Stars:
Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, and Jeremy Kemp
Writers:
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Marty Burke
Directors:
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker
Feature
length: 90 minutes
Extras:
Group Commentary By Directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker,
Producers Jon Davison and Hunt Lowry, and Moderator Fred Rubin, Alternate
Scenes, Storyboards, and the Theatrical Trailer
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround 2.0, and French Monaural
Subtitles:
English Captions
Packaging:
Amaray Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 28
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Surround Sound and Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1984/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
After
the success of the “Airplane” films, but before the success of the “Naked
Gun” series and “Hot Shots” movies, filmmakers Jim Abrahams, David Zucker,
and Jerry Zucker wrote and directed “Top Secret!” A spoof of cold war spy
films and musicals that featured popular rock stars like Elvis Presley, “Top
Secret!” is exactly what you would expect, endless visual gags layered upon
one another that at times are pretty risqué for the PG film from the mid 1980s.
It is easy to forget that Val Kilmer got some of his earliest big screen breaks
acting in comedies even though I would not consider Kilmer to be a comedic
actor. The film does feature a number of cameos that include Ian McNeice,
Michael Gough, and Omar Sharif.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has bought “Top Secret!” to DVD with an anamorphic
widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio that unfortunately is quite grainy throughout.
The grain appears to be a result of the source materials used and not from the
digital compression transfer. The soundtrack is much better with an English
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack that jumps out at the viewer particularly
during the film’s musical numbers with a full three-dimensional effect. An
English Dolby Surround Soundtrack and a French Language Two-Channel Monaural
Soundtrack are provided along with English Captions and Closed Captions encoded
on to the DVD as options.
There
is a group commentary moderated by Fred Rubin featuring Directors Jim Abrahams,
David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, and Producers Jon Davison and Hunt Lowry. The
commentary is lively as they reminisce and point out specifically various gags.
Four alternate scenes and three storyboard galleries are included along with the
original theatrical trailer, which is one of the best trailers ever produced for
one of the Abrahams’ and Zucker Brothers’ comedies.
The
menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. “Top
Secret!” is available on DVD-Video now from Paramount Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.