Product: Who Framed Roger Rabbit [VHS] (1988)
Rating: 1.0
Dashed Potential
This is one of the more disappointing DVDs I've purchased. Contrary to what Greg Lovern believes (below), the censorship is indeed a big deal--even if we're only talking about a few frames of film. It's the principle of the thing. This kind of censorship is akin to blacking out words in a literary classic. You wouldn't stand for that, right? Well, we shouldn't stand for it in film. Frankly, I'm somewhat alarmed by some studios' efforts to alter their films in later incarnations. For example, George Lucas not only "enhanced" his famous "Star Wars" film with new digital footage; he also removed extra-violent frames of stormtrooper deaths. A few frames here and there don't matter, right? Wrong. Art doesn't work that way. And I believe this influential film qualifies as art.On top of the censorship (which alone should convince you to avoid this disc), Disney has released "Roger Rabbit" with absolutely no supplemental features--including the great theatrical trailer promised on the cover. Imagine the special edition DVD this could have been! Zemeckis and Hoskins commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, featurettes, pre-production animation footage--oh, and the promised trailer.You're better off finding a beat-up VHS copy at a used-tape sale. At least that copy won't have censored scenes.