Two Lane bonus footage.

[MBE]

On the new 2 DVD set is there extra footage of Dennis? Otherwise it wouldn't appeal to me.

[rasmus skotte]

Not enough as far as I'm concerned! Only in the stills gallery, there are some great shots of Dennis and some loving
photos with him and a lady (who I guess must be his wife back the - Barbara?). They've found some of the original
screen tests in a garage and included two (one with James Taylor) - but Dennis' is sadly missing.
Keeping in mind that the film's first rough edit was 3½  hours long and then cut down to  half the length, I find it strange
that  no outtakes are included on the bonus disc.
Of the two new audio commentaries, one is with the film's director Monte Hellman in conversation with Allison Anders,
which could be an interesting choice, keeping in mind that she directed Grace Of My Heart, where one of the characters
was based upon Brian Wilson.

[DJ M]

As Rasmus notes above, there isn't too much in the way of Dennis Wilson materials in the bonus footage.  As Rasmus states, there is a very nice photo album that has many excellent still images of Dennis.  Some of these still pictures also feature Dennis' love Barbara Charren (see pic of him & her here: http://denniswilsonforever.wg-net.com/families.html)  It's hard to express just how cool Dennis is in these pictures.  In my opinion, he never looked better.  He's in top form and he just exudes coolness/hipness from every pore.

The director of the movie, Monte Hellman, a few difference times in interviews from '07, has some very nice things to say about Dennis.  In particular, Hellman notes how unselfconscious Dennis was in front of the camera.  (Possibly b/c he was so used to performing in front of crowds from working w/ the BBs?)  Hellman's daughter, who was on set and has a tiny role in the film, also notes that she had a huge crush on Dennis.

For Beach Boys fans, it's really a shame that they didn't do a screen test of Dennis.  This really would have been something to see, if you compare that possibility to the screen test that actually was filmed of James Taylor.  In his screen test, James discusses music writing, his recent albums, touring, etc.  Also, James performs one song solo voice w/ guitar; I can't remember the full name of the tune he plays, but it has the word "Railroad" in it.  How unbelievable would it be to see Dennis solo performing one of his songs?  The mind boggles at the possibility.

Although I have yet to listen/watch the film w/ either of the two commentaries that are included, that's about it for Dennis Wilson on the bonus features.

Even before I got into the BBs, I loved this film.  It's one of the best films of the '70s.  Even w/out any new insights into DW, this is still an amazing film in its own right and deserves to be watched/explored/enjoyed.

I didn't realize that the original cut of the movie was 3 1/2 hrs long, as Rasmus states above.  They don't discuss this in the bonus stuff I've made it through so far.  However, if true, it's really too bad that there are no deleted/extended scenes.  Monte does discuss some deleted scenes in his intreview, however.

http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=414

Synopsis
Drag racing east from L.A. in a souped-up '55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong Girl (Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oates's Pontiac GTO-driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race—the prize: their cars' pink slips. Yet no summary can do justice to the existential punch of Two-Lane Blacktop. Maverick director Monte Hellman’s stripped-down narrative, gorgeous widescreen compositions, and sophisticated look at American male obsession make this one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made.

Special Features
- DIRECTOR-APPROVED DOUBLE-DISC SET
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Monte Hellman
- Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries; one by Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders, and one by screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and author David Meyer
- New interviews with Hellman, star James Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz
- Rare, never-before-seen screen-test outtakes (of James Taylor & Laurie Bird)
- Performance and Image: a look at the restoration of a '55 Chevy from the movie and the film's locations today
- Color Me Gone: photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: Rudy Wurlitzer's screenplay, reprinted specially for this release; new essays by Kent Jones, appreciations by Richard Linklater and Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article "On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop."

[DJ M]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/movies/homevideo/18dvds.html?pagewanted=print

NY Times Review:

Critic’s Choice
New DVDs
By DAVE KEHR
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP

This Monte Hellman 1971 road movie — perhaps the definitive example of the genre — has now come full circle. Oversold on its first release, when Esquire magazine printed its screenplay under the title “Movie of the Year,” the film was a commercial disaster but has continued to build an underground reputation. This month it was released on DVD by the Criterion Collection, which puts it as close as any movie can come to joining the official canon.

A movie with very little talk and even less music, it stars two musicians: James Taylor as a nameless drag racer and Dennis Wilson as his mechanic. They pilot their gunmetal gray 1955 Chevy with concentrated but obscure purpose along Route 66, financing their odyssey by participating in local races. Austere enough to play saints in a Robert Bresson film, the two men are challenged, in body and spirit, by a smiling glad-hander (Warren Oates) who drives an orange GTO and never gives the same account of himself twice. Ominously, the Oates character has eyes for the hitchhiker (Laurie Bird) whom the two travelers have picked up along the way.

Mr. Hellman films the flat, empty landscapes with his eyes on the horizon line, as if he were John Ford following a wagon train on its way west. But this is a journey from California to the East Coast, a rollback of the American expansionist dream that finishes inside the head of a single character — and promptly self-destructs, as the film itself seems to catch fire and melt in the gate of the projector.

The Criterion package includes a full disc of recent interviews conducted by Mr. Hellman with some of the film’s surviving personnel, including Mr. Taylor — who says he still hasn’t seen the picture. (Criterion Collection, $39.95, R)

[Rocker]

Not DW-related, but what has Kris Kristofferson to say? I'm a big fan....

[DJ M]

Not DW-related, but what has Kris Kristofferson to say? I'm a big fan....

Not all that much; the interview is short, approx. 15-20 min.  Interview is by director Monte Hellman.  They talk about KK's song "Me and Bobby Mcgee" that's featured in the film.  Hellman says the song works like another character in the film.  KK talks a bit about music writing, touring, acting in films and even some politics.  Not too thrilling, but it may be more interesting to a big KK fan.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I've heard that if you play the movie backwards you will get a commentary by the ghost of Dennis Wilson.

[Rocker]

Not DW-related, but what has Kris Kristofferson to say? I'm a big fan....

Not all that much; the interview is short, approx. 15-20 min.  Interview is by director Monte Hellman.  They talk about KK's song "Me and Bobby Mcgee" that's featured in the film.  Hellman says the song works like another character in the film.  KK talks a bit about music writing, touring, acting in films and even some politics.  Not too thrilling, but it may be more interesting to a big KK fan.

Great, thanks. But I stick with my DVD-version of that TLB. Hellman also talks in there about "Me & Bobby McGee" and I guess Kris adds nothing spectacular new. I gotta say though that the scene where that song is played is probably the most perfect scene I've ever saw