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The scull slithers across the surface of the water until Gena Rowlands' character, standing at a window, catches sight of it. We learn that this is a graduated-care facility located in the Deep South and she's suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Her state of mind sometimes drifts - sometimes abruptly switches - among confused tranquility, agitation, and rare moments of lucidity. Each morning, a fellow resident played by James Garner visits and offers to read her a story that he assures her she'll enjoy. They take their medications, share their meals, and find quiet places around the home and its grounds suitable for his calming recitation. And it's through his telling that we meet another couple, young, vibrant, and so very different from one another.

He is Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), a laborer at a lumber mill. He lives with his dad, Frank (Sam Shepard), in a modest home that seems distant from any neighbor. In the evening, Noah might be found sitting on their front porch reading Walt Whitman aloud as therapy for a childhood stutter, or he might join his friends for a night out at a carnival. His life ambitions are simple, perhaps indicative of the local culture of the late '30s. He wishes to buy a dilapidated plantation and renovate it.

She is Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), the daughter of affluent parents, John (David Thornton) and Anne (Joan Allen). She comes from privilege and has been tutored to prepare her for an Ivy League University. Her parents are exceptionally conscious of class and Allie's ambitions spring from their wishes for her. She and her parents are spending the summer in a luxurious rented home. As someone who's likely been somewhat spoiled, Allie is assertive and opinionated.

They have a cute meet on a Ferris wheel; it's the beginning of a passionate romance. But this being the shameful melodrama that it is, the course of their relationship does not run smooth. Parental disapproval, class differences, college, and World War II all seem to conspire against them. When we see how their lives diverge, we don't expect them to ever meet again. Allie completes her education and becomes engaged to the most respectable of men, Lon Hammond (James Marsden); Noah returns from war and manages to buy and renovate his dream mansion. Whether they find one another or simply put that romantic summer behind them is the question that hangs in the air.

This story seems to intrigue Gena Rowlands' character, and as Cassavetes switches back and forth between the past and the present, it ultimately becomes clear why. Cassavetes and Leven are careful not to telegraph either the resolution of the young couple's story or the story arc of older couple confined to a facility. When resolution comes, it may not surprise, but the film becomes unbearably poignant. The writing, direction, and winning performances by the principal players avoid a descent into a sentimental abyss. Rowlands is a bit of a surprise here; her performance is more nuanced and less dramatic than one might expect based on her other roles. Garner is wonderfully at ease; his character's dedication strikes just the right note. The young couple, appealingly played by McAdams and Gosling, has undeniable chemistry onscreen. And Marsden's Lon seems the ideal mate - accomplished, charming, and affluent - for a slightly older Allie, who's become more sophisticated with experience. The film is an emotional and visual feast. Director Nick Cassavetes is the son of Gena Rowlands and the late John Cassavetes; I think his father would be proud.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. This is a surprisingly disappointing transfer from New Line. Edge Halos are present and at a full cycle they frequently intrude. Low pass filtering is evident; small object detail is mediocre. Faces in long shots are too often unrecognizable. As you'd expect, fine textures are suppressed. Shadow detail isn't up to snuff, either. The dark opening sequence does not reveal subtle detail as the sun sinks below the horizon. Despite the very natural flesh tones and the color accuracy, the images appear overly processed and do not resemble film. This is a terrible shame. Some of the sequences are set in lovely, picturesque locations. One sequence stands out for its visual potential: hundreds of white water fowl swimming around Allie and Noah as they drift in a rowboat. The film deserves a better transfer, which could have been accommodated with a separate supplements disc.

There is a pan & scan transfer on side two of the disc.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track has been remixed for home theater; it offers an EX mix and has had X-Curve pre-emphasis removed, so if you have a decoder that offers THX re-equalization, make sure it's disabled. The mix is predominantly front centric; it wasn't until the terse battle scenes that I noticed aircraft and vehicles and weapons' fire all around me. The EX mix enhanced the experience. Very deep bass is present, evident in battle and, more subtly, during a thunderstorm. The orchestral score and the solo piano, in particular, are very nicely conveyed. The dialog remains crystal clear throughout.

There is an alternative English track in Dolby Surround 2.0. Subtitles are offered in Spanish and English, for which Closed Captions are also included. You'll find the notice that re- equalization is not required on the audio set-up screen and a credits screen. Why New Line continues to leave that important detail off the keepcase is still a mystery to me.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

This is a New Line Platinum Series release, so the supplements are a bit more generous than on most DVDs. The ambitious extras clearly had an effect on the bit budget for the feature and an adverse effect on the transfer's quality. Let's start with two feature-length commentaries; the first is by director Nick Cassavetes and the second is by novelist Nicholas Sparks.

Cassavetes is quite talkative and open. He discusses every aspect of the shoot, beginning with the history of attempts to bring the novel to the screen and casting. As the film spools, he delights in discussing locations and the artistic decisions that helped crate the mood of the story. Very little is neglected here, from dealing with the MPAA to earn the target rating to editing tricks to avoid having to shoot pick-ups. He even delves into the philosophy of direction. This is a warm and friendly track that is both entertaining and involving. His enthusiasm is contagious.

Nicholas Sparks offers a touchy-feely commentary, very appropriate considering the nature of the film. Most interesting was a tale he relates in which we learn that The Notebook was based on the lives of his wife's grandparents. As you might expect, he does differentiate between the novel and the film, but Sparks does seem to appreciate the necessities of changes based on the differences in the two forms. He discusses the emotional basis of this novel and some of his others. I found the most interesting part of this commentary to be his descriptions of his writing process. And for the most part, he avoids a narrative that constantly examines the motivations of the characters.

Next are twelve deleted scenes that run a generous 28:35 in total. The scenes range from extended versions of existing sequences edited to achieve the target PG-13 rating, to sequences that telegraph the ending by revealing too much too soon, to sequences that fill in little holes in the plot that were implied sufficiently in the theatrical cut. All are worthy. Seen apart from the movie, they can be appreciated with knowledge of the film's complete storyline; but, with the exception of restoring a few minutes in the movie's two love scenes, I feel that they would have harmed the structure of the film had they been included. These scenes are available with optional director's commentary.

Which brings us to the DVD's four featurettes. I appreciate New Line's practice of providing all the supplements in the anamorphic video format. All in the Family: Nick Cassavetes (11:39) establishes the director's pedigree and speaks to how he grew up with film being shot all around him. I'd be disingenuous if I didn't mention that this is a bit of a love letter to the director, but the bulk of this short focuses on his unique style of interacting with his players and how he comports himself as he shoots. Intimate and interesting.

Nicholas Sparks: A Simple Story, Well Told (6:37) features the author in an autobiographic sketch of sudden success. Sparks leaves a positive impression; he's very affable, well grounded, and without apparent ego.

Southern Exposure: Locating The Notebook (11:33) is an informative description of how South Carolina locations were used for the shoot. Modern streets were redressed to simulate the '40s. The short provides historical context as well as details concerning the filmmakers' use of these locations. Nicely done.

Casting is divided into two shorts: Casting Ryan & Rachel (4:07) and Rachel McAdams Screen Test (3:37). The first part of Casting reveals that director Cassavetes' selection of Ryan Gosling was a bit unusual; the actor was cast against type. Confident in his choice, Cassavetes then had to find an actress who would have believable onscreen chemistry with her co-star. Of the ten actresses tested for the role, Rachel McAdams proved to be the dark horse winner. We see glimpses of her screen test within the short, where we learn that three scenes were tested. The Screen Test supplement is the third scene, book-ended by a few seconds of the theatrical film to establish the beginning and the end of the sequence.

The film's theatrical trailer is here; it runs 2:19. And the last supplement is a soundtrack promo that's a simple text screen.

The 124-minute feature film is organized into twenty chapters.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

After the New Line skin loads atop your InterActual player, you'll find several choices. There is an extensive Image Gallery in which there are dozens of stills from the shoot. Interestingly, there are stills from scenes that not only didn't make it into the theatrical cut, but also aren't represented in the deleted scenes. These are formatted for full screen. There is also the by now familiar script to screen feature in which the film and the script may be viewed simultaneously. The usual print options are also present. I still maintain that this is a terrific tool for the budding screenwriter. Several web links are provided to the official The Notebook website, the New Line website, and to New Line's Hot Spot, highlighting the studio's offerings.

Easter Eggs

Readers familiar with New Line releases have come to expect that the studio's logo on the Main Menu Screen to be a portal into the credit screens. It is.

Final Thoughts