100 DVDs you must own: Almost Famous
This is a tale of two DVDs. The first version of Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical paean to the 70s rock scene - when he became a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine, aged just 15 - is a fine enough disc, including a 'making of', original Crowe articles etc, it's all very nice, but really you're buying it for the movie - Crowe at his wonderful, uplifting, cathartic best. The second version, though, is a belter - difficult to track down (it has, so far, had a limited release), but definately worth the effort, the shiny disc equivalent of a bootleg album. Simply titled, erm, Untitled (Crowe's preferred name for his most personal movie until DreamWorks' marketing bods intervened), you get an extended version of the movie (with an extra 30 minutes of footage including a hilarious radio interview) enriching an already sublime experience. Then there's the extras themselves: Crowe's "shamelessly personal" commentary with his mother, Alice; deleted scenes; Stillwater concert footage (not to mention a six song CD) and - best of all, fitting in with the rough -shod feel of a true bootleg - the singalong Stairway to Heaven sequence. As Led Zeppelin are notoriously touchy about their fret-busting classic, Crowe had to nix it from the film, but the DVD allows you to cue up the song on your stereo and then play it in conjunction with the movie. It's a genius touch on an excellent DVD.
Credit: Empire Magazine (date unknown)