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DVD Review

Paul Newman: The Tribute Collection

Official Synopsis:

Paul Newman - film's most enduring superstar - is a giant of the silver screen who not only quickly attained icon status, but continued to deliver a string of powerhouse performances throughout his remarkable career. Gathered here for the first time are 13 of his best films, accompanied by a captivating coffee table book that traces the story of Newman's ascent in Hollywood. Including a stunning array of photos, some of which have never been seen before, this definitive collection is a timeless addition to any library.

The Long Hot Summer
Rally 'Round the Flag Boys
From the Terrace
Exodus
The Hustler - Special Edition
Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man
What a Way To Go!
Hombre
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Special Edition
Towering Inferno - Special Edition
Buffalo Bill and the Indians
Quintet
The Verdict - Special Edition

Our Take:

I generally find actor-centric box sets to be a very hit or miss affair, more often in the "miss" category than the "hit" category. The reason for that is that they're usually put out by a single film studio, which means you only get the films by that actor that were produced for that company. Such is the case with Paul Newman: The Tribute Collection, the new 13-movie, 17-disc box set from Fox/MGM. Luckily, because Newman made so many great movies (and many of those were for Fox/MGM), this one is definitely a hit.

The highlight sof the set, for me at least, are the discs that most people probably already own: The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Towering Inferno, and The Verdict. Not coincidentally, these are also the four films that have previously been released as two-disc special edition DVDs. I love each of these movies for different reasons. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is simply one of my favorite movies and it's a bona fide American classic. I love disaster movies, and The Towering Inferno is probably my favorite from that genre. The Hustler is the epitome of 1960s cool, while The Verdict is simply an acting tour de force.

But there is much more to this set than just these four films. Granted, the rest of the films range from less popular than these to downright obscure, but there are some good ones in here. I find Robert Altman's science fiction film, Quintent, to be a fascinating entry, while The Long Hot Summer is a great look at a young Newman at his most raw. It's also his first pairing with eventual wife Joanne Woodward (there are a few films in which the couple pair up included in this set.) I can't overlook Hombre, either, which is a pretty fantastic western entry in the set.

Special Features:

The box set comes with a beautiful 136-page coffee table book. Almost every movie comes with either a featurette or a commentary, while the extra features from the original two-disc Special Edition DVDs of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, The Towering Inferno, The Hustler, and The Verdict (including multiple featurettes, commentaries, deleted scenes, still galleries, trailers, and much more) are all included as well.

Conclusion:

What this box set is missing are Newman's numerous other iconic roles, because they all belong to other film studios. So you don't get The Sting, or Hud, or Cool Hand Luke (or even Cars, which actually features one of my favorite performances of Newman's.) It's to be expected, of course, as that's just how these sets tend to work, but I will say that at least you get a good number of really great films here. This isn't a set with one or two good films and then a dozen filler movies. So while it's not the definitive Paul Newman collection, this gorgeous box set still comes...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:

Movies (average): B+
Extra Features: A

- Mike Spring
Editor