The Bond series has been the cornerstone of MGM/UA's DVD library, and
The Man with the Golden Gun gets stellar treatment. The picture quality is very good, showing a little wear (a scratch here and there) but nothing worth complaining about. The disc is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 ratio. The audio track is a slight disappointment. The disc has a Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround track, but nothing comes from the rear speakers. One would expect something from a Bond film, especially a special edition DVD, but here it was rather uninventive. The second complaint is the volume. Too many times it seems as though it wasn't mixed carefully. Dialogue might be a bit low, while action scenes are very loud. These slight problems are made up for by the extras. Each disc in the James Bond Collection is loaded, and this one certainly fits right in. First, it has an audio commentary that includes director
Guy Hamilton, some of the key crew members, and a number of the actors. It's an interesting commentary because a narrator gives important details about the film between the cast and crew comments. The disc also has two half-hour documentaries. The first one, "Inside The Man With the Golden Gun" is a very nice making-of documentary and features interviews with
Hamilton and writer
Tom Mankiewicz, as well as actors
Roger Moore and
Christopher Lee. The second documentary, "Double-O-Stuntman," is fascinating. It takes a firsthand look at some amazing work, and more importantly, lets viewers get to know the people behind the scenes who really make it all come together. The disc contains two theatrical trailers, two TV spots, and three radio spots. There is an extensive photo gallery consisting of behind-the-scenes shots, publicity photos, and poster art from around the world. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide