Blackboard Jungle Warner Home Video
Starring Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Richard Kiley, Sidney Poitier, etc.
Directed by Richard Brooks
Reviewed by Chris Catania
The book. The music. The film. This is the order in which the controversial and revolutionary film Blackboard Jungle came to life, revolutionizing the fusion between music and film and sending resounding ripples through the social fabric of the 1950s.
Evan Hunter's controversial novel was published in 1953, and Richard Brooks, the film's director, was inspired to bring it to life on the big screen after MGM bought the rights to adapt it in early 1954. From there, Brooks sought out his son's record collection for inspiration and found a hit song-"Rock Around the Clock"-that just happened to be sweeping youth culture into a foot stomping finger snapping frenzy. Next, Brooks, an ex-Marine, assembled a cast headed by Glenn Ford, Vic Morrow and Sidney Poitier to give flesh to the strong social message of Hunter's novel. Like most directors of legendary films, Brooks pushed boundaries and created a classic that is as powerful today as it was in the rumbling youth culture of 1955.
The film was banned in several countries for fear of igniting riotous responses among the youth. The League of Decency and MGM even forced Brooks to add a "wholesome" scene or the film wouldn't make it to the screen. Blackboard Jungle's social and racial content- especially Dadier's naming calling scene-made studio executives nervous and fearful of government fallout, scared of a communist or racial backlash.
Blackboard Jungle was and still is a revolutionary film. Watching it in 2005 confirms the idea that youth were troubled, are troubled, and will always be troubled no matter what year it is. Vic Morrow as anti-Daddy-O gang leader, Artie West, would make any teacher, then or now, cringe and run for the door. One thing is for sure; whether the youth is trashing jazz records and pining after rock and roll, or dissing rock and roll and digging metal, grunge or hip hop, youth will always have a desire to rebel no matter the year-maybe only the weapons change.
The film itself stands alone, but with the audio commentary, the film's impact becomes more apparent, as co-stars Paul Mazursky (Emmanuel Stoker) and Jamie Farr (Œidiot" Santini) along with Peter Ford (Glenn's son) and Assistant Director Joel Freeman share anecdotal stories about the film's making. The nostalgic quartet also paints a poignant cultural backdrop for those of us not around during the birth of the age of the teenager. "The music was the key. The music was the link!" says Mazursky, as he comments on how without "Rock Around the Clock" the film wouldn't have taken off-and vice versa-had not the youth begun to embrace music so passionately as a social weapon.
The bonus features also include a "Droopy" cartoon which could almost serve as a Director's cut/alternate ending which is actually a little more true to Evan Hunter's novel. The multi-Droopy classroom mayhem is both a hilarious and challenging bit of entertainment for any aspiring Daddy-O's out there.
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Boccaccio '70 Warner Home Video
Starring Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider
Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Frederico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, and Mario Monicelli
Reviewed by Nathan Williams
In 1962, Italy was the envy of the cinematic world. The Nouvelle Vague may have been in full swing, Kurosawa and Ozu may have been at the peak of their powers, and the U.S. continued to churn out some quality product under tough circumstances. But, really, nobody was touching Italia in the early '60s. Fellini, Visconti, Antonioni, Rosellini, Pasolini, Olmi, De Sica; the list of heavy-hitters is jaw-dropping.
Inter-continental super-producers Cesare Zavattini, Carlo Ponti, and Joe Levine dreamed up the idea of matching four top directors with four bombshells, all in the style of the Renaissance poet, Boccaccio. They wrangled Fellini, Visconti, De Sica, and b-level talent, Mario Monicelli, as well as a substantial budget for their four-part (and nearly four-hour) tribute to gorgeous women. The results are mixed, but the total film is better and more thematically coherent than any other of the genre (if, at 208 minutes, a bit of a cinematic endurance test).
Monicelli's segment, "Renzo and Luciana" is a touching depiction of the difficulties of marriage in the modern industrial Rome. It resembles a sweeter, more optimistic Olmi, and while it doesn't quite match his better work, it is a sweet, touching film nonetheless. Newcomer Marina Solinas is excellent as the working girl wife.
Fellini's segment, "The Temptation of Dr. Antonio," produced between La Dolce Vita and 8½ is disappointing. The good doctor is a moralist who becomes obsessed with an Anita Ekberg poster, 50-foot Anita comes to life to torment him, and a victory is won for sexual freedom. Despite some impressive flourishes of style, the whole thing is relatively uninspired, and silly to the point of inducing boredom. Fans of a certain early Scorsese short, however, should note this as a source of inspiration.
Visconti's segment, "The Job," is easily the best of the quartet. Contrasting strongly with the large-budget, on-location competition, Visconti's film takes place entirely in a handful of small rooms. Romy Schneider, as a countess who wants to earn her own living, is tremendous under Visconti's direction. Also fascinating are small hints of the film he would shoot next, The Leopard: (the relationship, the large dog, the novel itself on the couch).
De Sica bats clean-up with, "The Raffle," a depiction of a carnival worker (Sophia Loren) who sells her sexual services via lottery. De Sica gets success with the dangerous combination of the savvy Loren and his usual assortment of non-actors. The dropped jaws at Loren's beauty isn't acting, it's regular Italian men genuinely excited to be sharing space with her. Indeed, without this charm, the film would be nothing more than an above average sitcom episode.
The transfer is unexceptional, but not distracting in any way. The extras are minimal (a mildly diverting interview with De Sica as the highlight) and the sound is fine. Not an especially good introduction to any of these directors, and not among their best work, but far from their worst. For fans of Italian cinema, required viewing.
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Elvis Costello and the Imposters: Club Date - Live in Memphis Memphis Eagle Rock Entertainment
Reviewed by Brighid Mooney
"Club Date is the gig you always dreamt you'd be at," boasts the packaging of Elvis Costello's first live concert DVD. And they aren't lying. More than anything, I wish I could have been there, packed like a sardine with 200 other fans into Memphis' Hi-Tone Cafe to watch Elvis and the Imposters give one of the most intimate and charged performances of their existence. Luckily, both the close feel of the Hi-Tone and the energy of the show were captured very well on this DVD, so that, watching it, I almost feel like I was there. From close-up shots of Costello's sweat-drenched face, to Pete Thomas blasting away on drums, to the infamous Steve-cam following the amazing dexterity of keyboardist Steve Nieve, Club Date is, if nothing else, a great musical time capsule preserving what is surely one of Costello's best live performances.
On Club Date, Costello returns to his musical roots, thus the gig in Memphis, TN, a sort of gateway to his fascination with, and influence by, the music of the American South. From blues to R&B to American roots music, Costello's musical influences converge on this disc in the form of songs from his latest album, The Delivery Man. During the course of the show, Costello draws heavily from the new album, while also throwing in some of his best-known and most beloved compositions from decades past, including "Radio Radio," "Pump It Up," and "Peace, Love and Understanding." If you've ever seen him in concert, Club Date is very much like the real thing, with Costello playing loudly and franticly, and performing some of his favorite covers along with his own songs. Included here are Costello's take on Dave Bartholomew's "The Monkey," going hand in hand with "Monkey To Man" from Costello's own album, a ripping version of "Hidden Charms," featuring Costello singing into his guitar pickups, and Elvis doing Elvis (that other one) in the form of "Suspicious Minds" added to the end of his illustrious ballad "Alison." About halfway through the set, Costello is joined by Emmylou Harris for several ballads, bringing the energy level down for several minutes for a well-needed breather, only to be revved back up with her departure. Through it all, the sound of bar room conversation and empty glass bottles is vaguely audible beneath the music, giving the DVD a distinctive "live" ambiance.
The well-packaged DVD also includes four bonus songs, which were inexplicably left out of the main part of the show, including two more tracks featuring Emmylou. There are also two special features: a documentary called "Radio and the Fan," and another called "Road Trip Documentary: Off The Beaten Path - a Road Trip with Pete and Elvis," in which Elvis and drummer Pete Thomas are driven around Memphis, TN, and Oxford and Clarksdale, MS, being shown various musical landmarks of the American South. This is a great addition to the DVD as we not only get to see a more casual side of Elvis, but are also given a very interesting musical tour along with them. Club Date is the gig I always dreamt I'd be at, but since I wasn't, this DVD is a great substitute, almost as great as being there must have been, all in the comfort of your own home.
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Starring Orson Welles & Oja Kodar
Directed by Orson Welles
Reviewed by Russell Bartholomee
The film:
The DVD Presentation:
"Citizen Kane has been lauded too highly. It has deep flaws, and I know I've done much better work since then." -Orson Welles, 1978
Whether it's as good as Citizen Kane or not, F For Fake makes a strong case that Welles was still every bit the innovator and genius, even very late in his career. The last film the director ever finished, F For Fake explores trickery of all sorts-hoaxes, illusions, forgery, and lies. Though it deals primarily with real events, to call the film a documentary would be misleading. It's closer to the truth to say that F For Fake is a cinematic essay, in which Welles carefully considers the dividing lines between art and fakery, expertise and naiveté, fact and fiction.
The film is largely centered on art forger Elmyr de Hory, who caused quite a scandal in the art world when it was revealed that world-class museums and collectors had purchased his paintings, thinking them to be genuine Picassos, Mattisses, and Modiglianis. Elmyr didn't copy existing paintings; rather he painted so convincingly in the style of the artists he emulated that renowned experts were fooled. It would be simple enough to dismiss him as a con man, and yet, de Hory's paintings were exquisite; had he signed his own name to them, he would have been a law-abiding-and starving-artist. Which raises the question: when is a painting a work of art, and when is it a forgery? Or as Welles more eloquently puts it, "A faker like Elmyr makes fools of the experts. So who's the expert? Who's the faker?"
Adding to the intrigue is Clifford Irving, author of the biography of de Hory. Evidently, he learned a great deal from Elmyr because after writing that book, Irving penned the (completely fabricated) autobiography of Howard Hughes, convincing the world that he had received the recluse's permission to tell his story. He even fooled Mike Wallace.
The film's success owes much to the expert way in which Welles weaves de Hory and Irving's stories together with his own. Welles is not merely a bystander; he's an active participant. We see him rubbing elbows with Irving and de Hory in Ibiza, the three of them discussing fakery in frank and philosophical terms. This is not mere vanity. After all, Welles became a household name by pulling off one of the great hoaxes of the 20th century-the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast that thousands of listeners believed was genuine. To prove that he is worthy to be included with these elite charlatans, Welles perpetrates another fraud on his audience in the body of the film-one so clever that it's impossible to feel offended at having been fooled.
Welles' editing is sensational; he was years ahead of his time, using quick cuts that prefigure the MTV video nearly 10 years before there was such a thing. He establishes a playful rhythm for the film. It starts and stops with syncopated precision, like a Dizzy Gillespie number. The cinematography is gorgeous; many scenes appear as painterly as their subject matter. And tying it all together is Welles' own presence. His magnificent voice resonates deeply as he ponders the very essence of art.
F For Fake is loaded with fantastic features, including a commentary track from Welles' cinematographer and from co-star Oja Kodar, his longtime mistress. On the second disc, we get a more straightforward documentary on de Hory and an interview with Clifford Irving on 60 Minutes II, in which the author comes clean about his hoax. But the most informative extra is a documentary by Kodar herself called One-Man Band, which details the many unfinished projects Welles was working on in his later years. Some seem better left unfinished, but clips from his The Other Side of the Wind and Merchant of Venice make it clear how much in command of his craft Orson Welles remained in his twilight years. It is ultimately a tragic piece, as Welles suffered one major setback after another, keeping him from completing his visions, forcing him to do commercials for whiskey, and creating the false impression that he was a has-been who had no follow through. F For Fake has a message for all those who had dismissed Welles after Citizen Kane: the joke's on you.
P.S. That quote by Welles at the beginning of the review? I made it up. Couldn't resist.
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The Flaming Lips: The Fearless Freaks Sony
Starring The Flaming Lips
Directed by Bradley Beesley
Reviewed by Violet Howard
I was introduced to the music of the Flaming Lips years ago when my roommate ceremoniously put speakers in every room of our apartment, threw a party, and blasted the Lips' rock experiment Zaireeka. The key to getting the full Zaireeka experience is that you have to play them all simultaneously. Meaning all the CDs at once. All four of them.
Hapless impresario, Long John Silver fry cook, and the man behind the wildly imaginative Oklahomans, Wayne Coyne, is always launching these esoteric musical experiments. This makes for great footage in The Fearless Freaks, a recent film and DVD release by Bradley Beesley, long time friend and chronicler of the band.
Rock documentaries should stand on their own merit, and The Fearless Freaks does, in its own, desultory way. Unlike the sub-par production qualities of the recent Anton Newcombe/Courtney Taylor documentary, DIG! (Audio levels? White balance? Who cares?!!), Beesley's are technically adroit, even if the narrative doesn't always take the logical route.
The Flaming Lips began in the 80s with Wayne Coyne at the helm, joined by guitarist Ronald Jones and drummer Steve Drozd. Their career remained in indie purgatory until a surprise hit with "She Don't Use Jelly" landed them on MTV and Letterman. Puzzled MTV viewers watched as Wayne and friends hiked through the woods and giggling children offered plates of glowing fried eggs up to the camera. Their rise to corporate rock acclaim was brief.
The Flaming Lips quickly submerged themselves back into the heartland, and Coyne continued to focus on experimental projects. The film recounts Coyne's "Parking Lot Orchestra", a composition created by a parking lot full of cars with blasting stereos.
It's as if Coyne and his band of Midwestern gypsies are rock stars on the other side of the vortex. Coyne is the Elton John of the indie world, but instead of 70s comfort rock, the Flaming Lips play a hybrid of art rock and 90s post punk.
Most of which you will not hear throughout this documentary. Beesley tends to focus on Coyne's hijinks rather than present a chronological history of the band. We see Coyne and his wife preparing to frighten the kids on Halloween, the progress of Coyne's film "Christmas on Mars", complete with B movie style set dressings. This free form, piecemeal style isn't really a negative until the film takes a sharp and unexpected turn into the precarious world of heroin-addicted drummer, Steve Drozd. With a chilling certainty, Drozd revels in an aura of self-destruction. When the film returns to Drozd later, he is apparently cured, or on a break. So... what happened? Rehab? Fame? The Kabala? Beesley's film, as candid and evocative as it is, never addresses the full life span of Drozd's drug use. Perhaps it's deliberate. When we see Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre at the end of DIG! , he is clearly broken, key opportunities forsaken for his drugs. Beesley wants to keep us in the gleeful world of Wayne Coyne, where the biggest challenge is washing fake blood out of a suit.
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Starring Sylvia Sidney and Spencer Tracy
Directed by Fritz Lang
Reviewed by Nathan Williams
It's rarely disputed that Fritz Lang is Germany's greatest filmmaker. But it's just as rarely considered that he might also be America's. Between 1936 and 1959, Lang was in near-continuous production of uncommonly thought-provoking genre pictures, films that fit profit-making requirements but seriously addressed issues of the human condition.
Fury (1936) was his first film of this second career and is impressive in its absence of any lingering effects of the transition. Lang seems to have leapt into American filmmaking with confident abandon. Though the studio tempered his desired take on the story (he wanted it to resemble M even more than it already did), Fury is a film of unusual emotional savagery. Most astonishingly, America's future father-figure, Spencer Tracy, is the deliverer of said savagery.
The film depicts an honest man (Tracy) accused of a crime he did not commit and violently assaulted by a lynch mob. One initially assumes this fury of the mob is the subject of the title. But, after a shockingly violent scene, Tracy gains the upper hand on his oppressors, and it is clear that Tracy's thirst for vengeance is the fury in question. We are meant to question not the morality of the lynch mob (obviously wrong even in 1936), but Tracy's more ambiguous retribution. The film takes a love-conquers-all cop-out at the end, but even MGM's best re-shooters aren't able to smooth over all of Lang's moral rough edges.
Fans of his early work are often surprised at the stylistic restraint of Lang's American work. Tempered are the baroque angles, expressionistic lighting, and showy camera movement. In their place is a very classical studio style with occasional outbursts of noticeable technique. One's initial assumption is that this occurred against Lang's will, that American studio control prevented the visual feats that were his true desire. But they may very well be the result of a maturing artist who has started to value compositional subtlety and human performance over the camera's raw power of visual language.
The disc, part of the "Controversial Classics" set, is another triumph from Warner. The print has some minor scratching, but is otherwise in great shape. The transfer is their usual excellence. The commentary, a combination of contemporary Peter Bogdanovich comments and a 1965 interview between Bogdanovich and Lang, is a rare jewel. Warner continues to demonstrate their superior stewardship of America's cinematic legacy. Somewhere, Fritz is grateful.
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Starring William Gates and Arthur Agee
Directed by Steve James
Reviewed by Mark Pittman
Hoop Dreams is the critically acclaimed 1994 documentary about two African-American teenagers from inner-city Chicago who dream of one day making the NBA. The two promising basketball players, William Gates and Arthur Agee, are filmed over a period of five years-from their recruitment to St. Joseph's, a prestigious high school in the suburbs, to their first year in college. During that time, we see the two young men and their respective families' change, face setbacks, and celebrate as William and Arthur move closer to their common dream of playing in the NBA.
Based on the above description, some readers might think that this movie would be mainly of interest to sports fans or fans of documentaries. But the truth is that this film has near universal appeal. More than basketball, this film is about everybody's dreams: to be recognized, to lead a better life, to help the people around you, to gain your loved ones' approval.
Monitoring William's and Arthur's attempts to fulfill their dream of making the NBA are their adult observers, whose own livelihoods depend-to a small or large degree-on the two players' success. Due to this fact, Hoop Dreams maintains an almost constant high level of tension and excitement.
Hoop Dreams also documents all the forces that affect William and Arthur, for better or worse, in their pursuit of the NBA. Most people when they're young have ambitious dreams, like making the NBA. If you didn't end up achieving your own dream, this film shows what might have gone wrong. Hoop Dreams mercifully demonstrates that not everything is our fault when we fail to achieve our lifelong goals.
Hoop Dreams is also an invaluable social document. Regardless of your political or social viewpoint, this movie will give you a new perspective on inner-city life. Characters in the film who seem to fit negative stereotypes constantly confound our expectations. In fact, if a fiction film defied viewers' expectations about its characters this much, it would be both annoying and unbelievable. But because this is real, unscripted life, it's inspiring.
For those who already know and love this film, the new Criterion DVD is reason to celebrate. The look of the film is almost too good: the colors are so saturated that the picture now looks as if it were shot on film instead of on various video formats. The original source's 1:33 aspect ratio has also been used for Criterion's DVD transfer instead of the widescreen ratio used in theatres.
Two commentaries are included: one by the three filmmakers; and one by the two subjects, William Gates and Arthur Agee. Though interesting, the three filmmakers' commentary mainly concerns technical matters related to the making of the film. For this reason, their comments will mainly be of interest to aspiring filmmakers.
The commentary by William and Arthur, however, is almost as good as the film itself, and they come across as much closer friends than the original film indicated. William's and Arthur's commentary also provides extensive additional information about the people involved in Hoop Dreams that will further confound your expectations. (William's revelation about something that occurred at the Nike basketball camp blows even Arthur's mind.)
Additional extras include several excerpts from "Siskel & Ebert" concerning Hoop Dreams, an extensive booklet with updated information on the film's participants, and a music video of the film's theme song. Special praise should also be given to whoever created the very witty menu design, which is made up of layered newspapers showing front page stories of William's and Arthur's accomplishments.
Hoop Dreams is an emotional experience unlike any other in film. I highly recommend the new Criterion DVD to both new viewers and fans alike.
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Starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, and John Lithgow
Directed by Bill Condon
Reviewed by Cari Crosby
Originally reviewed by Cari Crosby in Being There's November 2004 issue. Now available on DVD.
I'm surprised it took as long as it did to make this film. Alfred Kinsey is a man who has been of great interest among sociological, psychological, and sexual studies, and has been, up until recently, discussed surprisingly little in public discourse since the 1950s. This is a man who in 1948 published a book about the sexuality of the human male - a plain and "scientific" study regarding male sexual behavior, including an extensive look at homosexuality. Kinsey was certainly not the first man in history to discuss sex in a frank and open manner, but was certainly the first to conduct such an extensive study and discuss exactly what it is that people do behind closed doors. In 1948! What followed, besides the obvious media attention and public criticism, was a follow up publication on female sexuality. This guy had balls! He bluntly asked people about their sexual behavior - and the most surprising thing of all is that they told him.
Kinsey begins with Alfred Kinsey's childhood - portraying his coming of age in a very rigid household in a very conservative time. Going against his father's (A well-played John Lithgow) wishes, he becomes a biologist and is well respected in his field. However, it isn't until he begins to study a more... interesting topic that he becomes famous. This film portrays a seemingly accurate portrayal of the reactions he gets from his students as he teaches a course on marriage, including a basic sex ed portion so his students know the basics and mechanics of sex before their wedding night.
The acting in the film is what carries it the most. Neeson's Kinsey is clearly an emotional man who does his best to suppress every feeling in the name of science. While I've heard Neeson's name in Oscar scuttlebutt already, it is Laura Linney, who plays his wife Clara, who steals the show. A beautifully emotional character, she is the most realistic character in the entire film, even if a few of her choices are a bit odd.
Kinsey is a very good film that manages to take a somewhat moral stance about the importance of sexual education, along with a very open view on homosexuality. It's a funny thing really; The film tells the story of a time in which homosexuality was never discussed, never allowed, and never acceptable. Kinsey's studies were a humble attempt for one man to bring light to the reality of the issue, and even now, well over 50 years after his first publication, we still find 11 states banning gay marriage, and homosexuality being pushed aside as if it doesn't really exist. Maybe Alfred Kinsey's work still has a lot to teach us.
DVD Comments:
Fans of Kinsey will be delighted with the bonus features on the DVD. The disc includes a commentary with writer/director Bill Condon, as well as a whopping twenty deleted scenes, plus an alternate ending. Also included are The Kinsey Report: Sex on Film, a gag reel, and more.
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The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Warner Home Video
Starring Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson, and John Lithgow
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Reviewed by Brighid Mooney
I never bought into the theory that ignorance equals bliss, but the tragicomedy that was the life of Peter Sellers makes me doubt my own feelings about that. For those who only know Peter Sellers as the lovably inept Inspector Clouseau, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is nothing less than a full system shock. Based on Roger Lewis' controversial book of the same name, the movie, which originally aired on HBO last December, outlines the follies and foibles, as well as the successes, of the brilliant-but-confused actor from his time as a seminal member of the Goon Show to the making of Being There shortly before his premature death. Geoffrey Rush plays Peter Sellers and manages to give an outstanding performance in what is otherwise an astoundingly depressing movie. While Rush and the film's other stars - including Charlize Theron as Sellers' second wife, Swedish model/actress Britt Ekland, and John Lithgow as director Blake Edwards - all turn in noteworthy performances, the main controversy that plagued Lewis' book has unfortunately carried over into the movie as well. And that is that The Life and Death of Peter Sellers opts to show neither any of Sellers' good qualities nor any real reasoning or insight into his often monstrous and childish behavior, completely skipping his unusual and lonely childhood in favor of concentrating wholly on his (admittedly very, very) dark side and terminally troubled existence. Like the book, the movie is brutal and unforgiving. There are biopics of Hitler less critical of their subject.
On the other hand, the film does show a side of Peter Sellers that people unfamiliar with the multitude of problems that plagued his personal life will not have known, and gives special attention to Sellers' strained but dependent relationship with his first wife, Anne, whose almost saintly patience and understanding were Sellers' main source of emotional support all the way until his death; as well as his obsessive penchant for maintaining an ongoing record of his life and family through both film and photographs.
While the film is inexorable in documenting Sellers' character flaws, we get only passing glimpses of some of his closest friends, like Spike Milligan, David Lodge and Graham Stark. One of the most interesting, if unnecessary, aspects of the movie is when Sellers dresses up as another character in order to give insight on himself from their perspective. Also memorable is the scene in which Sellers, in a dream sequences which occurs while doctors attempt to restart his ailing heart, is confronted with all of the many characters he has taken on throughout his career. The DVD also has several extras, including two commentary tracks, a handful of deleted scenes and a "making of" documentary.
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is not an easy movie to watch, and don't be too surprised if you come out of it feeling completely traumatized. But don't let it derail you from enjoying Peter Sellers' films. Instead, think of it as a very one-sided glimpse into the mysterious, turbulent psyche of one of cinema's most complex characters. Then go and rent some of Sellers' films and see the side that brought so much laughter to the world. A biopic of Peter Sellers is definitely worth the effort to attempt, but this one could have been so much better, and with the extraordinary casting in this movie, it really should have been.
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The Life Aquatic Buena Vista/Criterion
Reviewed by Adam D. Miller
Originally reviewed by Adam D. Miller in Being There's February 2005 issue. Now available on DVD.
A Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, the latest from screenwriter/director Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums), may have been the love it-or-hate it film of the holiday season, or even the year. The same can be said of his earlier works - several of my friends loved Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, citing them as all-time favorites. Critics have generally given Anderson praise for his films. This time, however, it seems that even the critics weren't won over as usual.
I was - I loved it. Well, most of it.
The film, shot in and around Italy, is about oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his quest to find the shark responsible for killing his friend. Zissou is armed with a crew of oddball characters including Klaus (Willem Defoe, in perhaps his funniest role to date) and Pelé (a strange character who isn't given much dialogue, but is seen and heard throughout the film singing David Bowie songs translated into Portuguese with his acoustic guitar ). Before his voyage, Zissou is faced by the prospect that a Kentucky pilot (Ned Plimpton, played by Owen Wilson) who has recently introduced himself to Zissou may in fact be his son. He must also deal with the recent arrival of a pregnant British journalist (Cate Blanchett) who wants to write a cover feature on him. Zissou recognizes that he is past his prime as an oceanographer and lacks the skills needed to lead his assembled team and all the while he attempts to impress both Ned and Jane with a confidence that is obviously artificial. Like his character in Lost In Translation, Bill Murray plays a man who is aging and must come to terms with the fact that his appeal is declining.
So yes, there is a lot going on. And really, what I've explained in the above paragraph only begins to describe the film and doesn't really give anything away. The cast also includes great supporting roles from Anjelica Huston (as Eleanor Zissou, Steve's eccentric ex-wife) and Jeff Goldblum (the much more eccentric Alistair Hennessey, whose acquaintance with Steve Zissou is marked by both abhorrence and jealousy).
The number of characters and things going on may disorient some viewers, but it was a big part of what made the film ultimately work. The start was slow, and I honestly worried that this would be Anderson's first flop as a filmmaker. But while it may not be a seemingly-flawless film like The Royal Tenenbaums, certain elements exceed far beyond Tenenbaums, most notably the beautiful visuals that Anderson has always provided, albeit in more domestic surroundings in his previous films. The rest is typical Wes Anderson: great music, laugh-out-loud moments, a moment or two of drama, and characters who may seem silly but are definitely not empty
Remarks on the DVD:
Like the excellent Criterion/Buena Vista collaboration that resulted in The Royal Tenenbaums DVD package, The Life Aquatic DVD also sports some great bonuses. There are ten deleted scenes, a cast and crew interview, ten complete Seu Jorge performances of David Bowie songs in Portuguese, an Albert Maysles-directed making-of documentary entitled This Is An Adventure, and several others. If you liked the film, you'll love the DVD.
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