California Split [DVD] [1974]

One of director Robert Altman's most engaging films finally gets its debut on home video with this nicely appointed DVD release. California Split has been transferred to disc in letterboxed format at its original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which has also been enhanced for anamorphic play on 16 x 9 monitors. The English-language audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo (Altman and his sound crew originally mixed the film for stereo, but in those days before Dolby Stereo was common in theaters, few heard the multi-channel mix), and optional subtitles in English and Japanese are included. This edition also includes a very entertaining and enlightening commentary track which features Altman, screenwriter Joseph Walsh, and stars Elliott Gould and George Segal. This a fine release of a film that has long deserved wider circulation than it's received.