Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Director Barry Levinson's Best Picture Winner • Rain Man • Gets 4K Ultra HD Push From MVD Entertainment Group On May 30

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey

MVD Entertainment Group will be guiding the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack release of director Barry Levinson’s 1988 Best Picture winner, Rain Man, home on May 30.

A stand-alone Blu-ray edition will be available on the same date.

Dustin Hoffman began preparing for the role of Raymond Babbitt in 1986, working with and observing Kim Peek, the subject of writer Barry Morrow’s script.  Tom Cruise was attached to project as Hoffman’s brother, Charlie, Martin Brest was onboard as the director and filming was slated to begin at the end of 1986.   And then everything changed.

That’s usually not a good sign.   Michael Bortman was brought in for a re-write, but that went nowhere.   Brest dropped out and there was talk of Steven Spielberg taking over, but that didn’t happen either.  

Screenwriter Ronald Bass (Black Widow, Gardens of Stone, Sleeping with the Enemy) is brought on board, but ends up in arbitration with Barry Morrow, which had to be settled by the Writers Guild of America.

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey

Finally, Barry Levinson, fresh from the success of Good Morning, Vietnam, is locked in as the director and told that he has just nine weeks of production time to wrap the picture.  

Rain Man has “troubled production” written all over it.   But, that’s not what happened.   Instead, it was a monster at the box office, winning Best Picture, Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman, Best Director for Barry Levinson and, irony of ironies, both Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass went to the podium together on Oscar night and each got an Oscar for their Original Screenplay.  

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey

Bonus features include not one or two commentary options, but three!   Director Barry Levinson gives his insights and — you just have to love this — Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass each have their own (separate) commentary on the film. 

Additionally, there is a deleted scene and two mid-length featurettes — “'The Journey of Rain Man” and “Lifting the Fog: A Look at the Mysteries of Autism.”

 

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey

 

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