The Eastwood Factor – Extended Edition (Warner Bros. DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Documentary: B

 

 

Clint Eastwood is such a successful director that it is hard to think of him as more than just an actor, despite the fact that it often felt that way for many years since he first helmed Play Misty For Me back in 1971.  Richard Schickel’s The Eastwood Factor – Extended Edition (2009) covers both sides of his long and still successful career, all the way to Invictus (reviewed elsewhere on this site) in a pretty thorough way, though it skips some key films and a shorter version issued was not as good.

 

Morgan Freeman narrates (very well, as usual) and at 88 minutes, is a sort of crash course in the man and his work.  My only complaint is that it has too many spoilers, so make sure you have seen most of Eastwood’s Warner output before you watch.  No, it may not be as biographical as it could be, but as a look at his work and how great a filmmaker he is on both sides of the camera, it makes a great argument that he is one of the best of his generation and possibly of all time.  Definitely catch up with it!

 

The 1.33 X 1 image has letterboxed footage at various aspect ratios (1.78 for new footage, 1.85 X 1 and 2.35 x 1 for most film clips) and even includes TV appearances.  Note the footage is mostly from Warner productions.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is just fine for a documentary and the audio from older film clips is in good shape, while Freeman’s voice is well-recorded and placed well the.  There are no extras.

 

Note that this special is also being made available On Demand and For Download (THE EASTWOOD FACTOR arrives on iTunes this Tuesday, June 1:

 

http://bit.ly/WB_EastwoodFactor)

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo