O Brother, Where Art Thou? [DVD] [2000]

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For viewers who find that the picture and sound are more important than supplemental material, this DVD will suit them just fine. The dry, sepia tone look of the film is reproduced perfectly on this disc. Colors are purposely muted, but the image quality doesn't suffer at all. As a matter of fact, the lack of color might even help this already excellent transfer, which doesn't have a single distracting element. The movie is presented, as it was in theaters, with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and is anamorphic for widescreen televisions. The sound, utilizing both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, is equally good. While generally centered up front, with dialogue that is clear and distortion-free, there is some limited use of the surrounds. Also included are subtitles in Spanish and closed-captions in English. Unfortunately the disc falls a little short with regard to extra material. The few extras it has are relatively weak. There are three individual featurettes, though each is very brief. The first is called "Painting With Pixels" and looks at the work of digitally changing the colors to achieve the specific effect that filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen were trying to achieve. The second is a too short, behind-the-scenes glance at making the film, including some interviews. It fails to be more than a glorified fluff piece. Finally, there is a comparison between storyboards and the final film of two scenes -- the flood and the Klan rally. Considering the use of music in this film, a real plus is the music video for the song "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow". Rounding things off is the theatrical trailer. Certainly not the most exciting disc, but fans of this film shouldn't be disappointed with what is offered.