Lords of Dogtown (2005) (Blu-Ray & DVD Dual Format)   Starring: Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, John Robinson and Victor Rasuk Distributor: Eureka Entertainment RRP: £17.99 (Blu-Ray & DVD Dual Format) EKA70235 5060000702354 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 05 December 2016

Lords of Dogtown (2005. 1 hr 50 min 08 sec) is a fictional version of the real events surrounding the creation of skateboarding as a sport. The film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke from a Stacy Peralta script.

The film follows the fortunes or friends Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams, three surfer dudes. When a local board designer, Skip Engblom, receives some polyurethane wheels, which he attaches to boards. He gets the guys to try them out and they are blown away by how much the experience on land mirrors that on the surf.

As the guys skill grows so does their fame and with fame comes offers of money. The competitions and lucrative deals tear apart the group of friends.

The movie is made with a documentary feel, a style which certainly gives the film a distinctive look and feel. Heath Ledger’s acting is certainly the thing which elevates the overall project. It's entertaining and worth checking out, even if, like me, you don’t really have much of an interest in skating.

Regardless of what you may feel about a film about skating, you can’t deny that the DVD does justice to the film with the inclusion of numerous extras, which opens with an introduction by the director Catherine Hardwicke (1 min, 21 sec) explaining that the version of the film on offer is the uncut version.

The Making of The Lords of Dogtown (29 min, 47 sec) is the usual fare with talking heads and behind the scenes shots as the piece goes through the real-life inspiration for the film. Dogged on Dogtown (6 min, 50 sec) looks at the accidents involved in the film and skating in general. Bails and Spills (1 min, 18 sec) is a montage of crashes.

Extended Pool Session (1 min, 41 sec) is a longer version of the scene introduced by the director. Of Course, We Want a Skateboarding Bulldog (2 min, 18 sec) explains how the skating bulldog ended up in the film. Making of Pacific Ocean Park (4 min, 36 sec) looks at how the film recreated the pier which had burned down.

The Ocean Washes My Hair (2 min, 24 sec) and it’s another introduction by the director discussing how they decided on what the surfers hair should look like. Storyboard to Screen (4 min, 49 sec) shows some storyboard comparisons. Deleted Scenes (19 min, 08 sec) has several pieces cut from the theatrical print. The disc closes with a Gag Reel (4 min, 20 sec), the music video by Rise Against, Nervous Breakdown (2 min, 12 sec) and lastly some theatrical trailers (4 min, 57 sec).

Audio on the film is 5.1 surround sound and there is a full length, uncensored, audio commentary by the director and cast. The disc also contains optional English subtitles.

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Charles Packer