Certainly
driving semi-leisurely cross-country today takes a certain type of
spirit, but it’s still a markedly different one than in times past.
Back before short-distance air travel became ubiquitous and interstate
driving more drab and impersonal, there was Route 66 — a lively swath
of freeway that cut its way 2,000-plus miles across the United States,
and into the imagination of many who would travel it. Route 66: The Ultimate DVD Collection takes a look back at that time and that road.

Produced and directed by Christopher Lewis and hosted by best-selling author Michael Wallis, Route 66
consists of a trio of hour-long titles spread out over three discs, and
collectively delves into both the history of the highway itself and the
back stories of literally dozens of small towns through which it runs
and intersects. These are basically hosted travelogues, but Wallis and
his photographer wife, Suzanne Fitzgerald-Wallis, are the authors of
the exhaustively researched 1990 tome The Mother Road, and ergo their expertise and corresponding abundance of anecdotes are put to good use here.

This summer’s animated hit Cars partially delved into the nostalgia attached to a seemingly slower time, and Route 66
is certainly no less enamored with what it peddles almost wholly as
halcyon days gone by. In fact, this is where the title grinds down a
bit and loses its natural energy, so pompous and sometimes overly
theatrical an orator is Wallis. Those predisposed to historical yarns
will be naturally enthralled by stories of the many small Oklahoma
towns — Clinton, Foyil and Dumark, among them — that Route 66 bisects,
as well as all the other big cities, from Chicago and St. Louis to
Albuquerque and Los Angeles. But he can come off as a bit pretentious,
particularly, say, when waxing about the spilled blood of striking
Kansas coal miners in the 1930s.

Route 66: The Ultimate DVD Collection comes packaged in a
double-wide Amray case, with a separate tray for each of its three
discs. The programs are presented in 1.33:1 full screen, with a Dolby
digital 2.0 stereo audio track that provides decent if somewhat
under-mixed range for the title’s relatively sparse needs — this
certainly isn’t the release to which to calibrate your sub-woofers. The
supplemental extras include a photo gallery of images taken by
Fitzgerald-Wallis — especially great for those who’ve only flown over
vast stretches of the country — plus a pair of nine-minute interviews
with both she and her husband. There’s also a seven-minute chat with
director Christopher Lewis and his wife Linda, who detail their own
trip on the road in a 1972 Super Beetle convertible, thrown rod and
all. For those who really dig Americana and all its dusty nooks,
crannies and interstices, a set like this is a godsend. For those, on
the other hand, looking for a more streamlined and succinct history of
Route 66, this title is unfortunately a bit too meandering and
dawdling. C (Movies) C (Disc)