Braveheart
Collector’s Edition
Paramount

Historical adventures often play loose and fast with the facts or the facts that are known. However, Braveheart pulled it all off as one of Mel Gibson’s best films. Sure, the Lethal Weapon series was fun, but this is epic, and not a pre-slanted hate film (you know what that was) or hate rant (you know what happened there too). As 13th century Scottish revolt hero William Wallace, he’s the reluctlant leader who rises to the cause. The film still holds up very well and then some, and earned its Best Picture and Best Director Oscars (the latter for Gibson). This new collector’s edition offers a pristine version of the film–visually and audio-wise–as well as Gibson’s commentary, and an absorbing documentary on the the making of the movie, tales of the historical Wallace, and archival interviews with the cast.

National Treasure
2-Disc Collector’s Edition
Disney

Timed, of course, for the Christmas season release of its sequel, this new edition of National Treasure features more extras, such as typical docs, games and such. But it’s the film that’s still the centerpiece–a thinking person’s quest, even more so than the Indiana Jones films, as elements are based in actual U.S. history, albeit tweaked, and Cage is at his best as the treasure hunter thrown-into-it to become an action hero. It’s brainy, it’s bold, and more fun than it received credit for when it first hit theaters a few years ago. Plus the reigned-in violence makes it an actual family film as well. Treats on the two-volume set include an alternate ending, a featurette on actual treasure hunters, a look at the mysterious Knights Templar, more deleted scenes in addition to the ones featured in the original DVD release, and other filmmaking behind-the-scenes bits.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume 2
The War Years
Paramount

Granted, films on DVD versus TV on DVD is oranges and tangerines, but because the early ’90s series Young Indiana Jones were 90-minute TV movies, the production quality was higher and so was the quality of the stories, steeped in history. This is the second of three volumes collecting all the episodes, and most of the tales are set during the time of World War I. As a young soldier in the Belgian army, young Indy experiences the horrors of war, is captured by Germans, becomes a POW, and meets an equally young future French president, Charles De Gaulle. That’s just the first episode. In his travels, which take him from Europe to Africa, he becomes a spy, encounters old friend and spiritual mentor Pablo Picasso, and meets writer Franz Kafka. The companion historical documentary material is History-Channel quality, including looks at Russia’s Lenin, pacifist Albert Schweitzer, T.S. Lawrence (of Arabia), and many other legendary figures of the 20th century. There’s also an interactive game using the location of Indie’s adventures set to a timeline–a great set and definitely a wonderful holiday gift, though you may want to include Volume 1 too, making for one heckuva double-shot of Jones.

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