Search - Kansas City on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Profanity, Substance Abuse Movie Release: 1996 DVD Release: 02/15/2005 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 56 mins Studio: New Line Home Video Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Drama, Crime, Crime Drama, Ensemble Film

The jazz world of 1930s Kansas City serves as the backdrop for an offbeat story of kidnapping, political corruption, and organized crime in director Robert Altman's loving but unsentimental look at his childhood hometown. The film's intricate story is triggered by petty thief Johnny O'Hara (Dermot Mulroney), who aims for a big score by trying to rob notorious crime boss Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte), only to end up Seen's captive. In fear for her husband's life, Johnny's wife Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) decides to take action. Following an eccentric personal logic, she takes as a hostage the wife of a prominent local politician, in hopes of getting the woman's husband to help; unfortunately, he is on the road with an upcoming presidential campaign, putting a major hitch in Blondie's plans. The film moves freely among its idiosyncratic characters in an overt attempt to mimic the improvisational structure of 1930s jazz. Indeed, many of the film's most important sequences take place in Seldom Seen's club, with contemporary jazz greats imitating the period's master musicians and Harry Belafonte shining as the magnetic, menacing Seen. The central narrative never achieves the seemingly effortless integration of Altman's greatest works, but those who share Altman's obvious passion for the period and its music will find much to admire. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Jennifer Jason Leigh - Blondie O'Hara
Miranda Richardson - Carolyn Stilton
Harry Belafonte - Seldom Seen
Michael Murphy - Henry Stilton
Dermot Mulroney - Johnny O'Hara

Robert Altman's uneven but atmospheric look at Kansas City, the city where he grew up when it was a haven for both organized crime and classic jazz, gets a digital upgrade in this release from New Line Home Entertainment. Kansas City has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1; the image has also been enhanced for anamorphic play on 16 x 9 monitors. The film's audio appears in three formats -- Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Surround, and DTS Surround. The dialogue is in English, with optional subtitles in both English and Spanish. Kansas City's original theatrical trailer is included, as well as previews of other New Line DVD releases, but the most notable bonus feature is a full-length commentary from Altman himself. Throughout the film, Altman free associates about the Kansas City he knew as a boy, his philosophies about film as a medium, working with his actors (particularly Harry Belafonte and Jennifer Jason Leigh), the challenges of this project, the all-star jazz ensemble that appears in the picture, and the future of cinema. If it's not Altman's strongest commentary track, it reveals a significant amount about the man and the artist, and it certainly prompts a greater appreciation of one of his less appreciated efforts. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide