The USA on DVD

Each year, we celebrate Independence Day by firing up the grill, dusting off those old lawn chairs and "ooh"-ing and "aah"-ing at fireworks. But what if it rains?

In the event that Mother Nature decides not to cooperate with your plans this Fourth of July -- or if you just want to stir up some pre-pyrotechnics patriotism -- it's a good idea to stock your DVD arsenal with some all-American titles. With that in mind, here are a few recent releases that showcase the best qualities of the American spirit.

"Cinderella Man" (PG-13; $19.98)

The life of heavyweight boxer Jim Braddock (played by Russell Crowe) gives rise to one of the most compelling portraits of the American Dream ever to meet celluloid. "Cinderella Man" serves as a reminder that love, family and dreams can survive the toughest of times -- in this case, the Great Depression -- given ample persistence. The impressive array of bonus features includes extensive commentary from director Ron Howard and Crowe (who previously collaborated on "A Beautiful Mind"), footage of the real Jim and his wife Mae Braddock and clips of Braddock's championship bout set to commentary from Norman Mailer.

"Miracle" (PG; $14.99)

Another true Cinderella sports story, Disney's uplifting take on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team centers around the late coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), who advises his players to ask not what the team can do for them, but what they can do for their team. Most great American sports films hail the individual (think "Rocky" or "The Natural"), but "Miracle" revels in the shared glory of unselfishness. The DVD contains more than four hours of special features, some of which are winners, including an interview with the real Brooks and a production feature on molding hockey players into actors -- no small feat.

"Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America" (NR; $39.95)

Released today on DVD, this outstanding History Channel series enlists ten of America's most respected documentary filmmakers to illuminate some of the pivotal yet lesser-studied moments in U.S. history -- from the horrific massacre of the native Pequot on May 26, 1637 (which recast the nature of white settler/Native American relations) to the Klan-backed murders of voting rights activists in Mississippi on June 21, 1964 (a major spark for the 1965 Voting Rights Act). Clearly, genocide, bigotry and murder are anything but "patriotic," but even as the series explores these shameful chapters in our nation's story, the viewer feels a sense of respect for the resilience of the Americans, Native or otherwise, who adapted in order to survive this tumultuous past. The sole bonus feature is an interesting, if exceedingly brief, glimpse at each filmmaker's vision.

"Good Night, and Good Luck" (PG; $19.98)

Director George Clooney's sophomore effort uses the McCarthy-era to examine one of America's oldest traditions: questioning authority. Without courage and an independent spirit, our founders never would have thrown off the yoke of British rule, and CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) wouldn't have taken a stand against Sen. Joseph McCarthy's fanatical anti-Communist crusade. The DVD companion piece, though dry, delves slightly further into Murrow's legacy from the point of view of his colleagues.

"In America" (PG-13; $14.98)

Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton are billed as the stars of "In America," but it's Emma and Sarah Bolger, young actresses from Dublin, who power this moving drama about a hard-luck immigrant family seeking a new start in the U.S. Under the wing of writer/director Jim Sheridan ("In the Name of the Father"), the girls from the Emerald Isle allow the viewer to experience the wonder and contradictions of 1980s New York through the empathetic eyes of a child. Special features include a short-but-sweet "making of" segment, deleted scenes and Irish brogue-laden commentary from Sheridan.

"American Movie Musicals Collection" (NR; $29.96)

America's theatrical nerve centers, Broadway and Hollywood, have often mixed about as well as onions and ice cream, but this three-film box set proves that not all of Broadway's bounty gets lost in translation. The collection includes (in ascending order of timelessness): "Guys and Dolls," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "West Side Story." Whether it's Sinatra and Brando luring luck into being a lady tonight, Tevye's lighthearted daydreams of becoming a "rich man" or Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "coolie cool" "West Side" score, this set celebrates the diversity and creativity of American theater. Extras are almost non-existent for now; did someone say "deluxe edition?"

"This is America, Charlie Brown (NR; $19.99)"

All but the most precocious children may find the Peanuts gang's journey through America's bygone days too light on Pokemon-style lasers (of which there are none) and too heavy on the history (as delivered by animated renditions of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison, among others). But this eight-episode box set strives to make history fun without sacrificing the lesson plan in the process, and it succeeds more often than it fails. Touting the value of hard work, Charlie, Linus, Lucy and the rest revisit some of the greatest American accomplishments, from the Constitutional convention to the completion of the transcontinental railroad. No special features, but plenty of Snoopy.

"Spellbound" (G; $14.94)

What does a documentary about the National Spelling Bee Championship have to do with the American spirit? Quite a lot, actually. All too often, the promise of equal opportunity gets lost in the shuffle of U.S. socio-economic realities, but the National Spelling Bee offers a glance at the "land of opportunity" at its best: a level playing field for eager young students from diverse backgrounds. The bonus features on this DVD aren't much to speak of, but the surprisingly suspenseful documentary's subjects -- some of whom are the children of immigrants -- strike a deeply resonant chord, making the melting pot stew taste that much sweeter.