The new Eastwood box set boasts 34 previously released Eastwood flicks and an original documentary on the man behind so much movie magic.
Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.
This box set, which is being billed as the largest compilation dedicated to a single artist, left us with one burning question: Why the hell didn’t Warner Bros. release this during the holiday season, when I was desperately searching for a good father-in-law gift?
That aside, this is an impressive package if you haven’t already purchased the included films or Warner’s earlier Eastwood sets. The individual movies and their accompanying bonus features have been available previously, although the studio did add The Eastwood Factor, a short documentary by Time magazine film critic Richard Schickel. Here, the critic tours the Warner lot with Eastwood, interviews the actor/screenwriter/director at his home, and presents scenes from various movies to illustrate Eastwood’s stories. It’s an intriguing look at the man behind so much movie magic, and it will also be used to promote the box set and Schickel’s new book, Clint: A Retrospective. (The book will include a 20-minute clip from the critic’s film; a trailer for the doc has been screening in theaters as well.)
Eastwood’s long-term relationship with a single studio is virtually unheard of these days, so while this isn’t a definitive set for his entire career, you will get a sampling of pretty much all the legend’s incarnations. Watch him go from young steel-jawed soldier (Where Eagles Dare; Kelly’s Heroes, 6) to vigilante extraordinaire (the Dirty Harry series, 1) to light comedian costarring with an orangutan (Every Which Way But Loose, 2) to wizened veteran (The Unforgiven, 7) to schmaltzy romantic (the insipid Bridges of Madison County) to celebrated auteur (Mystic River, 3; Million Dollar Baby, 4) to elder statesman of the nation of ass-kicking (Gran Torino, 5). Just bear in mind that these are standard DVDs, not high-definition.
Alternatively, you can opt for Dirty Harry: The Ultimate Collection on Blu-ray, although, as far as we can tell, this is basically the same set that was released in 2008. Each of the five films includes its own commentary track and featurette.
