This release of American History X is a testament to the fact that New Line devotes most of its time and efforts to its "platinum series," and while that particular line of releases is among the best to be found, it's an unfortunate side effect that other deserving films such as this one get neglected in the process. Subject matter so volatile and controversial could easily justify an entire second disc's worth of bonus material, yet the only supplements present here are a few deleted scenes (only one of which is truly worthwhile), the theatrical trailer, and cast and crew biographies. What is lacking in the extras department, however, is made up for in the quality of the video presentation. This is the widescreen version of the film, presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and although it hasn't been enhanced anamorphically, it's a beautiful transfer nevertheless. Interestingly, the film is shot on both black-and-white and color film stock, which is difficult to balance properly under any circumstances, but here the two styles are mixed perfectly: the colors are bright, vibrant, and sharply defined, while the black-and-white sections are beautifully shot, with deep, dark, grainless blacks. The quality does justice to the cinematography of Tony Kaye, who also directs. The disc's audio presentation isn't overwhelming due to the generally subdued tone of the film, but the digital 5.1 mix is very nicely balanced, making good use of the center channel to cleanly convey the dialogue while relegating the ambient sounds to the rear channels. Overall, this is another instance where a special edition release is probable at some point in the future, but until that time comes, this disc is a more than adequate presentation of an important, powerful film.
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