The Movie
I suppose that Will Ferrell's cameo in Wedding Crashers was my first clue that he was more than your average Saturday Night Live alumnus, but stumbling upon Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy on TV was what made me a fan. No one can deny his dedication to his craft, repeatedly and wholeheartedly throwing all vanity to the wind to make an absolute fool of himself, if that's what the scene demands. Combine that with his extemporaneous style, and the fact that his rantings are irresistibly funny, and you understand why he has become a major star.
Anchorman, which he co-wrote with director and frequent collaborator Adam McKay, is an ideal vehicle for his shenanigans, a crass yet innocent journey back to a bygone era of booze and bad behavior, and when local newscasters could be big celebrities. Ron's world is rocked by the arrival of a lovely and ambitious newswoman (Christina Applegate), the start of an hilarious downward spiral. This "Rich Mahogany" Blu-ray debut of the movie, in both theatrical and slightly Extended cuts, is currently exclusive to Best Buy, a nifty bundle with a pack of twelve Ron Burgundy trading cards and a reproduction of his cluttered datebook.
This just in: Joe Lozito's review of : Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
The Picture
The 1.78:1 image was quite surprisingly crisp in both the PG-13 theatrical and Extended cuts, ostensibly the same video being accessed two different ways via seamless branching to assure the high bitrate, typically in the mid- to high-30s megabits-per-second-range. Closeups are nigh-flawless, wider shots look terrific, with the few issues being a little noise and twitch on the bark of a tree or on the very specific weave of Ron's vintage turtleneck. Backgrounds tend to look somewhat compressed, and the transition to and from the extended scenes or stock footage is moderately noticeable, but overall this one sings.
The Sound
The 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio track is mixed quite aggressively, with a frequently full soundfield even in subtle ways, but dramatic camera moves can also be accompanied by a wide front-to-back whoosh. During an office's reaction to a lothario's pungent cologne, we can hear discrete gagging in the rears. Classic '70s tunes have been remixed for this occasion as well, but the original score is particularly inventive in its distribution, and a scene where Ron plays jazz flute while trolling through a nightclub is exceptional. Bass is definitely evident, and Ron's cry of ultimate suffering is a terrific surround moment. Really well done.
The Extras
This title has been released several times before, so I'll start with what's new to this Blu-ray set. The 36 deleted and extended scenes run 54 minutes total, joined by a bevy of "raw footage" as well. A three-minute glimpse of the recording session for the guys' rendition of "Afternoon Delight" now joins the previously seen four-minute music video for the song. As with many of the extras, the "Happy Birthday" tribute to AMC Loews theaters puts Ferrell back into character, for three minutes.
Cast auditions are shared for just about all the supporting characters, including the Wake Up, Ron Burgundy gang, plus a special "Alternate Universe" section with familiar faces trying out for roles they did not wind up playing. (About 18 minutes total.) We're also given the cast's table read from 2003 for six sequences, 18-and-a-half minutes total, so long because of all the wild laughter.
Older bonus content includes the audio commentary by McKay, Ferrell, musician Lou Rawls, and actors Andy Richter, Kyle Gass, Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Christina Applegate. Stay tuned for about eight minutes of bloopers, five faux public service announcements, Ron's two-minute ESPN SportsCenter audition, and his three-minute Emmy Award acceptance speech.
Ron also interviewed Rebecca Romijn, Jim Caviezel and Burt Reynolds at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards (ten minutes), and was in turn interviewed by a very game Bill Curtis (eleven minutes). A pair of pre-fab TV specials--"Cinemax: The Making of Ron Burgundy" and "Comedy Central's Reel Comedy: Anchorman" (about nine minutes each)--were used to promote the film back in its day. Nine minutes of rehearsal footage shows blocking and such, the five minutes of background video clips, seen briefly on monitors, are actually pretty funny, and "Commerical Break" is two minutes of fast, varied behind-the-scenes snippets, including a lot of Paul Rudd wandering around in his tighty-whities. All of these video extras are in standard definition.
In addition to the two versions of Anchorman on Disc One, Disc Two packs a complete companion film, assembled from otherwise unused footage. (Man, Kodak must have made a fortune on this one.) Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie is built around an enormous abandoned subplot about wacky revolutionaries hungry for publicity, a lot of fun and not to be taken too seriously. It's presented in HD, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack and a twelve-minute intro-commentary from Ferrell and McKay, the latter using his pseudonym of Aaron Zimmerman.
Final Thoughts
Ferrell is a star playing a star in Anchorman, backed by an outstanding ensemble and now by a terrific Blu-ray edition. It's the most thoroughly accessorized version yet, with pretty terrific picture and sound to boot, and that's no joke.
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