The past is prologue to an Oscar

The Reader

Weinstein, $29.95

The historical drama drew a mixed reaction from critics, along with some controversy over whether its potboiler story trivialized the Holocaust. But the adaptation of Bernhard Schlink’s novel also garnered five Oscar nominations -- all in major categories -- and earned a win for star Kate Winslet, who plays an uneducated German woman grappling with the sins of her past. The controversy was valid. By focusing on the flawed prosecution of one ex-Nazi, “The Reader” seems to inadvertently excuse atrocity. But the Oscar attention was valid too. Winslet’s performance is a marvel -- at once bruised, defiant and sensual -- and though the examination of a nation in transition is heavy-handed at times, director Stephen Daldry does his best to retain a sense of gradual, organic moral discovery. “The Reader” DVD is exploratory in its own way, adding more than an hour of well-assembled behind-the-scenes looks at the score, makeup and more.

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American Swing

Magnolia, $26.98

At once titillating, informative and cautionary, Matthew Kaufman and Jon Hart’s documentary tells the fascinating story of Plato’s Retreat, the infamous swingers’ club that scandalized Manhattan in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Between copious amounts of fairly explicit footage from the club, Kaufman and Hart weave frank, funny interviews with the dumpy Long Islanders who founded Plato’s, letting them explain how their little hangout became as much of a New York hot spot as Studio 54. The participants recall how fun and liberating it all was -- and how disgusting too. The DVD adds half an hour of additional interviews, including some hilarious anecdotes.

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Pride and Prejudice

A&E; Blu-ray, $49.95

The Jane Austen craze of the mid-’90s peaked with the runaway success of this six-part, five-hour BBC miniseries, which made an international star of brooding Brit Colin Firth. Even today, people regularly gather to rewatch the entire series, getting caught up anew in Austen’s timeless tale of a deeply moral woman finding an unexpected soulmate. Despite some excessive grain, the new Blu-ray edition of “Pride and Prejudice” is a marvel, rendering the original 16-millimeter film in subtle pastels that make the production look almost new. The disc also adds almost two hours’ worth of documentaries about how the miniseries came to be and why it’s remained so popular.

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The Spirit

Lionsgate, $29.95/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.99

Comic book writer-artist Frank Miller kibitzed from the sidelines while directors Robert Rodriguez and Zack Snyder helmed faithful adaptations of his “Sin City” and “300,” respectively. Miller’s the lone man in charge of “The Spirit,” a big-screen version of Will Eisner’s classic newspaper strip. Unfortunately, “The Spirit” has been thoroughly Miller-ized, with all of Eisner’s wit and narrative cleverness rendered broad and sterile. The Blu-ray and double-disc DVD editions’ multiple featurettes focus mainly on the special effects.

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All releases available on Tuesday unless otherwise noted.