One of my favorite films of the seventies, and one of the last missing in action Al Pacino titles, is to finally hit Region 1 DVD this March. The Sydney Pollack directed BOBBY DEERFIELD (1977) is the only critical failure Al had in the seventies but he has himself called it the part that was closest to him. Coming on the heels of last year's release of CRUISING and the box set of films he directed, the news that BOBBY DEERFIELD is finally hitting DVD here will be most welcome for Pacino fans. This release will leave REVOLUTION (1985) as the one starring role Pacino has had that will be missing on the Region 1 DVD market.
I can pretty much see every criticism that has been thrown towards BOBBY DEERFIELD, Pauline Kael most famously savaged it upon its release, but it has been a real personal favorite since I first saw it about twenty years ago. For those who haven't seen it, the film will hold some real surprises for people who accuse Pacino of always being just volcanic and over the top. BOBBY DEERFIELD marks the most subtle and possibly moving performance he has ever given. No word on whether the audio commentary by Sydney Pollack from the import disc will be carried over but I suspect that it will be.
Also out the same day is a new special edition of Al's 1979 Oscar nominated role in AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. The old disc only featured an audio commentary from director Norman Jewison so a fully revamped special edition of this important little title should be most interesting.
