Video:

The video presentation of Silver City is a solid, if not spectacular, representation of the film. It is presented in anamorphic widescreen, in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. There are few, if any, digital flaws to be seen, but in some indoor shots the picture seems soft. In addition, the black levels are inconsistent, seemingly getting lighter as the film progresses.

Audio:

The 5.1 Dolby Digital track on Silver City is not noteworthy in any meaningful way. The dialogue comes through clearly and the audio levels are fairly even, but the back speakers are almost decorative on this mix.

Extras:

The word that comes to mind after listening to the director's commentary and watching the behind-the-scenes featurette on Silver City is "strident." Talk about the actual plot on the featurette is sent to the side while everyone involved talks about how the country is going in the wrong direction, how none of them would ever consider voting for the current president, etc. All of this anger, of course, was thunder stolen by a documentary released two months earlier.

The commentary track is better, as it stays fairly specific to the scene. There's lots of interesting information and the track is very busy, without too many long pauses. It's technical, but well explained.

However, their "ideals" again get in the way of talking about the actual film. For instance, you can actually hear the condescension of producer Maggie Renzi when she says, "Colorado has this reputation of being this pristine place. We easterners couldn't believe how these housing estates get thrown up so quickly. And the local people barely seem to notice." There are articles about the pros and cons of sprawl in nearly every issue of the Denver newspapers.

Final Thoughts:

Why let a good story get in the way of a political statement? With its thunder stolen by Michael Moore's effort, released a few months earlier, and with the plot overwhelmed by the "look at Bush be an idiot" interludes, Silver City comes off as more of a partisan swipe than a film.