New on DVD this week: Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny And Alexander" in a five-disc Criterion edition, Robert Altman's adaptation of Raymond Carver's stories, "Short Cuts," Guy Maddin's "The Saddest Music in the World" and "Hebrew Hammer."
1. Fanny And Alexander: Five Disc Deluxe Edition
Ingmar Bergman’s swan song, "Fanny and Alexander" is the legendary filmmaker’s warmest and most autobiographical film, a triumph that combines his trademark melancholy and emotional rigor with immense joyfulness and sensuality. The Criterion Collection offfers not only the Academy Award winning theatrical version, but the original five-hour television version, together in a single boxed set. Also included is Bergman’s own feature-length documentary "The Making of Fanny and Alexander."
2. The Saddest Music in the World
Isabella Rossellini stars in this latest film from Canadian visionary director Guy Maddin as a double-amputee beer baroness (whose glass legs are filled with brew) who holds a contest to find the saddest music in the world. Bonus features include three Guy Maddin shorts and a making of featurette.3. The Hebrew Hammer
It's about time: a comedy about a Jewish action hero. Adam Goldberg stars as Mordechai Jefferson Carver, better known as the tough-guy private eye Hebrew Hammer in Jonathan Kesselman's hilarious parody of blaxploitation cinema.4. Shortcuts
The visions of two great American artists merge in Short Cuts, maverick director Robert Altman’s kaleidoscopic adaptation of Raymond Carver short stories. The talented ensemble cast includes Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Lemmon, and Jennifer Jason Leigh in fearless performances. The 2-disc set features the 1993 documentary "Luck, Trust, and Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country" and the PBS documentary To Write and Keep Kind" (a portrait of Raymond Carver.)