Fox Home Entertainment is to be commended for giving this classic British war movie the DVD presentation it deserves, with flawless picture quality and at the proper widescreen ratio. This DVD is a real joy to watch, particularly for viewers like myself who've previously seen only the pan & scan TV prints of this film. The DVD offers some savory extras as well: A 1941 Fox Movietone Newsreel segment (Lowell Thomas narrating) on the Bismarck's short but lethal career; both the American and Spanish theatrical preview trailers (both introduced by legendary newsman Ed Murrow), as well as trailers for several other Fox War Classics DVDs: 13 Rue Madeleine, The Desert Fox, The Blue Max, The Enemy Below and Heaven Knows Mr. Allison.

Fantasy fans who, like myself, have never seen this delightful film in a theatre are in for a real treat - actually, more like a revelation - when they experience this superb widescreen DVD edition. The beautifully restored print is a stunner to look at (particularly during the many subterranean sequences), with scrumptious colors and textures. The film is afforded a generous forty (40) chapters. There's also plenty of fun to be had as one explores the DVD's special features: details about the film's restoration, a split-screen segment illustrating how the film looked before and after, and an entertaining assortment of trailers (previews) for other 20th Century-Fox films: The Abyss, Planet of the Apes (both versions), One Million B.C. ('66 version), Zardoz, and Independence Day, among others.

Columbia/Tristar Home Entertainment are to be highly commended for their classy DVD presentation of one of the best supernatural horror films ever made. This DVD offers the original, full-length British version as well as the abbreviated American version, which runs about 14 mins. shorter. Connoisseurs interested in carefully comparing the two versions are referred to issue # 93 of Video Watchdog magazine, which offers a meticulously detailed list of the exact location, length and content of each deletion made by the American distributors. I should add that both versions look and sound terrific on the DVD, with picture resolution now so clear that when the piece of parchment blows away from the evil Prof. Karswell and he sprints after it down the locomotive corridor, the thin wire holding the parchment aloft is fleetingly visible in some shots. Don't miss this one!!!