Dick Tracy

Director: Warren Beatty Warren Beatty

Overview

"The comic book comes to life with director/star Warren Beatty's colorful adaptation of Dick Tracy. Buena Vista has done a fine job with this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The colors and black levels are all rich and very detailed without any major imperfections marring the image. While this is not a perfect looking picture (there is a slight amount of edge enhancement in a few key scenes), overall fans will be happy to receive this film in its original aspect ratio with a 16x9 enhancement. The soundtrack is presented in two options: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1 Surround, both in English. Both of these soundtracks are utilized well with a vast amount of directional effects and surround sounds swirling around the viewer. All aspects of the mix are free of any excessive hiss or distortion. Also included on this disc is a Dolby Digital Stereo mix in French along with English closed captions Alas, while rumblings of a full blown special edition have been around, this first ever DVD release of Dick Tracy has been slapped on a completely bare bones disc."

Product Details

Release Date:	04/02/2002
UPC:	0717951005298
Original Release:	1990
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	1,437

Special Features

DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; French-language track; Widescreen (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Warren Beatty	Actor
Al Pacino	Actor
Glenne Headly	Actor
Madonna	Actor
Charlie Korsmo	Actor
Dustin Hoffman	Actor
William Forsythe	Actor
Mandy Patinkin	Actor
Charles Durning	Actor
Paul Sorvino	Actor
R.G. Armstrong	Actor
Dick Van Dyke	Actor
Seymour Cassel	Sam Catchem
James Keane	Pat Patton
James Tolkan	Numbers
Kathy Bates	Mrs. Green
Catherine O'Hara	Texie Garcia
Henry Silva	Influence
James Caan	Spaldoni
Bert Remsen	Bartender
Frank Campanella	Judge Harper
Michael J. Pollard	Bug Bailey
Estelle Parsons	Mrs. Trueheart
Mary Woronov	Welfare Person
Henry Jones	Night Clerk
Mike Mazurki	Old Man at Hotel
Michael Donovan O'Donnell	McGillicuddy
Jim Wilkey	Stooge
Stig Eldred	Shoulders
Ned Clafin	Radio Announcer
Neil Summers	The Rodent
Chuck Hicks	The Brow
Tiny Ron	Actor
Lawrence Steven Meyers	Little Face
Ed O'Ross	Itchy
Marvelee Cariaga	Soprano
Michael Gallup	Baritone
Robert Costanzo	Lips' Bodyguard
Jack Kehoe	Customer at Raid
Marshall Bell	Lips' Cop
Michael G. Hagerty	Doorman
Lew Horn	Lefty Moriarty
Arthur Malet	Diner Patron
Tom Signorelli	Mike
Tony Epper	Steve, the Tramp
Hamilton Camp	Store Clerk
Robert Beecher	Ribs Mocca
Tom Finnegan	Uniform Cop at Ritz
Billy Clevenger	Newspaper Vendor
Ian Wolfe	Forger
Allen Garfield	Actor
John Schuck	Actor
Charles Fleischer	Actor
Jack Goode Jr.	Actor
Ray Stoddard	Actor
Ed McCready	Actor
Colm Meaney	Actor
Sharmagne Leland-St. John	Actor
Bing Russell	Actor,Actor
Ned Claflin	Actor
John Moschitta Jr.	Actor
Neil Ross	Actor
Walker Edmiston	Actor
Rita Bland	Actor
Lada Boder	Actor
Dee Hengstler	Actor
Liz Imperio	Actor
Michelle Johnston	Actor
Karyne Ortega	Actor

Technical Credits

Jim Cash

Jack Epps Jr.

Warren Beatty	Director,Producer
Jim Cash	Screenwriter
Jack Epps Jr.	Screenwriter
Billy Burton	Stunts
John Caglione Jr.	Special Effects
Doug Drexler	Special Effects
Art Linson	Executive Producer
Floyd Mutrux	Executive Producer
Barrie M. Osborne	Executive Producer
Thomas Causey	Sound Mixer
Lawrence Cavanaugh	Special Effects
David Campbell	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Ravishing production design from Richard Sylbert, gorgeous cinematography from Vittorio Storaro, and a memorable musical score from Stephen Sondheim (performed ably by pop star Madonna) are the highlights of this film from co-writer, director, producer, and star Warren Beatty. Unfortunately, the film's script has been worked over by a committee of scribes, resulting in a somewhat fractured narrative that is the typical end product of too many cooks in the literary kitchen. There is probably no film of the late 20th century that more powerfully proves the old adage, "If it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage." Every single production element here is superior, from the makeup effects to the costumes, to the supporting players such as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Glenne Headly. In fact, from a strictly visual point of view, Dick Tracy (1990) is probably one of the best-made films of the decade, featuring a crew of skilled artisans at the top of their collective game. In the story department, however, the film never quite gels, displaying the same emotional flatness as the two-dimensional comic strip it's based upon, never coming to life in the exhilarating fashion of other comics-based films such as Batman (1989) and The X-Men (2000). The hard emphasis is clearly on the "noble" in "noble failure," but Dick Tracy just doesn't quite work.