Blu-ray, DVD Release: Game of Thrones: Season 1

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 6, 2012
Price: DVD $59.99, Blu-ray $79.98
Studio: HBO Home Entertainment/Warner Home Video

Sean Bean sits atop the Iron Throne -- for now -- in HBO's Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones, HBO’s elaborate, fully rigged primetime fantasy television series, was an instant hit upon its broadcast premiere in April 2011.

Based on George R. R. Martin‘s best-selling series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire, the sweeping fantasy saga is set in the mythical land of Westeros, where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime. It’s here that two powerful families — royal clans of kings and queens, knights and renegades, and liars and noblemen — engage in a deadly cat-and-mouse game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. As betrayal, lust, intrigue and supernatural forces shake all parts of the land, their bloody struggle for the Iron Throne will have unforeseen and far-reaching consequences.

Among the many actors in the TV show’s large cast are Mark Addy (Barney’s Version),  Alfie Allen (Atonement), Sean Bean (Black Death), Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage (Saint John of Las Vegas), Jack Gleeson (A Shine of Rainbows), Lena Headey (The Red Baron) and Aidan Gillen (Blitz). And among its directors are Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, Alan Taylor and Tim Van Patten.

Running neck-and-neck with the sprawling production is the impressive collection of bonus materials and interactive features that HBO included on the Blu-ray and DVD editions of the series. Here’s what’s on tap:

• Blu-ray Complete Guide to Westeros –  interactive compendium of the noble houses and lands featured in season one, plus 24 exclusive histories of the Seven Kingdoms as told by the characters with animated illustrations that provide more information on the background of Game of Thrones. (BD only)
• In-Episode Guide – provides background information about on-screen characters, locations, and relevant histories while each episode plays. (BD only)
• Anatomy of an Episode – explores the creative minds and colossal efforts behind episode six, “A Golden Crown.” (BD only)
• Hidden Dragon Eggs – featuring more never-before-seen content. (BD only)
• Complete Guide to Westeros – an interactive compendium of the noble houses and lands featured in season one.
• Making Game of Thrones – 30-minute featurette including footage from the set and interviews from the cast and crew.
• Character Profiles – profiles of 15 major characters as described by the actors portraying them.
• Creating the Show Open – an inside look at the creation of the Emmy-winning opening title sequence for Game of Thrones.
• From the Book to the Screen – executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss along with author George R.R. Martin talk about the challenges of bringing Martin’s epic fantasy novel to life on HBO.
• The Night’s Watch – an in-depth look at the unique order of men who patrol and protect the Wall, a 700-foot ice structure that separates the Seven Kingdoms from the darkness beyond.
• Creating the Dothraki Language – an insightful glance into the comprehensive language created for the Dothraki people in Game of Thrones.
• Seven audio commentaries with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Mark Addy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Bryan Cogman, Harry Lloyd, Daniel Minahan and Alan Taylor.

Buy or Rent Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season
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