DVD Two people meet eleven years after sharing a car on a trip from Chicago to New York.
Details
When Harry Burns and Sally Albright first meet they are travelling together from Chicago to New York after graduating from university. During the long drive Harry confidently explains his theory that men and women can never truly be friends because sex will always get in the way. Unsurprisingly Sally strongly disagrees and the two spend most of the journey arguing about relationships, life and their very different outlooks on the world. By the time they reach New York they are more than happy to go their separate ways, although there is clearly some chemistry between them.
Eleven years later the pair unexpectedly bump into each other again at an airport and their unlikely friendship begins to develop. As their own relationships rise and fall they find themselves increasingly relying on each other for support. Their close friends Marie and Jess can clearly see what Harry and Sally refuse to admit - that they might actually be perfect for each other. However the question still lingers in Harry's mind: can a man and a woman really just be friends?
Picture & Sound
The picture is superb with an exceptional amount of detail for a film of this age. Although the colour is a little washed out it still manages to outshine many other back catalogue titles of a similar age. The bit-rate remains about average throughout the film and there are no signs of artifacting or outlining.
The soundtrack has been re-mastered to Dolby Digital and, although it is another dialogue intensive film, the ambient effects and musical score manage to find their way to the rear channels. The dialogue is crisp and clear in the centre channel and there was never any need to adjust the volume control throughout the film.
Menu & Extras
The menu is animated and scored with a wonderful set of extras. These include an interesting 33 minute Making of documentary, Deleted Scenes and an enthusiastic Audio Commentary from director Rob Reiner. There is also the addition of the Theatrical Trailer and a Music Video. These extras really do make this classic film a real DVD winner.
Overall
This is the romantic comedy that launched a thousand copycats, and indeed helped launch the career of Meg Ryan as the leading lady of many similar romantic films. However it is the amount of effort which has gone into this DVD that is most impressive. Many companies simply repackage back catalogue titles with little effort, but here the presentation, extras and transfer quality show genuine care.
Although you are paying full price for this disc you do get an excellent variety of extras and superb picture and sound. For fans of the film this is a very satisfying release and well worth adding to your DVD collection.
Special features
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- The Making of WHMS - "How Harry Met Sally"
- Audio Commentary by Rob Reiner
- Deleted Scenes
