Bruce Greenwood's starring performance as the captain of a World War II submarine in BELOW was released as a video on March 11, 2003, about 6 months after the movie's limited run. It's currently widely available at most traditional outlets as both a video and DVD in both formats and is also frequently featured in online auctions, so it can still be easily purchased. There's some nice extras on the DVD.
| Starring: |
Matt DavisBruce Greenwood Olivia Williams Holt McCallany Scott Foley Zach Galifianakis Jason Flemyng Dexter Fletcher |
| Director: | David Twohy |
| Rated: | R |
| Copyright: | 2002, Dimension Films |
| Special Features: | *Theatrical Trailer *Deleted Scenes *Featurette: "The Process" *Feature-length commentary by Director and Cast *Director commentary for deleted scenes |
| Video Format: | Standard 1.33:1 [4.3] widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio enhanced for 16x9 TVs |
| Subtitles: | French, English |
| Audio Tracks: | French: Dolby 2.0 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround |
| # Discs: | 1 |
| Layers: | dual |
| # Sides: | single |
| Produced by: |
Sue Baden-Powell Darren Aronofsky Eric Watson |
| Written by: | Lucas Sussman Darren Aronofsky David Twohy |
| Release date: | 03/11/2003 |
| Running time: | 105 minutes |
| Released by: | Dimension Home Video |
 Below DVD extras The Video Connection |
One advantage of Dimension's neglect is that the DVD lacks the usual marketing fluff. The selection of extras isn't particularly generous, but what's there is first-rate, and the disc does an excellent job of giving viewers a you-are-there feel for the production.
One high point is "The Process." Consisting largely of footage shot by Twohy himself with a camcorder during rehearsals, the video isn't the big draw of this featurette. Indeed, on the crowded and claustrophobic sets, Twohy's camera often ends up shooting nothing more than somebody's shirt. But it's fascinating to watch the cast experiment with different ways of playing the material. The only problem with it is that, at 12 minutes, it leaves viewers wanting more.
The commentary track is also a blast. Basically Twohy and most of his actors spend the track cutting on each other, spinning running jokes, pointing out mistakes and generally having a ball. The track really does illuminate new facets of the movie, but mostly it feels like hanging out at the set with the crew, watching the final cut.
The DVD's deleted scenes are meatier than usual. Entire completed action sequences were cut as Twohy struggled to find the right balance between action and horror. It can be debated whether cutting them was the right call but, particularly with their own commentary tracks, they're a big plus here.
Overall, it's a great disc for people who love movies. This DVD presentation could well salvage Below's reputation.grade of DVD: A-
