Search - A Beautiful Mind [Widescreen Awards Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 06/25/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 2 hrs 16 mins Studio: DreamWorks Total Copies: 195 Genres: Drama, Psychological Drama, Marriage Drama, Biopic [feature] See Also: A Beautiful Mind [Fullscreen Awards Edition], A Beautiful Mind [Widescreen], A Beautiful Mind [Widescreen] [Limited Edition], A Beautiful Mind [Widescreen]

The true story of prominent mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. is the subject of this biographical drama from director Ron Howard. Russell Crowe stars as the brilliant but arrogant and conceited professor Nash. The prof seems guaranteed a rosy future in the early '50s after he marries beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and makes a remarkable advancement in the foundations of "game theory," which carries him to the brink of international acclaim. Soon after, John is visited by Agent William Parcher (Ed Harris), from the CIA, who wants to recruit him for code-breaking activities. But evidence suggests that Nash's perceptions of reality are cloudy at best; he is struggling to maintain his tenuous hold on sanity, and Alicia suspects a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Battling decades of illness with the loyal Alicia by his side, Nash is ultimately able to gain some control over his mental state, and eventually goes on to triumphantly win the Nobel Prize. Based loosely on the book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind (2001) co-stars Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Russell Crowe - John Forbes Nash, Jr.
Jennifer Connelly - Alicia Nash
Ed Harris - William Parcher
Paul Bettany - Charles Herman
Adam Goldberg - Sol

The big Oscar winner for 2001, A Beautiful Mind receives an all-out special edition treatment on DVD, and it doesn't get much better than this two-disc set. Universal has gone out of their way to present this film on disc, and the results are spectacular. For starters, the image is stunning. Framed at 1.85:1 and anamorphic (a separate set is available in the less preferred full-frame version), the picture is a perfect translation of the theatrical experience. Colors are warm, especially flesh tones, while blacks are solid and deep. Detail is sharp and clearly noticeable from the very beginning. The sound, an English 5.1 Dolby Digital track, is strong, but based clearly in the front speakers. There is little use of the Surrounds, but that would be expected for a more dialogue-driven film such as this. Also available is a 5.1 track in French. As good as the image and sound are, the supplements take this set to an even higher level. On the first disc with the movie are two commentary tracks, the first from director Ron Howard and the second from screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. Both men won Academy Awards, and their comments are thorough and relevant to the film. Also presented, with optional commentary from Howard, are 18 deleted scenes of varying video quality, but still valuable for the overall impression they make. The second disc contains the majority of the supplements. No less than ten featurettes are offered, some only a few minutes long, and others which don't amount to much more than publicity pieces, but each is entirely welcome with some fascinating information about aspects of the film that might have passed by unnoticed. Some of the extras, such as speeches from the 2001 Academy Awards are so truncated that they don't offer much additional insight, but for the most part, these supplements are top quality. As would be expected, rounding out this edition are the theatrical trailer, production notes, and cast and crew information. This is the kind of package that DVD fans have come to expect from important films. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide