Drawing on interviews with producers, directors, and scholars, and examining the DVD's supplementary features, this book explores how the format, at its best, combines the enthusiasm of a fan, cinematic nostalgia, and scholarly insight.

"A remarkable job of capturing the story of the Criterion Collection.Absolutely spot on and highly illuminating...A balanced, coherent, and compelling narrative." - Michael Nash, Executive Vice President, Digital Strategy and Business Development, Warner Music Group.

"A fascinating account of the evolution of home video from the laserdisc to the DVD with its multiple track audio commentaries and rich supplementary content enabling the broader public to engage more deeply in cinema studies. The book s in-depth interviews and critical analysis gives an unequaled first person perspective and deep insight into film studies in the modern age." - Curtis Wong, Principal Researcher, Microsoft"I know of no other study of the DVD 'revolution' that is as detailed and suggestive as this stylish, lucid investigation. An early scholarly foray into a field this massive, relatively new, and constantly changing cannot be expected to cover all the issues or answer all the questions, but this book does an admirable job raising important questions and identifying new directions in film reception." - Timothy Corrigan, Professor of English, Cinema Studies, and History of Art, University of Pennsylvania

Autorentext
Mark Parker is a Professor of English at the James Madison University. Deborah Parker is a Professor of Italian at the University of Virginia.

Inhalt
The DVD and New Media * DVD Production and DVD Producers * Setting the Standard: The History of The Criterion Collection * Directors and DVD Commentary: the Specifics of Intention * Directorial Commentary and Film Study: The Case of Atom Egoyan * Scholarly Commentary and Film Study * The Anthologizing Impulse