Deel 2 moesten ze wel remasteren, want die was nog nooit op Blu-ray uitgebracht. Deel 1 wel. De featurette over het remasteren van deel 1 is trouwens gelijk aan die op de Duitse extended cut die vorig is uitgebracht in Duitsland en gaat dus over het remasteren van de extended cut. Warner had deze extra nooit op de disc moeten zetten, want je ziet dus beelden van een versie van de film die niet in Amerika is uitgebracht.
Dit zijn trouwens de extra's op de disc:
Audio Commentary – Christina Hacopian conducts a small Q&A with director Wolfgang Petersen over the course of the film. Christina immediately gushes regarding her fandom of the film, though it soon becomes apparent that while a fan of the film, she hasn’t read Ende’s book. Her questions are mainly in regards to the film, asking Petersen about certain scenes, and about making the film in general. Sadly, nothing really mind-blowing is given…well, except that a certain bearded director did help Petersen when cutting the film down for the American release. Oh, and in case you were wondering what name Bastian gives the Empress, you’ll also find it here too.
Reimagining The Neverending Story – This reminiscence is a rather remarkable goulash of information. Though there are newly-filmed clips and interviews, it also weaves together bits from the specials, The Making of The Neverending Story, and 60 Million for Fantasies. Of the interview pieces, many of them are from members of the crew, telling of their experiences. One interesting moment, comes when they discuss the dilemma of ending the film (which did not please Michael Ende when he found out!).
The special is notable in that you may find yourself pausing it quite a bit, as numerous still images go by, showcasing production stills, and plenty of video clips regarding the production of the film. I dare say there’s more than enough material to make a really nice coffee-table book (anyone up to help me with a Kickstarter to make that?).
For the original cast, the only appearances in the piece are Tami Stronach (the Childlike Empress), and Gerald McRaney (Bastian’s father?). Of the two, Tami gets the most screen-time, telling a few small stories of her experiences on set. Sadly, among all the pieces, this is the only one-on-one we get with a member of the main cast.
The Making of The Neverending Story – Something tells me this special was probably made some time in the last 5-10 years, given that interspersed among the dated making-of material, there are some more modern pieces. It also was most likely a German-only release, as Wolfgang Petersen offers some words, speaking in German.
One fun little bit is watching how they made up Tilo Prickner as the bat-flying Night Hob in the film. It’s a short-yet-sweet bit showing his preparations, let alone his frustrations one day when wanting to get out of his confining makeup.
1984 SWR Documentary, “A World of Fantasies” – For some time now, this documentary could be found on Youtube, under the translated title, 60 Million for Fantasies. The special almost serves as a major spoiler to the film, as the hour-long special follows the structure of the story from start-to-finish. It is also a time-capsule, in that it was made and released during the production of the film. It is nice when the special slows down, notably in the scene filming in the Swamps of Sadness, which was completely made inside a soundstage at Bavaria Film Studios. What’s mind-boggling is that just to film for a single day in the setting, cost $130,000 US (and they filmed on that stage for several weeks!). As well, the filmmakers focus on Petersen during the heart-wrenching scene in which Atreyu’s horse Artax is overtaken by the sadness of the swamp, and one can see when the emotion hits the director’s face.
What I liked about this is there was no steamrolling over one of the most interesting parts of this documentary: a few minutes where author Michael Ende gives his own views on how the film seems almost to be a “perversion” of his original work.
Restoration – Warners touted that this latest release would get an upgrade, and we are treated to a small featurette on it. Restored not far from where the film was originally filmed, we are shown a step-by-step process on what it takes to go from analog, to digital. It’s also worth noting that we see a few scenes that were cut out of the American release.
Trailer -What would a release be without a return to the coming attraction reels of yesteryear? It’s rather amazing to see how in the old days, there was little worry about dumbing things down for kids.
Bron: http://theentertainmentnut.wordpress...rsary-release/