Big Picture Big Sound

After breaking box-office records and bringing the "Star Wars" saga to a close, one of the biggest films of the year is getting even bigger when "Revenge of the Sith" debuts on DVD November 1 in a two-disc deluxe DVD edition that brings new insight into the creation of this action-filled epic.

The "Revenge of the Sith" DVD promises an experience that will thrill "Star Wars" fans worldwide, says Jim Ward, the DVD's executive producer and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd.

"The fact that 'Revenge of the Sith' was produced digitally means that the picture and sound on this DVD are truly extraordinary," Ward said. "On top of that, the hours of bonus material allow fans to explore the movie in a multitude of ways. For this final 'Star Wars' movie, we wanted to deliver a DVD that would capture the excitement and fun of 'Revenge of the Sith,' and we hope that fans will agree that we've accomplished that."

The centerpiece of the bonus materials is "Within a Minute," a newly produced feature that offers unprecedented insight into the complexity of creating a single 49-second sequence of "Revenge of the Sith." From pre-production artists to costume designers, from camera operators to make-up artists, from sound designers to musicians, "Within a Minute" showcases the massive amount of work that goes into one short sequence. This one-of-a-kind journey was created from more than 600 hours of material gathered throughout the process of making "Revenge of the Sith" and is hosted by Episode III's producer, Rick McCallum.

"There are hundreds of names and jobs in the end credits of 'Revenge of the Sith' -- but hardly anyone understands just what all of those people do and what an enormous contribution they make to the movie," said Tippy Bushkin, the documentary's director. "By focusing on less than 60 seconds of the movie, 'Within a Minute' is almost a 'mini-film school' in which Rick and George examine the entire process of making Episode III in a fun and fascinating way."

In addition to "Within a Minute," the "Revenge of the Sith" DVD offers a host of special features that illuminate the process of creating the epic interstellar adventure. Among them are deleted scenes that bring new perspective to the Star Wars saga.

"The deleted scenes include one that fans have been waiting a long time to see, one that shows Yoda arriving on the swamp-planet of Dagobah, where Luke Skywalker meets him in 'The Empire Strikes Back,'" Ward said. "George worked with Industrial Light & Magic and Episode III Producer Rick McCallum to finish most of these scenes with complete visual effects and sound design, and they bring a new perspective to the movie."

The DVD bonus features also include a newly recorded audio commentary featuring Lucas and key members of the movie's crew. In addition, the DVD offers a pair of brand-new featurettes -- "The Chosen One" and "It's All for Real" -- that look at two of the movie's most popular aspects: Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader; and the creation of the stunts in the climactic lightsaber duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In addition to its November 1 DVD debut in the U.S. and Canada, "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" will be released in most major territories around the world on or about the same day.

"STAR WARS: EPISODE III -- REVENGE OF THE SITH" DVD Details:

• DVD List Price: $29.98 U.S./$43.98 Canada


• Street Date: November 1, 2005


• Total Running Time: 140 minutes


• U.S. Rating: PG-13


• Canadian Rating: PG


• Closed Captioned: Yes


• Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Dolby Surround and THX; Spanish: Dolby Surround; French: Dolby Surround


• Languages: English, Spanish and French dubbing, English subtitles