The life and death of one of hip-hop's most powerful and iconic MCs is captured in the hard-hitting and controversial biopic NOTORIOUS, arriving on Unrated Director's Cut and Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition on Blu-ray and DVD April 21 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Through raw talent and sheer determination, East Coast rapper Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace went from Brooklyn street hustler to one of the greatest rappers of all time - The Notorious B.I.G. - refusing to succumb to expectations and redefining the notion of "The American Dream." Twelve years since the rapper's unfortunate death, NOTORIOUS follows his meteoric rise to fame and provides a rare glimpse at a different side of the acclaimed artist - from his surprising youth as a Catholic school honor student, to an imprisoned drug dealer, to the hip hop sensation he has become today. Featuring a performance from Wallace's real-life son, Christopher Jordan Wallace, NOTORIOUS also uncovers the complicated relationships in the rapper's life, including protégé Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones, wife-and-R&B singer Faith Evans and long-time friend-turned-rival Tupac Shakur, examining the struggle, music and triumph of game-changer Christopher Wallace, who became one of the most celebrated hip-hop icons in history.
Hailed as "the greatest rapper of all time" (The Source), "The Notorious B.I.G." has sold over 15 million albums and in 2006 was ranked at #3 in MTV's "The Greatest MC's of All Time." Directed by George Tillman, Jr. (Soul Food, Men of Honor) and produced with the help off Wayne Barrow (B.I.G.'s former manager), Voletta Wallace (mother of Christopher Wallace) and executive produced by music impresario Sean "Puffy" Combs, NOTORIOUS features "knockout" (Rolling Stone) performances from an ensemble cast including Golden Globe? winner* Angela Bassett (Waiting To Exhale) as Voletta, Brooklyn rapper Jamal Woolard as Notorious B.I.G., Derek Luke (Lions For Lambs) as Sean "Puffy" Combs, Anthony Mackie (8 Mile) as Tupac Shakur and Naturi Naughton as Lil' Kim.
Featuring over 90 minutes of bonus material, the NOTORIOUS Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition on Blu-ray and DVD are both highlighted by an Unrated Extended Cut of the film and include, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, never-before-seen footage of the real B.I.G., film maker commentaries, Digital Copy and more. The Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S. / $49.99 Canada and $34.98 U.S. / $45.98 Canada, respectively. A single-disc DVD will also be available for the suggested retail price of $29.98 U.S.. Prebook is March 25.
*1994: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical, What's Love Got To Do With It
Synopsis:
Chronicling the extraordinary life of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, NOTORIOUS follows the young rapper from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career. Amid chaos and controversy, Biggie's remarkable talent and fierce determination help to solidify his legacy as one of hip-hop's greatest MCs.
Three-Disc Collector's Edition DVD Specs:
The NOTORIOUS Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition is presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ratio) with English 5.1 DTS sound and French and Spanish subtitles. English subtitles will also be available for the deaf and hard of hearing. Bonus features include:
• Unrated Director's Cut and theatrical versions of the film
• Commentary with Director George Tillman, Jr., Co-Screenwriter Reggie Rock Bythewood, Co-Screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker and Editor Dirk Westervelt
• Commentary with Producer/Biggie's Mom Voletta Wallace, Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Wayne Barrow and Producer/Biggie's Co-Manager Mark Pitts
• Behind the Scenes: "Making of Notorious" Featurette
• I Got a Story to Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls
• NOTORIOUS Thugs: Casting the Film
• Biggie Boot Camp
• Anatomy of a B.I.G. Performance
• Party & Bulls**t (never-before-seen footage of the real B.I.G.)
• The B.I.G. Three-Sixty
o The Petersen
o Directing the Last Moments
o It Happened Right Here
o The Petersen Exit
o The Shooting
o The Impala
o The Unfortunate Violent Act
o The Window
• Deleted Scenes
o Assassin assembles his gun
o Taking care of business
o Big on his own
o Finding inspiration
o The assassin watches
o In the hotel pool
o East Coast in the house
o After the accident
o The assassin backs up
o Extended Concert: Primo Street Rap
• Digital Copy
Two-Disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray Disc Specs:
The NOTORIOUS Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition Blu-ray Disc is presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ration) with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Audio with French and Spanish subtitles. English subtitles will also be available for the deaf and hard of hearing. The disc will include all of the bonus features on the NOTORIOUS Unrated Director's Cut Collector's Edition as well as:
• BD-Live Feature - The Music: get even closer with the music of B.I.G. with this interactive trivia track and tag and track your favorite songs throughout the movie
• BonusVIEW - Life After Death: Making NOTORIOUS
• Digital Copy
Single-Disc DVD Specs:
The NOTORIOUS single-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (2.55:1 ratio) with Dolby Surround Sound and English, French and Spanish subtitles.
• Unrated Director's Cut and theatrical version
NOTORIOUS
Street Date: April 21, 2009
Pre-book Date: March 25, 2009
Pricing: $34.98 U.S. / $45.98 Canada (Special Edition)
$39.99 U.S. / $49.99 Canada (Blu-ray)
$29.98 U.S. (Single-Disc)
Catalog Numbers: 2258241 (Special Edition)
2258239 (Blu-ray)
2258064 (Single-Disc)
MPAA Rating: R
Feature Run Time: Theatrical Version Blu-Ray 122:47
Unrated Director's Cut Blu-Ray 128:52
Theatrical Version DVD 122:54
Unrated Director's Cut DVD 128:59 (SE and Blu-ray)
Closed Captioned: Yes