Our Recommendations
Books
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) [DVD]
starring: Billy Bob Thornton|Frances McDormand|Michael Badalucco|Adam Alexi-Malle
directed by: Joel Coen
directed by: Joel Coen
![DVD : The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513ZY1V4PEL.jpg)
|
|
|
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.77:1 Audience Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Binding: DVD Brand: ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO EAN: 5017239191381 Format: PAL Label: Eiv Languages: Manufacturer: Eiv MPN: 5017239191381 Number Of Discs: 1 Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Eiv Region Code: 2 Release Date: April 22, 2002 Running Time: 116 minutes Studio: Eiv |
List Price: £19.99 Amazon.co.uk's Price: £3.49 You Save: £16.50 (83%)Prices subject to change. Used Price: £0.97 Collectible Price: £5.99 Third Party New Price: £1.98 |
|
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
(opens in a new window - please enable pop-ups) Alternatively: Buy direct from |
|
Related Items:
- O Brother Where Art Thou [DVD] [2000]
- Miller's Crossing [1990] [DVD] [1991]
- Raising Arizona [1987] [DVD]
- Barton Fink [DVD]
- The Hudsucker Proxy [1994] [DVD]
- see more
Editorial Review:
Amazon.co.uk Review:
With The Man Who Wasn't There the Coen brothers--those ironic geniuses of left-field bizarre--have pulled off another side-swerve into the unexpected. A movie "about a hairdresser who wants to become a dry-cleaner" as the brothers gleefully claim to have pitched it, it's set in 1949 in the small Northern California town of Santa Rosa (venue for Hitchcock's 1943 classic Shadow of a Doubt) and filmed in lustrous, deep-shadowy black-and-white--an affectionate, though never slavish, tribute to the great era of film noir.
Not only in its austere monochrome but in its tone, it comes as a total contrast to the Coens' previous film, the cheerfully picaresque O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Though they toss in plenty of surreal gags, including a whole running thread about flying saucers (this is Roswell-era America, after all), the overall mood is quiet, reflective and even--something quite new for the Coens--compassionate. Their protagonist, barber Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton, proving himself one of the great chameleon actors of our time), is a man trapped by his own impassivity--inside him, a seething mass of emotion that he's utterly unable to express. In true Coen style, his frustration leads him into a fatal move that spirals disastrously out of control.
Thornton is ably supported by a whole gallery of Coen regulars--Frances McDormand, Jon Polito, Tony Shalhoub--plus James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) and an amazingly assured turn from Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World). The dialogue, as you'd expect, is masterly, while the brothers' regular collaborators Director of Photography Roger Deakins and production designer Dennis Gassner work wonders of period evocation, and Carter Burwell contributes a haunting score.
On the DVD: The Man Who Wasn't There comes to DVD in a sharp, clean 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer that captures all the depth and subtlety of Deakins' superb photography, impeccably matched by the crystal-clear Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. A lavish helping of extras includes a trailer and two TV spots, stills photo gallery, filmographies, a 16-minute "making of" featurette, an overlong (47 minutes) interview with Deakins, a batch of deleted scenes, and best of all, the voice-over commentary. This gives us not just Joel and Ethan, but Billy Bob as well, chatting and chortling and clearly enjoying every second of the movie they've made. Their enthusiasm is irresistible. –-Philip Kemp
Average Rating: none
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
(opens in a new window - please enable pop-ups)
Alternatively: Buy direct from
(opens in a new window - please enable pop-ups)
Alternatively: Buy direct from
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display