Commentary by Nick Cassavetes, four featurettes, deleted scenes, Rachel McAdams Screen Test, trailers, special packaging including scrapbook, photo corners, 2 themed bookmarks, stickers, 16 note cards and envelopes

We are the sum of our memories. Our experiences, thoughts, prayers, hopes and dreams all reside in a small mass of tissue that provides a fragile link to our humanity. Take away any part of it and we lose something of who we are. Bracketed with scenes set at an assisted living facility as “Duke”(James Garner) spends time with Allie (Gena Rowlands) as he tries to awaken the person she was before-she suffers from Alzheimer’s losing bits and pieces of her life every day, “The Notebook” is a tearjerker in the best tradition of the genre; the performances are strong and the production values extremely high in the film. ***

The modern day story provides a diving board for the story of this couple’s past. Noah’s (Ryan Gosling) dream includes the restoration of an old plantation and of spending his life with Allie (Rachel McAdams) but their class difference (she’s from a well-to-do family, he isn’t) and their opposition of Allie’s family to the romance separates these two young lovers. The passage of time doesn’t ease their pain but dulls the memory of their pain at being separated. Each moves into their roles in life. War breaks out, Noah ends up serving during World War II. Allie who volunteers during the war meets and falls in love with another man pushing the memory of Noah into the recesses of her mind. When Noah appears in the local newspaper along with a story about his efforts to restore the plantation home her muffled emotions come to the forefront. Struggling with her emotions Allie must choose between her fiancé and Noah. ---

Image & Sound:

A very nice looking transfer, “The Notebook” looks nice in its Blu-ray debut and in its “Valentine’s Day” special edition. Colors are robust and image clarity extremely good. Detail looks nice throughout the presentation. ***

The audio sounds extremely good as well with a nice surround sound mix that has nice ambience and presence. ---

The special features from the previous edition are ported over for the Blu-ray edition. ***

We get deleted scenes, a commentary track by the director and four featurettes on the production of the film. ***

“All in the Family: Nick Cassavetes” focuses on the director of the film and the meaning of the project particularly since his mother actress Gena Rowlands is cast in the film. ***

“Nicholas Sparks” focuses on the author of the novel while “Southern Exposure” focuses on the production of the film and how the producers changed modern day South Carolina into the South Carolina from the 40’s. We also get a featurette on the casting of the main actors, a screen test featuring Rachel McAdams and the original theatrical trailer. ***

There is also the collectible packaging for Valentine’s Day included. ---

Final Words: