Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The introduction of the DVD marked the beginning of one of history's most successful technological innovations, and capped a 75-year development of home-viewing possibilities. Never before have film fans had access in their living rooms to something so remarkably close to the theatrical experience. In addition, because a DVD can hold much more than a single movie, it has allowed films to be marketed with a variety of extras, sparking both a new packaging industry and greater interest on the part of home viewers. This book provides an examination of the DVD's impact, both on home viewing and on film study. From film fan culture through filmmaker commentaries, from special editions to a look at where the format will go from here, author Aaron Barlow offers the first-ever exploration of this explosive new entertainment phenomenon.

As the DVD becomes the popular vehicle of record for films, it is also becoming a unique and unprecedented way for the interested viewer to learn more about filmmaking than has ever been possible before. Because of its ability to reproduce the dimensions and quality of the celluloid image, film fans and scholars can have practically perfect reproductions of classic and contemporary films at their disposal. Not only will this book be of interest to the burgeoning population of DVD fans and collectors, but it will provide insights that should be of interest to both students of popular culture and of film.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Home Viewing of Feature Films in America Cinematheque
• Francaise at Our House DVD Fan Culture
• The "Special Edition" DVD
• The DVD Audio Comentary
• The DVD, the Classroom and the Film Scholar
• The Question of Ownership
• Afterword
• Notes
• Bibliography

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Barlow (currently literature, Kutztown Univ.; formerly film, Pratt Institute) offers an insightful, timely look at how the DVD has fundamentally changed the ways people interact with motion pictures. Particularly strong are the opening chapters, which offer a historical examination of home viewing of feature films and the physical and cultural process of film collecting, and the concluding chapters, which address how the DVD has impacted the classroom and look at legal issues involving the DVD and the public domain. These matters are integral to the study of culture in general. Unfortunately, Barlow's examination of DVD fan culture is far less interesting, and his chapter on the special edition DVD reads like an extended section of film reviews. These shortcomings aside, this is a provocative, thought-provoking examination of a technology that is currently changing lives, and is central to the debate over the artistic integrity of filmmakers as opposed to the creative potential of fans and film students to use such material to create new works of art. The author has a firm handle on film theory but addresses whether such theory will be adequate in a "visual, virtual ... representational culture." ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. G. R. Butters Jr. Aurora University