After a rapturous reception for Chicago, screenwriter Bill Condon decided to have a bash at directing with Dreamgirls. Once again the story involves ambitious young women belting out tonsil-quivering tunes in a quest for stardom. That's just another day at the office for Beyoncé Knowles, but her co-star Jennifer Hudson "demands the spotlight" in a role that eventually won her an Oscar.

Living The Dream

A feature-length documentary follows Dreamgirls from a glint in Condon's eye to the glittering world premiere. It's one of those projects that wound up on the studio shelf after numerous attempts to get it off the ground. That is until Condon was invited to lunch by the moneymen and managed to strike a deal "between the baked salmon and poached pears..."

From there we delve into the intensive pre-production process, including storyboarding and set design. Production designer John Myhre shows us his ideas for "bringing glamour" to an otherwise dour Detroit setting, while the cast slip on their dancing shoes for rehearsals. Unfortunately we don't get to see too much of Beyoncé and co tripping over each other in the early stages, although Hudson does say of choreographer Fatima Robinson. "I knew sometimes she wanted to strangle me!" Later on, Eddie Murphy reflects on having to sing for his supper and there's an hour's worth of behind-the-scenes footage.

There's a closer inspection of editing, lighting and costume design in three extra featurettes. No doubt environmentalists will raise eyebrows at the number of light bulbs used in key set-pieces, but the light bouncing off those shiny suits and glittery dresses might have gone some way in helping to cut costs. (We like to think so anyway.) Note also how The Dreamettes graduate from pleated dresses to slinky fishtail gowns as the pressures of fame get ever more restrictive.

Finding The Tempo

Cutting the film to fit was the biggest challenge in the end. The editors reveal that they had a million feet of celluloid to sort through, which equates to about five hours of film for every two-and-a-half minutes of screen time. If you thought the final cut was a bit too long, then your buttocks will clench when Condon reveals that the original version was fifteen minutes longer. After a test screening he says he realised that, "people were a little fatigued by it..." On the flipside, if you can't get enough of those lavish musical numbers, the full versions of all the songs are showcased on disc one along with Beyoncé's Listen music video.

Given her own rise to stardom via American Idol, we're a bit disappointed not to see Jennifer Hudson's audition tape in a small section of screen tests. Still, you can enjoy a solo performance of Dreamgirls by Beyoncé. Rounding out the special features are 'previz' versions of seven musical numbers (essentially these are animated storyboards), plus four picture galleries. You can flick through storyboards, costume design sketches, concept art for the sets and mock-up publicity material for James 'Thunder' Early and The Dreamettes. Finally, an Easter egg featuring a cheeky Jamie Foxx is hidden in Hudson's microphone stand on the second Special Features menu on disc two.

With so much behind-the-scenes access and extended musical numbers, fans of Dreamgirls will find this Collector's Edition is worth making a song and dance about.

EXTRA FEATURES

Dreamgirls DVD is released on Monday 28st May 2007.