Review Detail

Far and Away is an underrated gem and, in my opinion, is Ron Howard's cinematic masterpiece. The phrase, "They just don't make them like they used to" certainly applies to this film in every regard. A sweeping epic filmed in Panavision Super 70 showcases the beauty of the midwest and Ireland. Accompanied by John William's masterful score, Far and Away captures the pioneer spirit, tells a beautiful love story, and features one of the best, if not the best, endings ever put on film.

When I came across this Far and Away: 30th Anniversary Extended Cut I had high hopes and I'm happy to say I was not disappointed. The added scenes are presented in 4:3 ratio and are sourced from a tv presentation from many years ago. While the extended scenes are not the same video quality as the rest of the film, I found that it did not detract from my enjoyment of the film. What I found to be more important, and impressive, was that the cuts, musical cues, and audio flowed seamlessly with the theatrical presentation.

While I could argue that the extended scenes were not necessary to improve the overall narrative of the story, I found them to be interesting nonetheless. Having never seen any extended presentation before, there were a few scenes that added some interesting insight/depth into the characters motivations. But for me, what I loved most about the extended cut was the fact that it afforded me the ability to spend more time with the characters that I love, particularly Shannon and Joseph.

Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into this presentation, and also the extra features! I highly recommend this edit to anyone and everyone. It's a labor of love that has been beautifully crafted. Well done!