If by some chance you've never seen a film based on one of playwright Tennessee Williams' plays, you're missing out on cinematic slices of southern Americana. Williams broke rules and pushed boundaries of how much sexuality could be depicted, while psychological tensions burst out at the seams. \nWhat Warner Bros. has done is gathered up all their films based on good ol' TW's work and thrown them into a boxset. Sure you can buy all the films separately, but with a $60 price tag, you'd end up wasting plenty of dollars taking that route. \nThe biggest attraction is the American classic "A Streetcar Named Desire." Known for its iconic depiction of a drunken Marlon Brando screaming "STELLA!," this release is a massive upgrade from the first DVD incarnation. Spanning two discs, the film has been restored and now contains three minutes of unseen footage that was too steamy to be seen on the silver screen back in the day. Screen legend Karl Malden makes an appearance on the commentary track as do historians Rudy Behlmer and Jeff Young. \nDisc 2 is essential for it contains outtakes, an excellent documentary on director Elia Kazan and five other docs dealing with "Streetcar" on the stage, in Hollywood and even the censorship issues. Oh and for the ultimate in historic extras, Brando's screen test is here for the world to see. \nNext up, two TW films with Paul Newman: "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Sweet Bird of Youth." "Cat" comes in an all-new deluxe edition with a new featurette and commentary by TW biographer Donald Spoto. "Bird" too has a new featurette and more screen tests from the likes of Geraldine Page and Rip Torn. \n "The Night of the Iguana," directed by maverick John Huston, is a personal favorite of mine. It tells the story of a priest (Richard Burton) who has a falling out with his parish and must find redemption south of the border while confronted by three lovely ladies played by Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon. Speaking of stories, check out the featurette "Huston's Gamble" for a look at one of Hollywood's finest directors. \nAlso included are the sultry "Baby Doll" and dull yet delightful "Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone." Both come with new featurettes and trailer galleries.\nExclusive to this set is an eighth DVD containing the documentary "Tennessee Williams' South" which I found to be both interesting and disappointing. It's great to hear the man tell stories and reminisce about his Hollywood days, but the re-enactments of scenes from his plays I could've done without.
\n--Chris Wisner
