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

First Call Analyst:
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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