Released in 2000 originally, "Hoosiers" has received a makeover for this special edition. This set is only available in 1.85:1 widescreen. It's still not perfect, but it's better than the previous edition. Grain is still really heavy in spots and there remains a small layer over the entire film. Oddly, the last half hour of film seems really clean with hardly anything to complain about.
The colors have been corrected, brought out a little more. In the process, the flesh tones now seem to be tinted orange a bit too much. The print itself contains very little damage, just minor specks. The only compression issues involve the red jerseys of the Milan team. There's still work to be done, but this is a marked improvement over the non-anamorphic transfer of the original. (***)
The original disc offered a remixed 5.1 track. So does this new release, though neither really sounds all that great. This disc is mixed awfully low and dialogue sounds a little washed out. The stereo channels get a lot of work, but the rear speakers remain relatively silent. You can barely make out any audio coming from them at all, and when you do, it sounds like the same signal being sent to the fronts. It's a VERY slight improvement. Most people won't know the difference. (***)
Now that a second disc is included, it doesn't take a genius to figure out this is best reason for a second purchase. Everything here is new, including a director and writer commentary. Both David Anspaugh and Angela Pizzo are talkative (even with a few lapses). Most importantly though, they're informative enough to make the track worthwhile. They discuss both the shoot and the how they transferred the real events to the screen.
The necessary documentary, "Hoosier History: The Truth Behind the Legend" is as good as sports movie documentaries get. Focusing more on the real players and events then the film, it's wonderfully put together. Not only do they feature the real Hoosier players, they even found a player from the opposing Muncie squad. Also included is the current coach of Milan who discusses what (if any) changes have been made in the town. Even Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller gets to speak. They don't come much better than this.
Article comments
1 - Michelle
I am a native of Milan, IN and am responding to the comment...finding game film from 1954 can't be an easy task...Actually, we grew up on it. This was the first state championship to be broadcast on TV. The original reel-to-reel was converted to VHS when that was possible. I have had a VHS copy for years. Finding this game would have been relatively easy. That's how important this one is to Hoosier Basketball and the REAL March Madness.