New DVD for 'Evil' is all good

"Touch of Evil" (50th Anniversary Edition) - Hats off to Universal for creating a beautiful DVD package for one of the best crime films ever: Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil."

This set includes three versions of the film, two of which resulted when the studio yanked the film from Welles' hands and recut it. Welles responded by sending a now-legendary 58-page memo to the studio, outlining exactly how the movie should be fixed. The third version, and the one most worth watching, is a 1998 cut overseen by producer Rick Schmidlin, editor Walter Murch and Welles expert Jonathan Rosenbaum. The trio re-edited the film according to Welles' memo, bringing it as close to the director's original vision as possible. The result is stunning.

If you haven't yet seen "Touch of Evil," don't cheat yourself any longer. It's a dark, suspenseful murder mystery set along the U.S.-Mexico border. Charlton Heston plays a Mexican federal agent, Janet Leigh plays his American wife and Welles plays a sleazy but well-regarded American cop. Welles tells the story with dazzling visual and narrative panache; the labyrinthine opening shot, one of the greatest single shots in the history of film, is worth the price of admission on its own.

In addition to the three cuts of the film, this two-disc set includes a documentary about the film, four commentaries (one of which includes priceless comments from Leigh and Heston, both of whom have died since recording the track) and a copy of Welles' famous memo. This will surely be one of the best DVD sets of 2008. (NR; Universal, $26.98)

"The Happening" - Few directors have had a three-film run as strong as the one M. Night Shyamalan enjoyed with "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable" and "Signs." Since then, though, Shyamalan has stumbled. He tries to recapture his mojo with "The Happening," about a mysterious affliction that causes people to kill themselves. Unfortunately, the movie runs off the rails because of a weak script, a surprisingly lifeless lead performance by Mark Wahlberg and Shyamalan's typically understated directing style. You know what Shyamalan should do next? Something totally different, like a slasher film - an over-the-top and in-your-face fright fest that shows that this once-acclaimed auteur actually has some filmmaking chops left in him. The DVD includes a decent array of supplements, including several in-depth examinations of key scenes. (R; Fox, $29.98)

"Sleeping Beauty" (50th Anniversary Platinum Edition) - "Sleeping Beauty" is a genuine American treasure, a beautifully animated fairy tale that seems to get better with age. For its 50th anniversary, Disney Home Video offers this stellar two-disc DVD package that includes a spectacular presentation of the film and a wealth of supplements that will entertain children and older fans alike. If you haven't yet added this film to your collection, now's the time to do so. (G: Disney Home Video, $29.99)