Search - Romancing the Stone [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Profanity Movie Release: 1984 DVD Release: 05/25/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 46 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Adventure, Adventure Comedy, Romantic Adventure See Also: Romancing the Stone, Romancing the Stone [Special Edition], Romancing the Stone [Blu-ray]

Kathleen Turner plays a writer of adventure stories, Joan Wilder, who has been having trouble selling her works of late because they aren't remotely believable. The basic problem is that the mousy Joan has never had any real adventure in her life. All this changes when she receives a frantic phone call from her sister, whose is being held prisoner by evil art dealers in Colombia. It seems that sis has mailed Joan a map leading to a valuable treasure. Nasty but cowardly Ralph (Danny DeVito), cousin of the principal villain (Zack Norman), has been assigned to claim the map from Joan. But upon arriving in Colombia, Joan and Ralph learn that others of a more homicidal bent are also after the map. Joan is rescued by soldier of fortune Jack Colton (Michael Douglas), who isn't quite clear about his stake in the proceedings. Jack and Joan undergo several perilous adventures in the wilds of Colombia. The treasure turns out to be a valuable jewel, which changes hands (one of them severed!) many times before it is swallowed by an alligator. Joan manages to break free from her pursuers, but Jack is presumed dead. Jack returns at the end of the film in Manhattan to surprise Joan. The sequel to Romancing the Stone was 1985's The Jewel of the Nile. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Michael Douglas - Jack Colton
Kathleen Turner - Joan Wilder
Danny DeVito - Ralph
Zack Norman - Ira
Alfonso Arau - Juan

Romancing the Stone was director Robert Zemeckis' first box-office success, and the film that turned Michael Douglas into a bankable leading man. One would think that these two claims to fame would be enough for a special edition DVD, but in this case 20th Century Fox has once again issued a movie-only disc. The 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is a vast improvement over the aged video and cable version of the film. The "scope" aspect ratio opens the film up and returns the sense of an adventure film. The sound, while in Dolby Surround, is disappointing. For one reason or another, the audio level sounds lower than usual, and it is necessary to turn the stereo up before achieving a good, theater-quality sound. Zemeckis has not proven to be against recording commentary tracks, so the lack of a track on this disc is unfortunate. Romancing the Stone was one of the biggest hits of the 1980s and deserves more supplementary material than the odd trailer "starring" Danny DeVito talking about the film in character, in a scene shot solely for the trailer. The video transfer is impressive, but the rest of Romancing the Stone on DVD leaves something to be desired. ~ Oliver Thornton, All Movie Guide