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Who is Hedwig, and why is his inch so angry? A botched sex change operation, his voice and his songs (literally) stolen from boy-band-without-the- band wannabe "Tommy Gnosis," Hedwig is on a search for retribution ... and the other half of himself. From East Berlin to the malls of America, from glam rock to post-punk, Hedwig makes a break for a startling odyssey of self-discovery. And for once, a film that claims to deal truthfully with gender and identity isn't all filled with beautiful white people and pulled punches at depicting real sexuality onscreen. All hail the new queen.

Both high brow and low brow, Hedwig is the movie Velvet Goldmine and such commercial pap as To Wong Foo dreamed of being, but could never dare. Fantasy, rock opera, grand theatre, E! True Hollywood Story all rolled into one, Hedwig draws from the hallowed tradition of pioneering 70's opuses like Rocky Horror, Phantom Of The Paradise and Pink Floyd The Wall, mixing glam rock punk pop with arch (but never abrasive) camp, and manages to be both retro and neo-futuristic, a perfect combination of art and artifice.

But Hedwig wouldn't exist without the amazing performance of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's terrific rock-pop compositions, and despite its low budget the film is vibrant and alive in the way few films are these days - small indie or big- budget studio crap alike. But I can't explain it - just watch the trailer (med / high) - Hedwig is like no other film you're likely to see anytime soon. It demands to be seen by anyone who claims to love great rock theatre, or music, period. Deny Hedwig and be doomed!

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Another fine New Line transfer, this one can't quite overcome the film's low-budget origins. But with almost nothing to work with, Hedwig And The Angry Inch looks surprising good, bolstered by a strong visual style and the impressive work of director of photography Frank De Marco.

Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, Hedwig is awash in vibrant primary colors and often harsh, high-key lighting. While the print is in good shape, with only a thin veneer of grain present throughout, colors are quite clean if a bit oversaturated for my taste. Blacks are spot on but contrast seems to fall off a bit too quickly on the low end, rendering the transfer a somewhat undefined look with wanting shadow delineation. Overall sharp with no edge enhancement or annoying compression artifacts to distract, Hedwig is still a good-looking presentation despite the limited source material, and fits the style and spirit of the film perfectly.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

Presented in both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround, Hedwig is all about the music, music, music. Again, given its low budget, nether track can quite overcome the limited source material. While impressive, the recording lacks great dynamic range and is of limited fidelity. Dialogue often sounds fake, or removed from the effects and music, and ADR is sometimes noticeable. Surrounds are also a bit lacking and the sound processed on both the DTS and Dolby tracks, and the stereo separation of the effects in the front soundstage often sound gimmicky and unreal.

The music, however, fares a bit better. The DTS track is a bit fuller with a more natural and vibrant presence that fills the front soundstage well, though the rears still sound more like mere rear channel bleed than actual discreet effects. Bass is also a bit stronger, though it still lacks the punch of more expensive fare. Overall differences between the DTS and Dolby Digital tracks are minor, and even comparisons of three scenes (two musical numbers and the opening dialogue exchange) between the included Dolby 2.0 surround track revealed small improvements at best in ambiance. Still, given the source material, this sounds just fine.

Also included is an English 2.0 surround track, English Closed Captions and English subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Strange as it sounds, given all the Infinifilm hype it is almost quaint these days to pop in a mere New Line Platinum Series title. But this is a great set of supplements, with a documentary that for my money is up there with the best that have come out this year.

So let's start with a Hedwig-licious 85-minute documentary, Whether You Like It Or Not: The Story Of Hedwig, presented in anamorphic widescreen. I don't know if this is a burgeoning trend, but more and more DVD documentaries these days are eschewing the tired "talking heads, cheesy narration" EPK format and breaking out into new directions. The Story Of Hedwig follows a similar tack, and successfully goes for a video diary approach that hopscotches from the early punk pop origins of Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig creation to the birth of the stage show, making the movie, and the film's eventual indie success. Documentarian Laura Nix and Automat Pictures have done a terrific job in creating a fascinating, compulsively watching snapshot in time, and interviewing Cameron Mitchell, producer Stephen Trask, the cast and collaborators, and plenty of Hedwig-ites past and present. The doc also greatly benefits from early footage of the early stage show and Cameron Mitchell's background, and is exceptionally edited. Now this is a documentary, and a must for Hedwig fans!

Also included is a screen-specific audio commentary with director John Cameron Mitchell and director of photography Frank De Marco. This is a good if surprisingly technical- minded track, so I did long for a bit more on the influences of Hedwig and especially the casting choices. But like the film itself, this track is thankfully devoid of pretension and stupidity. Hedwig didn't have a huge budget, and the pair are quick to point out the contributions of others and honest about the trial and tribulations of bringing Hedwig to life. Interestingly, the pair talk about some deleted scenes, most notably an extended opening, that for some reason are not included as supplements. Kind of a bummer.

Up next are two deleted scenes (and a third deleted animation sequence, if you can find the easter egg.) While the 1-minute "Bedroom Boogie" is a throwaway, the "Alternate/Deleted sequence" is actually a 10-minute long sequence that was pared down considerably in the final film, and at first I was surprised it was cut, but in hindsight it doesn't propel the narrative and was probably correct to have been sniped. Both scenes provide optional commentary with Cameron Mitchell and De Marco.

Last but not least we have a Song Index allowing quick access to each of the film's musical numbers, basic filmographies, and the film's theatrical trailer (play clip: med / high) in anamorphic widescreen.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Just a couple of ROM extras have been included. We get a fairly nice Jukebox, which allows you to play any song in the film, or let it lay at random, and watch the film clip either full screen or in a little Hedwig viewer. The theatrical website is also included, though there is no additional content exclusive to ROM users. And, as usual, you find additional weblinks to New Line's"Hot Spot" web portal.

Parting Thoughts