I Think It Would Be Fun To...Watch A Blu-Ray

A few months ago, my friend and fellow blogger OogieRah got in on the whole Blu-Ray thing. With his new HDTV, He can now view such classics as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and, yes, even "Salo or The 120 Days of Sodom". The other day, He told me that He was considering purchasing the new Blu Ray edition of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane". Being the Wellesian I try to be, I gave him a warning - not that He asked or cared.

Image via WikipediaThere's a bit of controversy over this home video release, specifically over the special features. The best discussion I've been able to find has come from WellesNet.com. According to them, to put movies like "RKO 281" and "The Battle Over 'Citizen Kane'" on this release is to say that you don't know/didn't bother to learn anything about Orson. These features, using old rumors as facts, paint a poor picture of one of the greatest directors of all time.

When the announcement over the features was made, a pretty heated conversation occurred on the WellesNet Facebook page. What bonus features could possibly make the 70th Anniversary release of "Citizen Kane" worse? Well, let's come up with a list (which I may add to at my leisure):

1. Newly recorded commentary track by dedicated Welles fan Steven Spielberg
2. Alternate ending, where it's all revealed to be a fever dream had by Charles as a child. He gets out of bed on Christmas morning, hugs his mom and dad, and plays with his sled.
3. Alternate cut guest directed by George Lucas - Joseph Cotten has now been replaced by Hayden Christensen.
4. Digitally restored outtakes of Orson's wine commercials.
5. DVD supervised by Jess Franco.
6. Extended musical sequence with Charles and the dancers, featuring new music by Ke$ha.
7. Free tickets to "Anonymous" with every purchase!
8. Deleted scene - the car crash that killed Charles' wife and son, orchestrated by Gettys.
9. Alternate cut guest directed by George Lucas - Charles screams "Noooooo!" when He destroys his bedroom.
10. The Ted Turner cut - In Color, presented in 3D.

At the end of the day, I couldn't completely recommend this edition to my friend. I probably won't be buying it, but He can go ahead; at least it'll look pretty.