Rush(no)more Extras (Rushmore (DVD))

Member Name: ihatebroccoli

Product:	Rushmore (DVD)
Date:	26/02/01 (142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great film

Disadvantages: No extras other an a chapter list

Well, now I've reviewed the film, I thought I'd let you know what I think of the DVD. Here goes:

A good film, but no DVD extras! I bought this film on DVD, but I may as well have got the video and saved some money, being as there is nothing extra other than a chapter list. Thanks to a helpful comment, I’d advice buyers to get the Region 1 version of the film (provided you can play it that is), as the list of extras is huge!

Starring:
Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer
Bill Murray as Herman Blume
Olivia Williams as Miss Rosemary Cross


Background (for more detail, read my opinion on the film):

Rushmore is the name of the private school, which Max Fischer (played excellently by Jason Schwartzman) attends. He is not doing well academically however, as he spends all his time on extra-curricular activities. He meets and befriends steel-tycoon Herman Blume (Bill Murray) and falls in love with 1st grade teacher Miss Rosemary Cross, who is a widow. Max engages the help of Blume to win over Rosemary by building a huge outdoor aquarium, but she tells Max that she is too old for him. Max is forced to leave Rushmore and attend a High School, where he seems to fit in surprisingly well – and begins his extra-curricular activity planning all over again. However, he meets someone his own age, and perhaps his female equal in a way, Margaret Yang, with whom he forms the kite flying society. Funny moments, especially with Max’s ridiculous ideas, but nothing really “laugh out loud”.

The DVD has few extra features. The “Interactive Menus” basically consist of one menu, Scene Access (Chapter Selection) and various Subtitle Selections. It is presented in Widescreen 2.35:1, rated 15, and has a run length of approximately 89 minutes.

The general description on the film on the DVD case is as follows:

- Theme/contents: Comedy, romance (Max and Herman Blu
me both fall for Miss Cross, Max’s activities and general attitude to life generally cause the humour).

- Bad Language: Occasional, strong (Usually appearing as insults from Max’s peers at school).

- Sex/nudity: Some moderate references (Nothing significant that I can remember except perhaps during an argument with one of his peers).

- Violence: Some, mild (Children’s stuff really, throwing rocks etc..).

On the opening menu screen, there are choices for Chapter Selection, Set-up and to Play. There are no special features other than the chapter section, which you get on virtually every DVD. I think there could have been some good extra features included here, but alas there are none. A small red arrow allows you to move between the areas. In Chapter Selection you can choose chapters 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 23-26, 17-19 or back to the main menu.

In Set-up you can choose the language you want – English in Dolby Digital 5:1, or Czech (if you should so want it) in Dolby Surround. There are also subtitles language choices including Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Greek, Icelandic, Croatian, Polish, and English for the hearing impaired. You can access the main screen again from both of these screens.


All in all, Rushmore is one of those undiscovered films, which pass so many people by. It is admittedly an unusual film, but Jason Schwartzman is just so perfect for the part of Max Fischer. An enjoyable and extraordinary film, but I’d only recommend buying the DVD if you are a fan of the format as opposed to films in general, as there are no extra features other than a chapter selection.


UPDATE Region 1 version:
-----------------------------

Thanks to a helpful comment (MykReeve :-)), and seeing as the extras on the Region 1 DVD are non-existent, I have decided to include the Region 1 DVD extras as well (of which there are MANY!) So we can all see how far behind R2 i
s with extras on most DVDs!
Here is a short list of some of the R1 DVD extras for Rushmore, for a more detailed summary, see the link provided in the comments section for this review, or better still here it is: http://www.criterionco.com/Pages/9.html

There is an audio commentary by director Wes Anderson, co-writer Owen Wilson, and actor Jason Schwartzman (Max Fischer). There is also an interesting sounding “The Making of Rushmore: An exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary”, a TV appearance by Wes Anderson and Bill Murray, and some hand-drawn storyboards by the director. There’s also a film-to-storyboard comparison (much like the one on the Ghostbusters R1 DVD I’d imagine), and some cast audition footage.

There’s a theatrical trailer enhanced for Widescreen, and a special poster insert, featuring a map of Rushmore’s key events. Lastly, and what appeals to me the most, there is “The Max Fischer Players Present” which is a series of theatrical adaptations of Armageddon, The Truman Show, and Out of Sight” staged apparently especially for the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. I think I’m going to have to sell my Region 2 copy and buy a region 1, even if just for that last feature.

Summary: