The recent announcement of the remake with Anna Faris is actually beneficial on this issue, because Warner Bros. will undoubtedly give it a Special Edition treatment, whether it's prior to or coincides with the theatrical release of the remake.What sucks is that Howard Zieff, who provided fine direction, passed away a year ago. Goldie Hawn has never been interested or had the time to submit to bonus features, so a commentary or featurette by her is going to be a stretch. Regardless, Warner should--at the very least--remaster the film and present it according to its original widescreen ratio. I would be perfectly comfortable with a 2.0 stereo track, as the release of the movie pre-dated surround sound.
As far as extras, the best we could hope for is a making-of documentary or featurette with the crew and some of the cast members, most notably PJ Soles (damn, what a hottie), Eileen Brennan (who is pushing 80, but still working), and screenwriter Nancy Myers (who become a superb solo director in her own right). Other possibilities are Mary Kay Place, Armand Assante and Craig T. Nelson, who are all character actors I love. Unfortunately, Robert Webber and Sam Wanamaker have since passed away. It's also expected of Warner Bros. to provide the theatrical trailer or maybe even a "sneak peak" of the remake.
Also, those who love the film as much as I do are no doubt with me that a remake is a bad idea. To be fair, PRIVATE BENJAMIN is a bit dated now (i.e. the Cold War/communist hysterics, feminist subtext), so those elements will no doubt be scrapped. Persoanlly, what I think makes the film so special is it doesn't hew to the traditional milatary comedy formula; many scoff at the dramatic detour for the second half, but it prevents it from being a sitcom or just STRIPES (which I equally like) with a female lead. The ending is perfect, even audience-pleasing, because she overcomes her primary character flaw, which has been being submissive to men all her spoiled life. Sure, all of the male characters are painted in a less-than-positive light; however, it's her father who--of all people--makes her realize her flaw, when he says, "You're incapable of making your own decisions!" Well, at the end, she arguably does and the film triumphs because of this realization. The comic sequences are memorable indeed, although I prefer to think of PRIVATE BENJAMIN as a character study.
This is why I'm worried that the new movie will just become STRIPES-like, having her remain in the military until the very end and never really consummating a carefully written character arc as in the original. Still, I must admit that Anna Faris is a skilled comic actress (sure, HOUSE BUNNY is silly but admit it---she *WAS* an absolute delight). Faris, if you ever read this, just do me one favor: go to Warner Bros. and request a screening of the original! I know she's smart enough to not go the route of simply imitating Ms. Hawn, who will always be one of the Queens Of Comedy. As long as Faris the role her own, I won't have any complaints. (By the way, it's speculative as to why they didn't go to Kate Hudson for the remake; although, if they did, I'm sure she declined out of respect for her mother...but who knows.)
The bottom line is we should see a special edition sometime later this year or early next year, depending upon the remake is being released. And, rest assured, I will be the first one to get a copy! Chris :)
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