Take a closer look at American Beauty...
 Nov 4th, 2002
Advantages:
great extras - a great DVD of a great film
Disadvantages:
none
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
more
  Morgenhund
About me:
Not writing frequently any more - work demands curtail my time!
Member since:26.07.2000
Reviews:572
Members who trust:274
Review rated by 68 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
I have had the Region 2 DVD version of American Beauty since late June, when I got it as a birthday present from my sister. After having had a disappointing viewing of the DVD of Peter’s Friends, which whilst being a great film, even if tinged with sadness and the characters are about as incompatible with one another as they come, I moved on to American Beauty. And before I realised I had watched several times in a period of days. I do not intend to mention that much about the actual film in terms of plot as I believe the essence in this opinion should be on the DVD version, rather than an out and out film review, but to not mention a brief plot résumé (without spoiling the film for those who have yet to see it – and yes it is worth seeing as a film – there have been few as deserving winners in recent times of the Best Picture Oscar – one of five it picked up. It also picked up 6 BAFTA awards, and this also included Best Film).
What’s it all about: As with so many films the film starts with in American Suburbia, with whitewashed fences and a rose garden part of the Burnham house. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a middle aged man, confined to the humdrum meniality of middle management, with little prospect of furthering his career. His wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening),
is clearly wearing the trousers in a marriage that looks to have run its course, and Lester is leading a sterile existence, as his daughter struggles through her teenage years, clearly not the rosy image seen at the start of the film. It is through his daughter that he however undergoes a change, as he comes across a classmate of hers, Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), who is also a cheerleader and when attending an event, her teenage beauty ignites his lust for her. Without revealing everything, some pretty powerful themes are covered, from homophobia, drug dealing, mid-life crises, disintegration of a family, teenage love, growing pains, extra-marital affairs and the pursuit for forbidden fruits, but more I will not say – watch the film to discover why this film is such a quality film.
The film, as Mendes says in the voiceover commentary about the film, draws the viewer in to false punches – you expect something to happen, and expect someone to do it, when that person turns out to not be the person who does do it. This is what makes it such a good film, in that there are no foregone conclusions regarding who does what. The DVD:
Obviously the advantages of DVD over VHS are clear, but not all DVDs take advantage of the format’s capabilities, although American Beauty clearly proves that the DVD is worth the extra outlay. The picture – 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen is crystal clear – it was even better watching it on a big screen than via the DVD drive of my laptop, and with cinema sound (5.1 Surround Sound – English only) the film is even easier to appreciate. The soundtrack is only available in English, although there are subtitles in Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish as well as English. The Bonus Material:
As well as having subtitles, and menus available in Dutch and Swedish there are a number of extra features on the DVD, as well as chapter selection. These are as follows: --o Behind the Scenes Featurette o--
This is in the form of a 25 minute feature made up mainly of interviews with the cast and crew, as well as Steven Spielberg – after all this was produced by the Dreamworks Studio and assorted clips from the shooting of the film, with a lot of gushy gushy from the stars at awards ceremonies, as well as soundbites – you’ll probably watch this one once, and then not bother again, as the interest is relatively low. --o Audio Commentary by Director Sam Mendes and Screenwriter Alan Ball o--
This is one that might interest the film boffins more than anyone else, as the film is gone through in detail, with Mendes and Ball going into details about what is trying to be achieved, and it also has the feel as though as though you are watching with a freeze frame facility – the details that they point out are often things I would miss in watching the film on my own – but that being said I wouldn’t watch it with commentary the first time you watch it – you will want to watch a second time – trust me! Mendes also talks about the alternatively shot scenes which subsequently were not included. A great one for any budding filmmakers, and one that I don't think you should skim over! --o Storyboard Presentation with Mendes and Photographic Director Conrad L. Hall o--
Another one for the film boffins where Mendes discusses the cinematography of several storyboard scenes and with conversation between the two of them, with a “sportscast” feel to it with spontaneous jocularity between the two, although there is also a fair amount of lauding one another. This one is also a great one for budding filmmakers – you can take a lot from the storyboard presentation and glean tips from what they have done. --o 2 Trailers o--
The two trailers were the two that were used to promote the film, and are good for setting the scene, offering the standard macrocosm view of the main feature film. --o Miscellaneous Info o--
Certificate: 18 Film Length: 1 hour 57 mins, US 1999, more info about the film and its stars at www.imdb.com Conclusion:
This is a great DVD of a great film, and the extras, with the exception of the featurette go very well with the film. The DVD educates, informs and supplements the film, so I have no hesitation of giving a maximum rating for this one. And watching those features certainly gives you the explanation of why you should "look closer".
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![American Beauty [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78526734.jpg)
by (1%):
20.02.2004 15:33
A great detailed DVD op! Sid
01.02.2004 01:26
An excellent review of an excellent film, Kevin Spacey is such a good actor.
09.03.2003 03:03
Speechless! - What a great movie and I love the contemporary feel to this title, fantastic. Thanks for your worthy Op! (SC) :o)