Video:

Good Bye Lenin is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1). It shows a little bit of edge enhancement, but otherwise is handled well. The colors, in particular, stand out. Most of the colors in the film itself are intentionally dull, showing an age to the setting. But when we do get color, mainly coming after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we get it bright and bold.

Sound:

Dobly Digital 5.1 is provided and makes excellent, if sparing, use of the surround speakers. The protest shots show off the most range – it sounds like the viewer is right in the middle of the march. The dialogue is also very clear (if you speak German).

Extras:

The rough cut of Good Bye Lenin was 164 minutes long, so there is a plethora of deleted scenes available on this DVD, all with optional commentary from Becker. In fact, the "commentary" starts with ten minutes of Becker and an uncredited companion talking about the process, and then moves on to explaining why each of the scenes was paired down. It is incredibly in-depth and might be my favorite deleted scene segment of any DVD.

There are two full-length commentaries on the disc – one featuring Becker and another with Bruhl, Sass and other uncredited members of the cast. The latter is mainly the actors' reactions to the film, but does contain some interesting stories from the set. The former, though, matches the info and candor that Becker showed in the deleted scenes commentary. The commentary tracks can also be displayed just as subtitles with the film's original soundtrack. Beware, though – when switching during playback between commentary tracks, it is possible to get a different subtitle set than the audio commentary track playing.

It should be noted that all the commentary tracks are in German. Subtitles are given at the bottom of the screen, but it means that viewers do have to pay attention to the track, rather than tuning in and out while doing something else.

But wait – there's more. A smaller making-of featurette plays like an electronic press kit, but there is a fascinating 20-minute documentary called "Lenin Learns to Fly" that describes the incredible amount of digital effects that went into recreating the Berlin of just 15 years ago. East Berlin of 1989 was one without logos, billboards and advertisements – all of those had to be removed. The buildings were generally run down (or, at least, dirty) – those effects had to be added. When watching the movie, none of these shots spring to mind when it comes to special effects, but the documentary shows just how much work had to be done in post-production to recreate 1989 in Germany.

There's also an option to watch the complete, unedited (and fake, of course) "Aktuelle Kamera" newscasts that Alex and his friend create to fool Alex's mother. Previews for other Sony Pictures Classics releases round out one of the most exhaustive special features sections I've ever seen on a single disc release.

Final Thoughts:

In more than five months on screens in America, Good Bye Lenin never showed on more than 120 screens at one time, and it took almost a full year to gross four million dollars. That this film managed to slip somewhat under the radar is an absolute shame, but hopefully it can find an audience on DVD. With an incredible amount of special features, a solid transfer, this is a must-have disc.