An American classic gets lavish DVD treatment

"Bonnie and Clyde" (two-disc special edition) -- They walk down a small-town street, two impossibly beautiful young people in the throes of love-at-first-sight. We see the shapes and colors of the girl's life pass behind her: drab dilapidated houses, dirty laundry hanging from clotheslines. She turns to the boy she's just met and asks where he's from. "Prison," he tells her. What for? "Armed robbery." With those words, the homes and yards behind the girl give way to a bright blue sky. She realizes she's found the person who will help her escape.

That's the opening of "Bonnie and Clyde," the landmark 1967 film from director Arthur Penn that heralded the beginning of a new age in American filmmaking. At a time when Hollywood still favored clear-cut heroes and villains, here was a film in which the main characters were both. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, as played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, were good-looking, stylish and witty. They also happened to be thieves and murderers. The script, written by Robert Benton and David Newman and heavily influenced by the French New Wave films, adds another level of moral ambiguity by pairing scenes of bloody violence with comedy. This approach, ground-breaking at the time, was so influential that it's almost required in the films of today.

The plot of "Bonnie and Clyde" loosely follows the lives of the real-life outlaws who robbed and killed their way through the South during the Depression. Bonnie and Clyde recruit a gang and become notorious bank robbers, dreaming of the time when they can trade poverty for the high life. Their exploits turn them into folk heroes, avengers against the evil banks who kicked so many people out of their homes during the '30s. But it soon dawns on Bonnie and Clyde that their crimes aren't bringing them any closer to wealth. A sense of tragedy mounts as the law closes in on the Barrow Gang, leading to the unforgettable final scene, a slow-motion ballet of violence that brings the Bonnie and Clyde story to an end.

Watching "Bonnie and Clyde" on this new DVD, I was struck by how fresh the film feels. The violence still packs a punch, even if some of it seems tame in the age of "Saw" and "Hostel." And I still get swept up in the story of these doomed outlaws, played to perfection by Beatty and Dunaway. Has a cooler, more stylish couple ever headlined an American film? This new two-disc set, which replaces a bare-bones release from a decade ago, includes a making-of documentary with new interviews from all the principal players -- Beatty, Dunaway, Penn, Benton -- as well as some surprises. (Who could have guessed Morgan Fairchild was Dunaway's double on the set?) Also on board is a History Channel documentary about the real Bonnie and Clyde, some Beatty wardrobe tests and two deleted scenes. A commentary would have made this a perfect release, but it's still a worthy package for one of the best American films. Note: "Bonnie and Clyde" is also available in an "Ultimate Collector's Edition" that includes a photo book and other memorabilia. (R; Warner Home Video, $20.97 or $39.92 for the UCE)

"The Mist" (two-disc collector's edition) -- This is a fantastic horror movie, and it arrives on a DVD set that will surely be one of the best of the year. Adapted from Stephen King's short novel by writer/director Frank Darabont (who also made the King-based movies "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile"), "The Mist" combines an old-school, 1950s-monster-movie plot with a contemporary (and bleak) view of human nature. In the wake of a winter storm that knocks the power out in a small Maine town, a strange mist rolls in and blankets the area. It appears at first to be a minor nuisance, until some residents report seeing strange things lurking within. It turns out that a horde of nasty, insectoid monsters has arrived with the mist, and these beasties lay siege to a local grocery store, trapping a group of residents inside. The people alternate between fighting off the monsters and turning on each other, until it's unclear which creatures are worse, those inside or out. Darabont's script occasionally descends into goofiness, and Marcia Gay Harden's performance as a deranged bible-thumper borders on camp (to her credit, it never quite gets there). But intense scares abound, and the brave, pitch-black final act will leave you stunned. The two-disc DVD set comes loaded with special features, including a Darabont commentary, deleted scenes and a slew of behind-the-scenes documentaries. The real treat, though, is another presentation of the entire movie in black and white, which Darabont explains in an intro is his preferred way of showing the movie. How cool is that? (R; Genius Products, $32.95)

"The Kite Runner" -- Marc Forster's adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's beloved novel is well-made but never quite catches fire. Amir and Hassan are best friends growing up in 1970s Afghanistan, despite coming from different social/ethnic classes. But when bullies target Hassan with a brutal attack, Amir looks on and does nothing to stop it. Overcome with guilt, Amir turns against his friend, eventually driving him away. Decades later, Amir, now living in San Francisco, goes back to Afghanistan to atone for his betrayal. Forster brings a touching immediacy to the scenes with the young Amir and Hassan (the actors who play the boys are heart-breakingly convincing), but the present-day scenes don't work nearly as well. The DVD arrives with a nice set of extras, including a commentary from Foster, Hosseini and screenwriter David Benioff, and two making-of featurettes. (PG-13, Paramount, $28.99)

"Lost Highway" -- David Lynch fans have waited more than 10 years for an American DVD release of his 1997 neo-noir film "Lost Highway." The good news: The DVD arrives today. The bad news: It comes with no special features at all, not even a trailer.

"Lost Highway" is the first chapter in what I would call the director's "identity trilogy": films in which the main characters appear to be more than one person (Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" and "Inland Empire" complete the trilogy). Bill Pullman plays Fred Madison, a jazz musician who is sentenced to death for killing his wife, Renee (Patricia Arquette). While sitting in his jail cell, Fred inexplicably turns into Pete Dayton, a young mechanic played by Balthazar Getty. The dumbfounded authorities release Pete, whose life begins to echo Fred's in surreal ways, including his affair with Alice, a blonde version of Renee also played by Arquette. I'm not sure whether "Lost Highway" makes literal sense, but it's mesmerizing nonetheless: a violent, noirish nightmare drenched in hot colors and Lynch's unusual sound design. Technically, the DVD does justice to Lynch's gifts, but a movie like this cries out for some special features. (R; Universal, $19.98)