Major Dundee

For the commentary on this special edition, Peckinpah biographers Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, and David Weddle provide an interesting and insightful history of the troubled production of Major Dundee, noting the three-way conflict between director Peckinpah, producer Jerry Bresler, and the studio Columbia. They also explain the links with The Wild Bunch and highlight the allegorical elements of the story. Perhaps the most interesting fact they discuss is that Charlton Heston gave back all his salary to Columbia (Peckinpah gave back some of his wages too), attempting to keep studio interference from the hurting the picture.

Two featurettes shine further light on the film. Passion and Poetry, a 20-minute excerpt from a longer documentary, features interviews with Peckinpah (audio), his daughter Lupita, James Coburn, and other associates, talking about Peckinpah as a director and the production of Major Dundee. Press kit featurette Riding For A Fall (presented in black and white, and grainy colour) is an in-depth look at the stunt work of the film, highlighting the extreme dangers and the amusingly dated attitude towards the lives of the stuntmen.

The rest of the extras don’t add much to this disc but might be of use to film historians. There is an unfinished deleted scene featuring a knife fight which is wisely cut from the film, an extended nude swimming scene, and some silent extended outtakes. Those interested in the film's promotional material will be pleased by the inclusion of an excerpt from the promo reel, trailers, and an interesting artwork collection.