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Customer Reviews:
Great Box Set- A Must Buy For Fans
A couple of years ago, I bought Dirty Harry as a single DVD at Best Buy. I later regretted not buying the whole collection when it went out of print. I am now glad I waited! After waiting for two+ years, I (and other fans) get the DVD treatment that Dirty Harry and its sequels deserve.

Whether or not you own the previous DVD collection, this purchase is a must.

Details for the new Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector’s Edition due out on June 3rd, 2008
Warner Home Video has announced the details of new releases of all five Dirty Harry movies with new special features.

They will be available on standard DVD in this 7-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition, or separately in Special or Deluxe editions. (”Special” is better than “deluxe” here–only Dirty Harry gets a 2-disc Special Edition, the others will all be on single discs, but all will have new special features.) Links for the separate DVDs are below.

They’ll also be on Blu-ray in a 5-disc [[ASIN:B001608QVS Ultimate Collector’s Edition]]. Only the [[ASIN:B000Q6ZG70 Dirty Harry Special Edition]] will be available separately on Blu-ray. The other four movies will only be available on Blu-ray as part of the complete set. (They won’t be available in HD, which Warner officially discontinues at the end of May.)

Assuming the transfers are good (the press release is vague about whether the standard DVD releases will be remastered), this looks like an excellent set. Whether those with older DVD releases will want to upgrade will be a matter of personal preference, but I personally find the new commentaries and features very attractive.

Here’s a bit about each film and the special features, contained in both the separate releases and the sets.

[[ASIN:B0015XHQTO Dirty Harry Special Edition]]

Dirty Harry is generally regarded as a classic, the beginning of a second larger-than-life persona for Clint Eastwood (after The Man with No Name). It’s the source of the famous “Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” (The actual quote is “… you’ve got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” but the original doesn’t quote as well out of context.)

Tough cop “Dirty” Harry Callahan has his own simple, commonsense rules for dealing with crime, based on a strong sense of right and wrong and an impatience with needless details and constraints. The latter gets him into continual trouble with the system which, as portrayed in the movie, is more about politics and bureaucracy than doing what needs to be done. This reflected well the frustrations and fears of Americans in the ’70s that criminals were taking over the streets and that the law was powerless to stop them because the “criminal-coddling” courts were holding them back. I personally value the Fourth Amendment and other such niceties and shiver to think of some of the political and moral ramifications of this movie (some of which are still very much with us), but whatever one’s politics, Dirty Harry is very effective as a police-action thriller, largely because of Eastwood’s unique persona. It’s hard not to admire and root for him even if you think he’s not always right. There are also the standard gunfights and car chases, and high suspense, all well done.

In the films that followed in the series, Harry became a somewhat more balanced, complex or confusing character, depending on your point of view, coming down clearly on the side of the law against rogue vigilante cops, for example, and learning to appreciate a female cop as a partner, but the basic idea of Harry standing strong despite the corrupt, wimpy system remained.

I’m pleased to see that some of the new special features in the set deal with the “issues” raised by the Dirty Harry films. I look forward to seeing what others make of them.

The special features:

– new commentary by filmmaker and Eastwood associate/biographer Richard Schickel

– new featurette “The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry,” on the influence and legacy of Dirty Harry

– “Dirty Harry: The Original,” with Clint Eastwood and the film’s creators looking back at the creation of the Dirty Harry character

– “Dirty Harry’s Way,” a promotional short focusing on the toughness of the movie’s main character

– interview gallery, with Patricia Clarkson, Joel Cox, Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Evan Kim, John Milius, Ted Post, Andy Robinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Urich

– “Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso,” a 1993 TV program on his life and career, including scenes from his work and interviews with friends, fellow actors and crew members

– trailer gallery: Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact and The Dead Pool

[[ASIN:B0015XHQU8 Magnum Force Deluxe Edition]]

As the sequel to a classic film, it suffers some from the let-downs typical of sequels, but it’s still Clint Eastwood being a tough guy, which is enough to carry the merely average plot and script and make it good entertainment for Eastwood fans. I’d say that applies to all four sequels.

In this installment, Harry, the cop frustrated by the rules that hold him back, shows he has his limits when he goes up against wicked vigilante cops killing criminals without any due process. As in the first movie, there’s plenty of action, a car chase, suspense, people getting shot, etc.

Special features:

– new commentary by director and Magnum Force screenwriter John Milius (”in this gritty, entertaining commentary, legendary Hollywood screenwriter Milius discusses Eastwood, the world of Dirty Harry and the rugged resilience of crime drama in American cinema”)

– new featurette “A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry,” with filmmakers, social scientists and authors on the politics and ethics of the Dirty Harry films

– “The Hero Cop: Yesterday and Today”

– trailer gallery

[[ASIN:B0015XHQTY The Enforcer Deluxe Edition]]

In this installment, Harry, the renegade cop with some old-fashioned attitudes and no desire to be tied up with a partner, gets stuck with a female partner, well played by Tyne Daly. Surprise surprise, he learns to respect and rely on her as they make hamburger of a group of domestic terrorists. As in the first two movies, there’s plenty of action, suspense, people getting shot, etc., but with a chase on foot in place of the usual car chase.

Special features:

– new commentary by Enforcer director James Fargo

– new featurette “The Business End: Violence in Cinema”

– “Harry Callahan/Clint Eastwood: Something Special in Films”

– trailer gallery

[[ASIN:B0015XHQUI Sudden Impact Deluxe Edition]]

Sudden Impact inspires very mixed reactions, but it’s still Clint Eastwood in a classic role, this time with Sondra Locke, his partner in several films and off-screen. Some people hate Locke, but I think she’s good with Eastwood. (I liked them even more in the Dirty Harryish [[ASIN:6305308780 Gauntlet]] and the very un-Dirty-Harry [[ASIN:0790751569 Bronco Billy]].)

Harry is on forced leave for being his usual trouble-making self while getting the bad guys, but still finds himself in the middle of a string of murders that he undertakes to stop. As in a couple of the others in the series, this movie includes a story line where extralegal justice is an issue, as Locke’s damaged rape victim seeks revenge. With the usual action, shootings, and a high level of violence, with women getting their share.

This one is the source of the famous quote, “Go ahead, make my day.” It was directed by Eastwood.

– new commentary by filmmaker and Eastwood associate/biographer Richard Schickel

– new featurette “The Evolution of Clint Eastwood,” on the film in the context of Eastwood’s career as a director

– trailer gallery

[[ASIN:B0015XHQT4 The Dead Pool Deluxe Edition]]

The Dead Pool was pretty well received, considering its place in the series. It has a convoluted plot about a game in which bets are taken on the deaths of celebrities, including Harry, with young Liam Neeson playing a questionable film director who’s playing the game. Issues of the celebrity-enslaved press are mixed with romance as Harry dates a reporter. As always, there’s plenty of action, suspense, gun play, and, this time, a unique and hilarious car chase with a very small but dangerous car.

– new commentary by Dead Pool producer David Valdes and Dead Pool cinematographer Jack N. Green

– new Featurette “The Craft of Dirty Harry,” including the cinematography, editing, music, and production design of the Dirty Harry films

– trailer gallery

The Ultimate editions will contain all of the above features, plus some:

– the feature-length documentary Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (which has been and is available separately)

– 40+ page hardcover book

– wallet with metal badge and removable ID card

– five 5″ x 7″ lobby poster reproduction cards and an exclusive Ultimate Collector’s Edition card

– “Scorpio: Portrait of a Killer” 19″ x 27″ map of San Francisco detailing Harry’s hunt for the killer in the first film

– never-before-seen production correspondence

The art work for the new releases, along with quotes from the Warner press release, can be found at sites like dvdactive and dvdtimes by doing a web search for “dirty harry” plus “ultimate collector’s edition” (Amazon doesn’t allow external links).

Customer Reviews:
Fleisher or Gilels?
I go back and forth as to which set I like better, this one, or Gilels. Truely, I couldn’t see being without either, along with Richter’s No. 2. I think it’s fairly clear that Fleisher’s No. 1 is the best ever recorded, while the competition at Concerto No. 2 is more clouded. I, however, tend to prefer Gilels here more often than not. In the end, I wouldn’t want to choose between the two, so just buy both, although Fleisher’s playing on the variations may put this set at the top.

Leon Fleischer performs Brahams D Minor Concerto
Leon Fleischer performed Brahams D Minor (#1) Concerto with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. The original recording has been deftly converted to a CD (5 stars). Rudolph Serkin also recorded the D Minor with the Cleveland Orchestra. The LP to CD conversion was not as well done. And, I think Fleischer’s performance outperforms Serkin’s although the two of them are far superior to any other pianist. Bottom Line: This is a MUST HAVE CD

Fleisher Is Phenomenal
Finally, I have found the recording of the Brahms First Piano Concerto to suit me. I used to own the one on RCA with Gary Graffman and Charles Munch, which was wonderful. Unfortunately, that is out of print. Since then I have acquired the one with Clifford Curzon (he takes it way too slowly), Alexis Weissenberg (the piano is under miked), and Artur Rubinstein (a pretty good rendering). Fleisher beats them all hands down. He gives the most technically flawless and POETIC performance of the bunch. He plays the concerto as if he were on fire. My only complaint is that the acoustics of Severance Hall in Cleveland are a little too dry for my taste.

As for the Second Brahms Piano Concerto, Fleisher plays it equally well but, unfortunately, the piano is under miked. He performs all kinds of technical miracles and many of them are simply played over by the orchestra. Don’t get me wrong, the orchestra sounds fantastic, but the Brahms Second is not an orchestral piece with a piano obbligato.

As for the Handel Variations and the Waltzes, well, ho hum. I would have much preferred hearing some of the smaller Brahms pieces such as the Intermezzos, Capriccios, Rhapsody, or the Hungarian Dances, but they are, nevertheless, very well played.