A&E Home Video has released "Biography" videos of four icons in its Great Entertainers Collection -- Paul Newman, Brian Wilson, Shirley Temple and Cary Grant.
In time for holiday giving comes "Paul Newman: Hollywood's Charming Rebel," which delves into much more than his acting career. It also covers his auto racing feats and the charities he has fostered.To help capture the spirit of Newman's talents and generosity are comments from friends Robert Redford, Eva Marie Saint and race-car driver Bob Bondurant.
"Biography" videos list for $14.95 and can be ordered at 1-800-423-1212. Most have a 50-minute running time, although some, such as profiles of Temple and Wilson, run for 100 minutes.
"Brian Wilson: A Beach Boy's Tale" includes archival concert footage of some of the Beach Boys' classics as well as rare recordings that show Wilson as a genius ahead of his time.
"Shirley Temple: The Biggest Little Star" is a warm story of the child actress who was the top box-office draw at age 10 and later went off to remarkable new careers, including serving as a diplomat.
"Cary Grant: Hollywood's Leading Man" has John Forsythe, Peter Bogdanovich and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. offering insights about Grant, a witty, urbane man-about-town who came from a working-class family in Britain and went on to make more than 70 films.
Other biographies available in the Great Entertainers series include those of Sophia Loren, Nat King Cole, Andy Griffith, Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn and Dean Martin.
A&E also has launched its Literary Collection on DVD ($24.95) with "Jane Eyre" and "Emma." DVDs include biographical facts, interactive menus and chaptering, a process that allows viewers to jump directly to favorite scenes.
BBC Video and CBS/Fox Home Entertainment last week released "Aristocrats" ($59.98), a lavish, six-part, true-life tale of love, betrayal and political intrigue in Georgian England. Geraldine Somerville, Anne-Marie McDuff, Jodhi May and Serena Gordon star as the Lennox sisters. The production was filmed in Ireland at the original houses where they lived and at historic Dublin Castle. The three-volume, five-hour play, which aired on PBS earlier this month, includes more than 1,000 extras and 96 speaking parts.
Also out is "Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's" ($24.95, 90 minutes), a film about the 1995 closing of the famed Hollywood restaurant. Behind-the-scenes views during the final week include interviews with the staff and stars who rushed back for a visit before the 60-year-old restaurant gave way to a new shopping mall.
And on Tuesday, Columbia TriStar Home Video comes out with "Big Daddy" ($21.96, DVD $24.95), a comedy in which Adam Sandler uses his brand of humor to face the challenges of parenthood. Seven-year-old twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse play his son, Julian.