- Interview - in this brand new interview, director Paul Verhoeven discusses the production history of Total Recall and its unique qualities, and comments on how the film has aged. The director also recalls his initial impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger and discusses his work ethic. In English, not subtitled. (35 min, 1080p).
- Total Recall: The Special Effects - an in-depth look at the once very impressive special effects seen in Total Recall. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).
- Making of - a standard making of featurette with raw footage from the shooting of Total Recall and comments from director Paul Verhoeven and cast and crew members. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, PAL).
- Imagining Total Recall - in this featurette, co-screenwriter Ron Shusett, co-screenwriter Gary Goldman, production designer William Sandell, editor Frank Urioste, visual effects supervisor Eric Brevig, director Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, discuss Philip K. Dick's story and the production history of Total Recall. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, PAL).
- Restoration Comparison - a short demonstration with selected clips from the film. (6 min, 1080p).
- Photo Gallery - a gallery of stills from the film. Music only. (2 min, 1080p).
- Trailer - Carolco's original theatrical trailer for Total Recall. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, PAL).
- Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger that has appeared on previous releases of Total Recall. In English.
NOTE: If one chooses the German or French main interfaces, in the special features section of the disc there are different supplemental features. Listed below are the supplemental features that cannot be accessed via the UK interface.
French Interface
- Lecon d'effets speciaux avec Kameleon - Morgan Hildebrand and Gerald Mignotte from Kameleon Studio discuss the special effects in Total Recall. Filmed in 2001. In French, not subtitled. (17 min, PAL).
- Autour de la litterature de SF et de Philip K. Dick avec Stephane Bourgoin - a video introduction to Total Recall by French writer, Sci-Fi expert, and criminologist Stephane Bourgoin. In French, not subtitled. (10 min, PAL).
- Commentary - an audio commentary with cinematographer Jost Vacano (assisted by Marko Kregel). The audio commentary is in German with optional English subtitles.
Studiocanal has actually offered up some pretty decent content for this 'Ultimate Rekall' edition. Early specs made no mention of the Verhoeven/Schwarzenegger chat track, but I'm pleased to say that it is indeed present on the disc. I say pleased, but the track is better known for its comedic value than its insights. Verhoeven is usually an engaging commentator, but here he is marginalised by Schwarzenegger's frequent 'captain obvious' comments and it’s not something I can listen to in its entirety again.
Much better is a lengthy NEW Interview (34:47 HD) with director Paul Verhoeven entitled ‘Get Ready for the Bonus Feature of Your Life’. The director is in fine form as he recounts the story of how he became involved with the project after its troubled history, discusses working with Arnold and the other actors, chats about the special effects and central themes of the movie, and much more. It’s a great interview with the always-energetic Dutchman.
‘Models and Skeletons: The Special Effects of Total Recall’ (23:15 HD) is up next and concentrates on the then ground-breaking effects work. SFX maestros Mark Stetson and Tim McGovern and are on hand to talk us through things like miniature construction and motion capture for the innovative x-ray scanner sequence, both of which still hold up pretty well today. I was in my mid-teens when Total Recall was released and I still remember the hoopla surrounding said effects, so it’s nice to see them getting some recognition in the supplements.
Next we have a vintage making of featurette (08:03 SD) of the sort often seen on late night television back in the eighties and nineties. In fact, I think I remember seeing this particular featurette myself around the time of the film’s release. It doesn’t go into a lot of detail, offering only a lightweight look at the production, but it does contain a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and the complete Rekall television commercial.
The ‘Restoration Comparison’ (05:13 HD) is a welcome addition and something I wish more releases included, if only so naysayers could see the benefits afforded by restorative work. The split screen comparisons demonstrate the work that went into fixing colour timing and removing scratches etc, which is nice, but I wish that either Verhoeven or Jost Vacano (or both) had provided commentary.
‘Imagining Total Recall’ (30:12 SD) is a legacy making of documentary carried over from the DVD. Participants include Ron Shusett, Paul Verhoeven, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone and others, who discuss the film's troubled origins, casting, production, special effects, the violence and more. Rounding things off we have the film's trailer (02:02 SD) and a photo gallery.
*Edit*: Since writing this review it’s come to my attention that there are actually a few ‘hidden’ features to be found on this release. While examining the disc using BDInfo I noticed another audio track that didn’t appear to correspond to any of the audio options. As it turns out, this track is actually the audio commentary with cinematographer Jost Vacano that I had wished for! Okay, so it’s a German-language commentary with English subtitles, but I’d rather that than nothing. Along with Marko Kregel, Vacano talks at length about his involvement in the production and the technicalities of shooting a major Hollywood motion picture. It’s a pity that this track wasn’t advertised in the English menus, but the easiest way to listen is to select German menus as the disc loads. It can then be found under the audio/subtitle options.
Additionally, if you speak French you might be interested in two additional featurettes entitled ‘Lecon d'effets speciaux avec Kameleon’ (16:26 SD) and ‘Autour de la litterature de SF et de Philip K. Dick avec Stephane Bourgoin’ (09:09 SD). The first of these focuses on the special effects, while the second deals with sci-fi literature and in particular the work of Philip K. Dick. Neither featurette has English subtitles so I didn’t understand a word. While these surprise bonus features are nice I don’t think they offer enough additional value to warrant revising my original score for the extras.
ENLACES/FUENTES:
http://cytvhd.blogspot.com.ar/search/label/Verhoeven
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Total-Recall-Blu-ray/44812/#Review
http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/total-recall-ultimate-rekall-edition.html
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