Police Academy [20th Anniversary Edition]

Director: Hugh Wilson Hugh Wilson

Overview

"Hugh Wilson's popular comedy Police Academy gets a loving 20th anniversary DVD release from Warner Bros. on this disc. The film is presented in a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of the film. English and French soundtracks are faithfully rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are accessible. The high point of the extra materials is the commentary track featuring star Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, sound-effects maker extraordinaire Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, producer Paul Maslansky, and director Wilson. The group is obviously proud of the film, and has a blast reminiscing. Their good spirits are infectious. The 30-minute making-of featurette is also well done, containing interviews with some of the people who did not take part in the commentary and ending on a bittersweet note with a clip from the deceased David Graf (Tackleberry), who talks about how happy he is if this film is his legacy. This is a solid release from Warner Bros. and is easily the best of all the Police Academy discs."

Product Details

Release Date:	04/06/2004
UPC:	0085393197223
Original Release:	1984
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	38,172

Special Features

All-new 20th-anniversary digital transfer; Commentary by Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, G.W. Bailey, director Hugh Wilson, and producer Paul Maslansky; All-new reunion documentary "Behind Academy Doors: Secret Files Revealed"; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Steve Guttenberg	Actor
Kim Cattrall	Actor
Bubba Smith	Actor
Michael Winslow	Actor
G.W. Bailey	Lt. Harris
George Gaynes	Commandant Lassard
Andrew Rubin	George Martin
Donovan Scott	Leslie Barbara,Mrs. Fackler,Mrs. Fackler
Leslie Easterbrook	Sgt. Callahan
David Graf	Tackleberry
Marion Ramsey	Laverne Hooks
Scott Thomson	Chad Copeland
Brant Van Hoffman	Kyle Blankes
Georgina Spelvin	Hooker
Joe Dunne	Actor
Bruce Mahler	Doug Fackler
Ted Ross	Capt. Reed
Doug Lennox	Bad Guy
George R. Robertson	Chief Hurnst
Don Lake	Mr. Wig
Bill Lynn	Parking Lot Manager
Michael J. Reynolds	Office Executive
Joyce Gordon	Mrs. Thompson
Don Payne	Barber
Bruce McFee	Supply Clerk
Beth Amos	Old Lady
Araby Lockhart	Mrs. Lassard
Barry Greene	Cadet
Gary Farmer	Sidewalk Store Owner
Barry Green	Cadet with Hat
Josef Field	Dancer
Gary Colwell	Dancer
Jim Bearden	Driver
Marco Bianco	Tough
Ted Hanlan	Tough
Braun McAsh	Tough
Rob Watson	Tough
Roger Dunn	Booking Sergeant
Wally Bondarenko	Officer
J. Winston Carroll	Officer
David Clement	Officer
George E. Zeeman	Officer
Gino Marrocco	Arresting Cop
Gene Mack	Thug
Bob Collins	Drill Instructor
Dwayne McLean	Bar Patron
Danny Pawlick	Pool Hall Man
Ruth Sisberg	Mayor
Peter Cox	Bar Patron
Robert Folk	Composer

Technical Credits

Hugh Wilson

Neal Israel

Pat Proft

Hugh Wilson	Director,Screenwriter
Neal Israel	Screenwriter
Pat Proft	Screenwriter
Paul Maslansky	Producer

Editorial Reviews

When the critically disliked audience favorite Police Academy hit theaters, no one expected it to kick off a flimsy franchise that would go on for so long it would become an infamous mockery of the very idea of sequels, in the same league as the Friday the 13th movies. Featuring a motley bunch of one-note character actors, though not yet future mainstay Bobcat Goldthwait, Police Academy managed to spin sophomoric gold from the misfits' underdog attempts at surviving training and their sadistic instructors. Although the setup is at the intelligence level of many other T & A comedies, it clicked for viewers, perhaps because they were already lapping up such similar offerings. What probably brought in that 80 million dollars, and encouraged studio heads to keep greenlighting moronic sequels until the end of time, were such memorable elements as Michael Winslow, who became a limited celebrity based on his uncanny ability to reproduce all variety of realistic noises. Watching him perfectly mimic the whinnying of a horse and the computerized blips of Pac Man still inspires grins today. The film also made familiar faces out of David Graf and footballer Bubba Smith, as the pricelessly monikered Eugene Tackleberry and Moses Hightower, respectively. Steve Guttenberg and Kim Cattrall are the amiable types necessary to preside over this brood and keep the film moving forward on autopilot. Although its classic scenes probably resonate as such only to early teenagers, there's no denying the historical significance of a brainless comedy able to persevere through ten years of new installments and the unreserved disdain of any critic who got near it.