Im really looking forward for this dvd. But it does piss me off a bit if they split the movie. I believe the movie is 193 or 200 minutes. That would make the film about 3 hr 8 min or 3 hr 16 min. Movies that long can fit in one disc(JFK,Nixon,Magnolia). Not that its a big deal but movies like Gangs Of New York,2 hr 40 min, also split the film without realy needing it. Anyhow, can't wait for Malcolm X.

I wanted Criterion to do a SE but hey, this will do (yipee!)

I always appreciate when a documentary about the subject matter of the film itself can be included - this looks to be a terrific SE.

What he said.

This is nice to see. I just realized the other day that a couple of weeks after the release date will mark 40 years since his assassination, so I wonder if they've timed it to coincide with that.

But those movies you quoted would have looked even better if split on two discs. Excessive compression is noticable on all of them, especially Nixon.

I managed to sell my old snapper version for $10.99 on Half.com so I made out better than the BBV trade-in deal

LOTR:ROTK is 3 hr. 25 min. on one disc, and that has no compression problems - although, it doesn't have commentary like Malcom X will - but those hardly take up any space at all.

Same here. I always held out hope that a release like this would happen.

Sorry to drag this back up, but I've been out of the loop for a while and was really excited to see this. Was hoping for a Criterion, but TW looks to have done a great job based on the description. No complaints here . . . I gotta agree with FantasticVSDoom . . . 2005 is going to be a fantastic release year. x 2

There was nothing in that description that even remotely suggested the film was being split over the 2 discs. It's much more likely that the film will be on one disc and the extras on the other, especially considering one of the extras is a pretty long documentary on its own.

talemyn, relax, Auburn's gonna make it all the way to #2 when the night is over.

i will mos def be picking this up....ive held off also on picking the other up since i heard this was being released...

I appreciate the sentiment, so I'll spare you my "we belonged in the Orange Bowl" rant.

Unless, of course, you are not, in fact, a Oklahoma fan, in which case I'd be happy to share.

Review is up: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=14342

Disc is outstanding, by the way.

So the dvd splits the movie in bad way, huh? bummer...

Nice review! Thanks! Can't wait for next week to get this.

Yeah, it's abrupt. But that's such a small factor in the overall disc, trust me.

I dont remember the movie being so long... its not an extended cut is it?

It's 202 minutes. It's the same cut that's always been released, although the DVD does have some additional scenes in the extras.

But LOTR still doesn't look as good as the extended version that is split on two discs.

What's the big deal of putting in two discs of a nearly 3 1/2 hour movie for enhanced video quality?

Thanks for the review. I can't wait to see the documentary.

These are the phsychological scars thanks to the format known as Laserdisc..

I watched it twice in two days.

Fairly good review...

I don't agree that Al Freeman was miscast -- quite the opposite, in fact. Freeman had been largely AWOL from movies at the time, so it was great to see him again. He looked and sounded uncannily like the real person. Malcolm's first meeting with Elijah Mohammed after his prison release was quite a powerful moment. Malcolm is so awestruck and humbled, that he cries.

My impression from Freeman's portrayal was that Elijah was once a great leader, but fought strongly to keep his position (due to his jealousy over Malcolm's star rise in the Nation of Islam) to the point where his lust for power subverted the ideals he was supposed to represent. "We tell the world we're moral leaders because we follow the personal example of the Honorable Elijah Mohammed," Malcolm reminds the aging leader when a scandal breaks out.

I can't really complain if certain parts have a rushed quality, but then again the movie had a very troubled production, running out of money and going over-budget. His book on the making-of the film didn't have too many kind words for the folks at Warner Bros. or Dan Aykroyd (whose name is misspelled).

For me, the weakest part of the movie has always been the epilogue. It would've been more poignant ending with Ossie Davis's eulogy, rather than Spartacus-influenced "I am Malcolm X!" bit. It really didn't fit in. And Nelson Mandela's extremely heavy accent was just too incomprehensible. But it's still one of my favorite films of all time. It did change what I thought of Malcolm X. Until I saw the movie, I only thought he was the angry civil rights leader (his most common portayal in the media) rather than the person who changed his line of thinking for a broader cause towards the end of his life.