Rain Man is a film whose "greatest achievement is successfully framing the plot around a character incapable of emotional development" - a point duly noted by members of The Academy at the 1988 Oscars. Dustin Hoffman took home a gong, for his portrayal of an "autistic savant", as did director Barry Levinson and screenwriters Barry Morrow and Ron Bass.

Success, however, was never a guarantee for this unconventional road movie, which opened with a disappointing $6m. But as Levinson recalls on this DVD, it was in the weeks ahead that Rain Man climbed through the charts to simultaneously become the No.1 film in every country it played in.

It Never Rains, But It Pours

Although it was a labour of love for everyone involved, this was a project that passed through many hands. The saga is laid out in a retrospective 'making of' featurette, The Journey Of Rain Man. It opens with Levinson stating that he was the fourth director to sign on for the movie, after the script passed through the hands of Sydney Pollack, Martin Brest, and some bloke called Steven Spielberg.

Screenwriters Barry Morrow and Ron Bass also offer insight into the lengthy development process, and even composer Hans Zimmer gets a look-in (this was the movie that introduced him to Hollywood). The original 'making of' featurette is also included but is merely a hype vehicle, starring an angelic Tom Cruise (sporting a nifty 80s coif), who all but sheds a tear to express his delight at being part of this "beautiful", sniff, story... and still no Oscar.

In separate commentaries the director and writers expand upon the sometimes painful process of bringing Rain Man to the screen. Ron Bass offers the most compelling account, telling how Hoffman and Spielberg convinced him to rewrite the script with an autistic character - as opposed to the "loveable retard" in Rob Morrow's original rendering. Bass confesses that he harboured some reservations about making the character too detached, but it was Spielberg who put him right, with the simple declaration, "The audience will love Dustin whatever he does!"

Here Comes The Sun

In his commentary Barry Morrow can't help but sound a little sour when he states "I am the screenwriter", adding sheepishly, "One of many actually, but it started with me and my story." Levinson also gives his side, as well as outlining the challenges of the shoot eg "Chasing the sun" across America to capture those twilight on-the-road moments.

Lifting The Fog: A Look At The Mysteries Of Autism gives a fascinating insight into a clinical disorder that's often misunderstood. It features brothers Kevin and Peter, who inspired the performances given by Hoffman and Cruise - and both cited in Hoffman's Oscar acceptance speech. Between expert psychobabble, Kevin explains the nature of his relationship with his autistic brother while sadly still sporting an 80s-style coif. Meanwhile Peter will raise the hairs on the back of your neck with his encyclopaedic knowledge about every trivial sporting event known to man.

One deleted scene - Dustin 'shopping' for groceries - completes this "exclusive" Region 2 package, which all together provides an intriguing look at the nature of autism as well as the making of the film. Updated interviews and/or commentaries from Hoffman and The Cruiser are sadly lacking, but all the same, Rain Man: Special Edition will surely bring a ray of sunshine to legions of film fans.

EXTRA FEATURES

Rain Man: Special Edition DVD is out to buy on Monday 30th August 2004.