DVD earns standing ovation

“RENT” DVD (Widescreen, 2-Disc Special Addition)

Sony Pictures …

“RENT” DVD (Widescreen, 2-Disc Special Addition)

Sony Pictures

Film:

Special Features:

When the decision was made to take the overwhelmingly popular Broadway hit “RENT” from the stage to the screen, RENTheads everywhere began shaking in their oh-so-bohemian boots.

To most it seemed impossible to transfer the sheer enormity of a live performance to a two-dimensional screen. But with its theatrical release in November 2005, “RENT” assured fans that such a transition was, in fact, possible. Full of powerful music and heartfelt performances, the film proved its worth to even the most cynical of critics.

So with its inevitable DVD release, people again speculated that the larger-than-life effect provided by enormous images and surround sound would be lost in the home environment. And again the producers exceeded expectations. The video quality is impeccable, and with a decent setup the music is just as impressive.

More importantly, however, the DVD offers true fanatics a behind-the-scenes look at “RENT.” The special features clock in at just over two hours and cover everything from a full-length documentary to public service announcements.

Of course, not all 120 minutes are enthralling or even remotely interesting. For the most part, the deleted scenes and musical numbers prove that they were left on the cutting-room floor for a very good reason.

However, the final deleted scene, titled “Alternative Ending,” makes a strong case for inclusion in the film. The scene features the eight surviving cast members in spotlight on stage, singing “No Day but Today.”

Midway through the song, Angel enters stage left and resumes his place in the lineup. Its strong parallel to the movie’s beginning allows the film to come full circle. The ending does, however, distill some of the emotion of the movie, a fact that led editors to remove it from the final copy. At the very least, it gives viewers a chance to hear all nine spectacular voices together for one last time, and its inclusion would have been justified by that fact alone.

But the deleted scenes, previews and public service announcements are all garbage when compared to the feature-length documentary on how “RENT” grew from one man’s dream to a cultural phenomenon. The feature focuses almost exclusively on the life of writer, composer and director Jonathan Larson through interviews with family members and old friends.

Beginning at his childhood and progressing through his heartbreaking death on the eve of the debut of “RENT,” the piece is as masterfully produced as the musical itself. Seeing old friends talk about Larson’s dedication to his art, his unwavering determination and his belief in the theater as a catalyst for change develops his character as much as his music develops the show. And hearing his friends and family struggle to address his untimely death is more difficult than watching Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia) slowly losing his battle with HIV/AIDS.

Thankfully, it doesn’t end there. The feature goes on to report the unforeseeable success of the musical off Broadway, its relocation to a Broadway theater and its eventual conversion into a feature film. The documentary concludes with the same hope on which Larson seemed to base his life. All he wanted to do was adapt musical theater for the MTV generation.

And as this DVD set shows, he did just that.