The first hour of "Dreamgirls" is about as exhilarating as musicals — or movies of any description — ever get. Director Bill Condon was respectful to the great Broadway show on which his film was based as it told the story of three teenage girls (a perfectly cast Beyoncé Knowles, Anika Noni Rose and Oscarwinner-to-be Jennifer Hudson) from the projects who rose to international superstardom in the go-go 1960s.

The film's second half, however, was a comedown.

The double-DVD "Dreamgirls: Showstopper Edition" (DreamWorks), includes an extensive series of featurettes on all aspects of the film, from conception to casting to post-production. It's a very good making-of documentary that was chopped into bite-sized pieces, but its two hours will be best appreciated when watched in one sitting.

Fans of the film will be happy to know the "Showstopper" set contains more than a half-hour of deleted and alternate scenes, nearly all excised from the musical numbers. Included, too, is a new Jennifer Hudson video and the Beyoncé video for "Listen."