An exemplary achievement as a film, and an equally exemplary achievement as a DVD. Ostensibly New Line's first Infinifilm disc (Little Nicky was, in fact, the first, with an Infinifilm version hidden as an easter egg), the DVD contains a selection of fairly normal features plus new features that utilize branching technology. The transfer is excellent. The film has been mastered anamorphically at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Colors are strong and accurate throughout (and the disc includes color bars to assist with setup) with deep blacks and good shadow detail. Fleshtones are accurate throughout. The image is sharp and clear, with no artifacts or softness. The Dolby 5.1 audio track has an excellent mix, with subtle use of atmospheric and ambient surround. The bass, when called up, is tight and clear and does not thump or rattle. Straightforward directional effects are few and far between in the mix, simply because they're not often called for. The ambient effects, however, more than make up for this, with each set given its own atmosphere. The Infinifilm feature places a broad semi-transparent blue bar at the bottom of the screen from time to time. Each time it appears, it offers one or more choices; by making a selection, the viewer is sent along a branching path to a snippet of information: filmographies, background information, clips from one of the two documentaries, and so forth. This certainly functions to broaden the experience of watching a film such as Thirteen Days, though not every movie would seem to call for this approach. Not content with offering this aspect, New Line has provided both a filmmaker's commentary track (executed as a roundtable with Kevin Costner, Roger Donaldson, David Self, and others), a historical figures commentary track compiled from a variety of recordings, a historical background commentary presented in subtitles, historical figure biographies, and cast and crew biographies. Additionally, there are two documentaries, "The Roots of the Cuban Missile Crisis" and "Bringing History to the Silver Screen," along with a brief visual effects piece, a number of deleted scenes with director commentary, and the theatrical trailer. This is certainly a DVD worth owning, considering the wealth of material included; the extra materials are fascinating, and will take time to digest.
