Private Benjamin

Warner Bros' DVD release of Private Benjamin is a big disappointment for two obvious reasons. First of all, the film can only be viewed in full-screen, pan-and-scan format. Secondly, the film's soundtrack only comes in Dolby Stereo 2.0. The DVD contains English and French soundtracks, and can be viewed with English, French, or Spanish subtitles. It also has colorful interactive menus and good bios/filmographies on its nine main stars, including Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, and Armand Assante, as well as director Howard Zieff, musician Bill Conti, and writers/producers Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer, and Harvey Miller. The film also comes with a theatrical trailer and recommendations (or advertisements) for nine other titles. One wishes that the attention given to advertising the other titles would have been focused on better production notes, a better soundtrack, or, especially, presenting this classic film in widescreen.