Search - Cast Away on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 06/12/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 2 hrs 23 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Total Copies: 118 Genres: Drama, Adventure Drama See Also: Cast Away [Widescreen], Cast Away [Fullscreen], Cast Away [Steelbook], Cast Away [Blu-ray], Cast Away [Widescreen]

An exploration of human survival and the ability of fate to alter even the tidiest of lives with one major event, Cast Away tells the story of Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a Federal Express engineer who devotes most of his life to his troubleshooting job. His girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) is often neglected by his dedication to work, and his compulsive personality suggests a conflicted man. But on Christmas Eve, Chuck proposes marriage to Kelly right before embarking on a large assignment. On the assignment, a plane crash strands Chuck on a remote island, and his fast-paced life is slowed to a crawl, as he is miles removed from any human contact. Finding solace only in a volleyball that he befriends, Chuck must now learn to endure the emotional and physical stress of his new life, unsure of when he may return to the civilization he knew before. Cast Away reunites star Hanks with director Robert Zemeckis, their first film together since 1994's Oscar-winning Forrest Gump. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Tom Hanks - Chuck Noland
Helen Hunt - Kelly Frears
Chris Noth - Jerry Lovett

Cast Away was one of 2000's highest-grossing films. It should prove to be one of 2001's biggest-selling DVDs thanks to this luxurious edition from 20th Century Fox. Loaded with extras and offering stunning picture and sound, this is as good as it gets when it comes to DVD. The transfer is simply breathtaking, highlighting the island locales with picture-postcard clarity. Cast Away is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic format, despite the claim of it being 2.35:1 on the box. Nevertheless, the picture quality is enough to make being stranded on a desert island seem palatable. Equaling the gorgeous picture is the sound. Cast Away is a very sound-heavy movie, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 6.1 presentations really get a workout. From the terrifying groans of the sinking plane to the meditative ambience of the ocean waves, every sound is heard with amazing clarity. Much fuss is often made about the superior sound of DVD audio, but this is a film that truly delivers. Viewers will no doubt be showing off their home theater setups using this DVD. Cast Away is also loaded to the gills with extras. The first of these is a commentary track from director Robert Zemeckis and key members of the production team. This is a great commentary that explains a lot of the behind-the-scenes info and talks extensively about the Herculean efforts needed to make Cast Away. The remainder of the extras are on the second disc and include the HBO Making Of special -- an exhaustive look at how the crew and star Tom Hanks lived and worked on the film's deserted island set, an interview with Hanks conducted by Charlie Rose, and a really fascinating discussion with survival specialists about how people faced with the situations depicted in the film might act. Also featured are vignettes and storyboards that break down the film's key effects sequences, as well as other scenes. The effects vignettes include a commentary from Ken Ralston and Carey Villegas, the visual effects supervisors. Another featurette, entitled "Wilson: The Life and Death of a Hollywood Extra" had the potential to be really silly, but actually gives a lot of interesting information as to how a volleyball became one of the film's main characters. Viewers can wile away the hours poring over a number of TV spots, as well as two trailers. As with other Zemeckis releases, one is warned not to watch the trailer before seeing the film, as the entire plot is given away. Lastly, there is concept art and numerous storyboards to browse through. Simply put, Cast Away is one of the finest DVD releases of the year, if not one of the finest overall. ~ Jeremy Brown, All Movie Guide