The Green Mile Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Green Mile Blu-ray Movie Review

Walking the Mile—at Greater Length

The third Diamond Luxe edition sent to us for review by Warner Home Video is The Green Mile. For an introduction to the Diamond Luxe series, please see the review of the Gremlins Diamond Luxe edition.

As with Gremlins, Disc 1 of The Green Mile Diamond Luxe edition is identical to the disc previously released by WHV in 2009 in a DigiBook edition and reviewed here. The file dates on the disc read "2009". For the Diamond Luxe release, WHV has added a second disc with a significantly expanded version of the documentary included on Disc 1 entitled Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile. It is discussed below under "Special Features and Extras".

As with Gremlins, the scores for feature, audio and video have been copied from the 2009 review.

The Green Mile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Please refer to the 2009 review.

The Green Mile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Please refer to the 2009 review.

The Green Mile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Please refer to the 2009 review for a list of the extras contained on Disc 1. The new extra on Disc 2 is as follows:

• Walking the Mile (1080i; 1.33:1; 1:36:26): A 26-minute version of this documentary was included on the 2000 DVD release of The Green Mile and, in standard definition, on the 2009 Blu-ray. With an hour and ten minutes of additional footage, and in 1080i hi-def, this expanded version was created in 2014 exclusively for the Diamond Luxe edition. Documentary filmmaker Constantine Nasr, who was then a recent graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television, was invited by director Frank Darabont to record behind-the-scenes footage during the making of The Green Mile. This expanded version of Nasr's documentary provides a detailed record of production from the first day of shooting through the grueling two months spent on the prison set at Warner studios, followed by several weeks on location in Tennessee to film outdoor scenes and prison exteriors. All of the principal cast are interviewed, some at length, and the extended version allows Nasr to display the camaraderie that developed on set and the playful atmosphere that the actors used to offset the seriousness of the material. (Tom Hanks and Bonnie Hunt were especially prone to fits of giggles in their scenes together.) Steven King's visit to the set is an interesting event, but it is no more than a momentary diversion from the tough slog of spending day after day playing guards and inmates on death row.
  
  In Tennessee, the biggest challenge was the changeable weather, and Darabont and his crew anxiously scan the sky, and snatch shots here and there whenever it clears, one is reminded that the appearance of "grainy" shots in a film often results from factors beyond the control of the director or cinematographer.
  
  The documentary concludes with a bittersweet tribute to the many cast members who are no longer with us.

The Green Mile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This particular Diamond Luxe edition isn't as difficult a choice as the others I have reviewed. Any fan of The Green Mile will want to give this release serious consideration, because the expanded version of Walking the Mile provides the kind of backstage experience that goes much deeper than a standard EPK. This is the rare new edition that is worth the double-dip. For those who don't already own The Green Mile, this is the version to get.