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Feb.27,2005 -Mar.6,2005 |
Holiday Stocking Stuffers
Ambitious and versatile DVD box sets are the latest gift trends for friends and families
By Angela Baldassarre
Originally Published: 2003-12-21
Wondering what to give your loved ones this Holiday season? Why not check out the latest in DVDs, which this year cater to every generation including children, teenagers, elderly and middle-aged. With prices dropping considerably, and variety expanding by the moment, DVDs make for perfect stocking stuffers, be them individual films or special edition box sets.
Of course the most-talked about film this year is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Before you get too excited, there is no box set that includes all three films. Instead, out this season is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Collector's DVD Gift Set which will have your Tolkien fan on his knees kissing your feet. The set includes an extra 43 minutes of footage, six hours of documentaries, a bonus DVD regarding the trilogy, four commentaries and even a creepy Gollum sculpture.
If you manage also to get a hold of the DVD set of the first film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, you'll have a friend for life. The two-disc set includes 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of The Two Towers, three in-depth documentaries that reveal the secrets behind the production of the film, including "Welcome to Middle-earth", "The Quest for the Ring" and "A Passage to Middle-earth". There are also 15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and others; and an Enya "May It Be" music video.
One of the most extraordinary DVD box sets available this season is CBC television's exceptional documentary series Canada: A People's History. Forget the encyclopedia for the kids this year; if you want your children - or yourself - to fully understand what has made this country of ours so unique and wonderful, you have to see these films.
The sets come in four different series: Series One (15,000 BC to 1815) traces the country's earliest history from the stories of the land's first people to the aftermath of the War of 1812; Series Two (1815 to 1873) covers the opening of the Canadian west, and when Confederation is barely accomplished, the dominion's reach into the vast prairie and the Pacific Ocean; Series Three (1873 to 1940) about the economic depression, world war and internal conflicts; and Series Four (1940 to 1990) when Canada comes of age following World War II, and the post-war baby boom and government economic and social policies give rise to the country's diverse communities. For something truly unique, start off with Series One and then gradually purchase the other three. An invaluable hand-me-down to the grandkids.
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