Salvador - Special Edition - Region 2 DVD

On the DVD: Without spoiling the plot, the original trailer is so compelling it makes you want to watch the film again even if you've just seen it. The are four deleted/extended scenes which add a little more political background--unfortunately the legendary orgy/severed-ears seen is not among them. Parts, though not the whole of this scene, appear in the exceptionally good 62-minute retrospective documentary which covers the extraordinary making of the film and the horrors of the political background in depth (a technical advisor was shot dead on a tennis court). Oliver Stone delivers the best commentary tracks around and this is no exception as he presents a masterclass in gonzo-guerrilla filmmaking. There is also a gallery of 46 behind-the-scenes stills. Given the circumstances, Robert Richardson's cinematography is miraculously accomplished and, excepting some grain, transfers to DVD, anamorphically enhanced at 1.77:1, very well. The original low-budget sound has made the transition to three-channel Dolby Digital with style, George Delerue's machine-gun score having real urgency and the action being appropriately chaotic. --Gary S Dalkin