By Patrick Luce Mar 6, 2009, 15:34 GMT
The life and death of one of hip-hop’s most powerful and iconic MCs comes to DVD and Blu-ray on April 21st as Notorious arrives with an Unrated Director’s Cut and Unrated Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Chronicling the extraordinary life of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, NOTORIOUS follows the young rapper from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career. Amid chaos and controversy, Biggie’s remarkable talent and fierce determination help to solidify his legacy as one of hip-hop’s greatest MCs.
Through raw talent and sheer determination, East Coast rapper Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace went from Brooklyn street hustler to one of the greatest rappers of all time – The Notorious B.I.G. – refusing to succumb to expectations and redefining the notion of “The American Dream.”
Twelve years since the rapper’s unfortunate death, NOTORIOUS follows his meteoric rise to fame and provides a rare glimpse at a different side of the acclaimed artist – from his surprising youth as a Catholic school honor student, to an imprisoned drug dealer, to the hip hop sensation he has become today.
Featuring a performance from Wallace’s real-life son, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Notorious also uncovers the complicated relationships in the rapper’s life, including protégé Kimberly “Lil’ Kim” Jones, wife-and-R&B singer Faith Evans and long-time friend-turned-rival Tupac Shakur, examining the struggle, music and triumph of game-changer Christopher Wallace, who became one of the most celebrated hip-hop icons in history.
Hailed as “the greatest rapper of all time” (The Source), “The Notorious B.I.G.” has sold over 15 million albums and in 2006 was ranked at #3 in MTV’s “The Greatest MC’s of All Time.”
Directed by George Tillman, Jr. (Soul Food, Men of Honor) and produced with the help off Wayne Barrow (B.I.G.’s former manager), Voletta Wallace (mother of Christopher Wallace) and executive produced by music impresario Sean “Puffy” Combs, NOTORIOUS features “knockout” (Rolling Stone) performances from an ensemble cast including Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett (Waiting To Exhale) as Voletta, Brooklyn rapper Jamal Woolard as Notorious B.I.G., Derek Luke (Lions For Lambs) as Sean “Puffy” Combs, Anthony Mackie (8 Mile) as Tupac Shakur and Naturi Naughton as Lil’ Kim.
In addition to a new cut of the film, the Unrated Director’s Cut will feature more than 90 minutes of bonus material – including behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, never-before-seen footage of the real B.I.G., film maker commentaries, and Digital Copy of the film.
The Notorious Unrated Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition is presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ratio) with English 5.1 DTS sound and French and Spanish subtitles. English subtitles will also be available for the deaf and hard of hearing. Bonus features include:
Unrated Director’s Cut and theatrical versions of the film Commentary with Director George Tillman, Jr., Co-Screenwriter Reggie Rock Bythewood, Co-Screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker and Editor Dirk WesterveltCommentary with Producer/Biggie's Mom Voletta Wallace, Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Wayne Barrow and Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Mark Pitts Behind the Scenes: “Making of Notorious” Featurette I Got a Story to Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls Notorious Thugs: Casting the Film Biggie Boot CampAnatomy of a B.I.G. PerformanceParty & Bulls**t (never-before-seen footage of the real B.I.G.) The B.I.G. Three-SixtyDeleted ScenesDigital Copy
The Notorious Unrated Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc is presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ration) with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Audio with French and Spanish subtitles. English subtitles will also be available for the deaf and hard of hearing. The disc will include all of the bonus features on the Notorious Unrated Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition as well as:
BD-Live Feature – The Music: get even closer with the music of B.I.G. with this interactive trivia track and tag and track your favorite songs throughout the movie BonusVIEW – Life After Death: Making NOTORIOUS Digital Copy
Single-Disc DVD Specs:
The Notorious single-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ratio) with Dolby Surround Sound and English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Unrated Director’s Cut and theatrical version
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