The Edmonton Public Library's VHS (video home system)collection is a treasure trove for movie buffs. Looking for widescreen entertainment? Check out such classics as True Lies, the Star Wars trilogy, The Exorcist, Goodfellas, Easy Rider, Pulp Fiction, Lawrence of Arabia and, of course, Blazing Saddles.

The Library's collection also has versions of films as they were originally conceived by their direc- tors (as opposed to the versions the studios actually released). See what you may have missed by viewing the director's cut of films like Bladerunner, Close Encounters, JFK, A Streetcar Named Desire and, of course, Dawn of the Dead.

Also found in the Library's collec- tion are a number of “restored editions” of films. Films are often cut in length after their original theatrical release, and the missing footage is lost. Another frequent problem with the video release of films is that the source print (and even the original film negative) has deteriorated or has become damaged, resulting in an inferior video transfer. You can marvel at the new crystal clear images of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, you can see how Touch of Evil has been re-edited according to Orson Welles' own 57-page set of Behind the Scenes instructions, and you can see scenes from Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus that were deemed too controversial for 1960 audiences. Both Vertigo and Touch of Evil take you behind the scenes and show you the artistry and skill involved in reconstructing films that were already considered master- pieces.

From time to time, films about how movies are made are more interest- ing than the films themselves. Documentarian Les Blank's Burden of Dreams chronicles the challenges facing Werner Herzog and his crew as they filmed the true story of Fitzcarraldo deep in the Brazilian jungle. Despite having his first two lead actors walk out after weeks of filming, Indian attacks and record rainfall, Herzog insists on filming a boat being dragged over a mountain by actually dragging a boat over a mountain!

The craft of filmmaking is often the subject of the extra features found in the Library's video collection. Memories of American Graffiti goes behind the scenes and illustrates how Academy Award-winning sound editor Walter Murch manages to place that great '60s music in every scene of the movie in ways that seem perfectly natural. Walter Murch also figures strongly in Hearts of Dark- ness , the documentary of the making of Apocalypse Now. Ever the perfectionist, Murch had the boat used for filming in the Philippines flown to California so that he could accurately record that boat's actual sounds.

Fans of Sam Peckinpah's 1969 epic The Wild Bunch are in for a real treat. The director's cut version of the video features a 45-minute segment showing Peckinpah orchestrating his ode to the demise of the American West, while at the same time re-defining cinematic realism forever.

Of great interest is how Peckinpah improvised and transformed three words of script (THEY WALKED IN) into a 15-minute sequence of self-destruction never seen in the movies before or since.

Students of filmmaking can go to the head of the class by viewing The Director's Series, a collection of videos that profile cinema's most interesting directors and their films. Included in the series are the works of Clint Eastwood, David Cronenberg, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Terry Gilliam, to name a few.

And whether you are a relative newcomer to the art of film, or a hardened cinema addict, there is no better overview or homage to moviemaking than A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies. Scorsese hosts a whirlwind tour of a century of American film, offering his unique insights and passionate enthusiasm for the craft of filmmaking. We also learn of Scorsese's own cinematic baptism: as a child his mother took him to films denounced by her church as an "act of revenge. "No wonder Mrs. Scorsese has appeared in several of her son's films! After watching A Personal Journey you'll feel com- pelled to view all of the 100 plus films featured as soon as possible, and most of them are available through your local library.

To view the contents of the Edmonton Public Library's film collection, visit your local branch and ask for the Movies binder. You can also search our web site's Audio Visual Corner for monthly updates and other interesting postings.