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| Wag The Dog |
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Genre:Comedy
Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Kirsten Dunst |
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 DVD General Information |
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| (Studio/Distributor): |
New Line Home Video |
| (Catalog Number): |
ID4646LI |
| (MPAA Rating): |
R |
| (Retail Price): |
$39.99 |
| (Running Time In Minutes): |
97 |
| (Color Type): |
Color |
| (Chaptered/Scene Access): |
Yes |
| (Closed Captioned): |
No |
| (Theatrical Release): |
1997 |
| (LD Release Date): |
7/98 |
| (THX® Digitally Mastered): |
No |
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| Credits Information |
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| (Director): |
Barry Levinson |
| (Screenplay/Written By): |
Hilary Hankin & David Mamet |
| (Story): |
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| (Music): |
Mark Knopfler |
| (Director Of Photography): |
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| (Production Designer): |
Wynn Thomas |
| (Visual Effects): |
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| (Costume Designer): |
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| (Editor): |
Stu Linder |
| (Supervising Sound Editors): |
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| (Re-Recording Mixers): |
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| (Executive Producers): |
Michael De Luca, Claire Rudnick Polstein & Ezra Swerdlow |
| (Co-Producers): |
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| (Producers): |
Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro & Barry Levinson |
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| DVD Picture Information |
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| (Principal Photography): |
Academy Standard Flat |
| (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): |
1.85:1 |
| (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): |
1.78:1 |
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| DVD Sound Information |
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| (DVD Soundtrack): |
DTS Digital Surround |
| (Theatrical Sound): |
DTS, SDDS & Dolby Digital |
| (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): |
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| (Remastered Dolby Digital): |
No |
| (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): |
No |
| (Additional Languages): |
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| WSR Narrative Review |
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Story Synopsis:
Wag The Dog earned worldwide attention for its timeliness and topic of a presidential sex scandal being diffused by the illusion of war. When the president is caught in a sex scandal less than two weeks before the election, White House spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) creates a phony war with the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman).
LaserDisc Picture:
The 1.78:1 picture is the same superb transfer as the LaserDisc reviewed in Issue 29, though does not exceed the anamorphically enhanced DVD in image quality. Color fidelity is naturally rendered, with vivid hues, natural fleshtones and deep, solid blacks. Contrast and shadow delineation are exemplary, and there is no noise or distracting artifacts. Images are sharp and detailed for a pristine visual experience, especially for a LaserDisc.
LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The DTS® Digital Surround discrete 5.0 soundtrack sounds slightly fuller than the Dolby® Digital. Surround envelopment is subtle, and limited to the music score. Dialogue and music always sound natural, with superb fidelity throughout. The overall sound is wanting in spatial integration.
| (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): |
No |
| (Aggressive System Surround): |
No |
| (Intense 25Hz Bass): |
No |
| (Deep Bass Challenging): |
No |
| (Aggressive 0.1 LFE): |
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| (Holosonic Soundfield): |
No |
| (Aggressive Split Surround): |
No |
| (Center Back Surround Imaging): |
No |
| (Directionalized Dialogue): |
No |
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality: |
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Superb Music Score Recording Quality: |
Yes |
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality: |
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Superb Color Fidelity: |
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Superb Cinematography: |
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Reference LaserDisc: |
No |
Collector Edition: |
No |
DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
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