Genius opens in 1929 New York with easygoing and respected New York editor Max Perkins (Colin Firth) having a giant manuscript dropped on his desk by a colleague. Perkins makes good on his vow to read the tome, which has already been turned down by every other publisher in town. He declares the novel "unique" and agrees to publish it, to the surprise and delight of its author, bombastic southerner Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law).

Thus begins a collaboration and friendship between editor and author, who together approach the massive undertaking of trimming Wolfe's flowery text to a more reasonable length (i.e. hundreds of pages shorter). They do that and earn rave reviews. Before you know it, Wolfe is back with an even longer follow-up book running 5,000 pages in its early draft.

The painstaking editing process pulls Perkins away from his wife (Laura Linney) and five daughters and Wolfe away from his long-suffering lover and principal backer, theatre designer Aline Bernstein (Nicole Kidman). Both familial and professional tensions emerge for the two men, whose working future becomes uncertain despite the considerable respect they hold for one another.

Adapted from A. Scott Berg's National Book Award-winning 1978 biography of Perkins, Genius also provides glimpses at two of the editor's most famous literary colleagues: F. Scott Fitzgerald (Guy Pearce), who's desperately in need of money just a few years after making little from The Great Gatsby; and Ernest Hemingway (Dominic West), who pitches Perkins his idea to return to Spain.

Playing like a more factual and less whimsical Midnight in Paris, Genius has no difficulty holding your attention and immersing you in its literary universe. Law is good in a very big performance. Firth is too in a comparatively small and understated one. The two men are complemented by a fine supporting cast, but do most of the heavy lifting themselves, the relationship of Perkins and Wolfe trumping all others in screentime and importance.

Written for the screen by seasoned vet John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, Rango, Skyfall), Genius' lofty depictions are tastefully presented by veteran British actor Michael Grandage, who makes a perfectly competent directorial debut here. Despite the star power and intrigue in the story to fans of American literature, Genius had to settle for a limited theatrical release from Roadshow Attractions, who opened the film in 16 theaters in mid-June and expanded to a peak width of 152 theaters two weeks later.

The film grossed just $1.4 million domestic during that brief engagement, which is evidently small enough for Lionsgate not to have bothered with a North American Blu-ray release. Instead, this character study hits DVD alone (with a standard definition digital copy) on Tuesday.

DVD Details 2.39:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) Subtitles: English, English for Hearing Impaired, Spanish Closed Captioned; Extras Not Subtitled Release Date: September 6, 2016 Single-sided, dual-layered disc (DVD-9) Suggested Retail Price: $19.98 Black Eco-Friendly Keepcase in Cardboard Slipcover Also available on Instant Video

VIDEO and AUDIO

Genius obviously lacks some of the detail and sharpness you expect and usually get from high definition. The DVD's 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation isn't bad for DVD, but you do notice some limitations. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is adequate. English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles accompany the film but not the extras.

BONUS FEATURES, MENUS, PACKAGING and DESIGN

Genius is joined by two medium-sized featurettes on the disc.

"Genesis of Genius" (14:12) is the more general of the two, considering Grandage's direction and the film's central relationship.

"Painting a Portrait of a Lost Generation" (15:13) looks further at the historical figures who feature among the small cast's principals.

"Also from Lionsgate" repeats the five full trailers that play when the disc is inserted, previewing A Hologram for the King, Mr. Holmes, Indignation, Touched with Fire, and Miss You Already.

The main menu loops a piano score and clip montage. Submenus are static and silent, while selecting items from the main menu produces an awkward transition screen.

An insert supplying your Digital copy with UltraViolet joins the plain gray disc inside the slipcovered eco-friendly keepcase.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Though fairly unloved by critics and avoided by the moviegoing public, Genius will hold your interest if you have any interest in the process of writing and editing with its compelling depiction of Thomas Wolfe and his editor's fruitful few collaborations.

The lack of a Blu-ray edition surprises and disappoints, but judged only against its medium, this DVD earns a passing grade and warrants a look, if you can still bring yourself to watch standard definition.

Buy Genius from Amazon.com: DVD + Digital / Instant Video