As Paul Thomas Anderson's latest "The Master" gears up for Oscar next month, with its leading trio of actors — Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams — all nominated, fans and newcomers alike will get a chance to revisit the film all over again as it hits DVD and Blu-ray. And there will plenty of extras to dig into.
The official details of the forthcoming release have been unveiled, and they are certainly promising for those eager to explore more from Anderson's world. As previously reported, 20 minutes of deleted scenes will be coming, assembled into a montage/pastiche scored by Jonny Greenwood. The director showed this extra material off last fall at the Film Independent at LACMA, and during the same evening, he also screened John Huston's 1946 "Let There Be Light," a documentary Anderson has long cited as being influential on the film. It's a look at psychologically scarred war veterans before the term PTSD was invented, and it was so controversial at the time, it was banned from public screenings until 1980. (But we've made it available for you to watch below).
But perhaps most intriguing is a new short entitled "Unguided Message," about which not much else is known. Is it an extension of the film? Will it contain some of the footage or scenes we pointed out in our detailed breakdown of the cut and scrapped material from the shoot and script? We're eager to find out.
"The Master" arrives on February 26th on home video. Details below. [Blu-ray]
"The Master" Special Features:
"Back Beyond" Outtakes – Additional Scenes Music by Jonny Greenwood (20 min)
"Unguided Message" – 8 Minute Short
Behind the Scenes Featurette
Trailers
Teasers
"Let There Be Light" (1946) – John Huston's landmark documentary about WWII veterans (58 Minutes)
Digital Copy