Tombstone [DVD] [1993]

Once again, Buena Vista has chosen to release a movie-only disc with no bonus material. In the case of Tombstone, the lack of extras is made even more incomprehensible in light of the fact that the laserdisc release of the film featured deleted scenes with director commentary, all of which added depth to the film. With a director's cut that was three hours in length, the decision to leave that footage on the cutting room floor is frustrating. Fans of the film will want to at least rent Tombstone on DVD, however, as the non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer thankfully negates the pan-and-scan of the original tape and restores the film's epic Western feel. The picture and sound quality are even a notch above the Buena Vista releases of the time, and the picture would be even better if not for a little too much shimmering from edge enhancement at times. Regardless of the disc's shortcomings, the shootout at the O.K. Corral is a perfect showroom sequence for the benefits of DVD. While rumors of a special edition remain unconfirmed, hopefully Buena Vista will do the film justice in the future.