan and aficionado alike.

Closed-captioned, Black & White, Subtitled, NTSC, Special Edition, Original recording remastered