From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: 'Charlie Wilson's War' Arrives on DVD April 22, 2008

From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: 'Charlie Wilson's War' Arrives on DVD April 22, 2008

  BASED ON THE OUTRAGEOUS TRUE STORY & STARRING ACADEMY AWARD(R) WINNERS TOM               HANKS, JULIA ROBERTS & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN    UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., March 10 /PRNewswire/  

OVERVIEW: Academy Award(R) winners Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in 'Charlie Wilson's War', coming to DVD April 22, 2008 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Based on the outrageous true story about three unlikely heroes who join forces to lead the largest, most successful covert operation in history, this wickedly funny film is directed by Academy Award(R) winner Mike Nichols. Emmy Award(R)-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin brings George Crile's best-selling book to the screen.

   DVD BONUS FEATURES:   --  THE MAKING OF "CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR":  An inside look at the making of       the film featuring interviews with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip       Seymour Hoffman.   --  WHO IS CHARLIE WILSON?:  A profile of the real Charlie Wilson,       featuring interviews with Charlie Wilson, Joanne Herring, Tom Hanks,       screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and director Mike Nichols.   

FILM SYNOPSIS: Charlie Wilson (Hanks) was a bachelor congressman from Texas whose "Good Time Charlie" exterior masked an extraordinary mind, a deep sense of patriotism and a passion for the underdog. In the early 1980s the underdog was Afghanistan -- which had just been brutally invaded by the Russians. Charlie's longtime friend, patron and sometime lover was Joanne Herring (Roberts), one of the wealthiest women in Texas and a virulent anti-communist. Believing the American response to the Russian invasion was anemic at best, she proded Charlie into doing more for the Mujahideen (Afghan freedom fighters). Charlie's partner in this uphill endeavor was CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman), a blue-collar operative in a company of Ivy League blue bloods. Together, the three of them -- Charlie, Joanne and Gust -- traveled the world to form unlikely alliances among the Pakistanis, Israelis, Egyptians, arms dealers, law makers and a belly dancer. Their success was remarkable. Funding for covert operations against the Soviets went from $5 million to $1 billion annually. The Red Army retreated out of Afghanistan. When asked how a group of peasants was able to deliver such a decisive blow to the army of a superpower, Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq responded simply, "Charlie did it."

   TECHNICAL INFORMATION:   Copyright:  2007 Universal Studios and MP Munich Pape Filmproductions GmbH   & Co. KG. All Rights Reserved.   Selection Number:  61100566 Widescreen; 61100565 Full Frame   Price:  $29.98 SRP   Running Time:  1 hour 42 minutes   Layers:  Dual Layers   Aspect Ratio:  Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1; Full Frame 1.33:1   Rating:  R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use.   Subtitles:  English, Spanish, French   Sound:  Dolby Digital 5.1    CAST AND FILMMAKERS   Cast:  Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned   Beatty, Emily Blunt, Om Puri, Ken Stott, John Slattery, Denis O'Hare, Jud   Tylor.   Directed by:  Mike Nichols   Screenplay by:  Aaron Sorkin   Based on the Book by:  George Crile   Produced by:  Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman   Executive Producers:  Celia Costas, Ryan Kavanaugh, Jeff Skoll   Director of Photography:  Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC   Production Designer:  Victor Kempster   Edited by:  John Bloom, Antonia Van Drimmelen   Co-Producer:  Mike Haley   Music By:  James Newton Howard   

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

    CONTACTS: Universal Studios Home Entertainment    Michelle Slavich    Director of Publicity    (818) 777-5344    Michelle.Slavich@nbcuni.com     Scott Lyons    Manager, Print Publicity    (818) 777-0523    Scott.Lyons@nbcuni.com     Kelly Castell    Manager, Broadcast Publicity    (818) 777-0549    Kelly.Castell@nbcuni.com     Nicole Canizales    Manager, Online Publicity    (818) 777-0115    Nicole.Canizales@nbcuni.com  

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Michelle Slavich, Director of Publicity, +1-818-777-5344,
Michelle.Slavich@nbcuni.com, or Scott Lyons, Manager, Print Publicity,
+1-818-777-0523, Scott.Lyons@nbcuni.com, or Kelly Castell, Manager, Broadcast
Publicity, +1-818-777-0549, Kelly.Castell@nbcuni.com, or Nicole Canizales,
Manager, Online Publicity, +1-818-777-0115, Nicole.Canizales@nbcuni.com, all
of Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Web site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For artwork, please log on to our website at http://www.ushepublicity.com.

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Profile: International Entertainment