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Stars:
Michael Pitt, Eva Green, and Louis Garrel
Writer: Gilbert Adair
Based On The Novel By: Gilbert
Adair
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Feature length: 115 minutes
Extras: Documentaries, Commentary,
Music Video, and Trailers
Languages: English Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound and French and Spanish Language Dolby Surround Sound
Subtitles: English Captions and
Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Chapter Stops: 28
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 2003/DVD
Release: 2004
Theatrical Distributor: Fox
Searchlight Pictures
Home Video Distributor: Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating:
NC-17
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Bernardo Bertolucci’s cinematic
adaptation of Gilbert Adair’s novel “The Dreamers” is at once an erotic
drama about a young American man named Michael (Michael Pitt) who makes friends
with Parisian paternal twins Isabelle (Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel) who
share a passion of the cinema that is only matched by their sensual infatuation
for each other. So they are trapped in a fantasy world they are unwilling to let
go. Set against the backdrop of demonstrations that lead to violent
confrontations on the streets of Paris in 1968, the three young twentysomethings
hole up in their parent’s apartment. With the parents away, it isn’t long
before erotic games that involve reenacting scenes from various film clips
occur. However reality of the outside world begins to creep in upon them all as
the twins are unable to emotionally separate from each other enough for Michael
to develop a healthy relationship with Isabelle and Michael is unable to commit
to the fantasy the twins have concocted for each other. This ultimately leads to
hard lessons for all involved.
“The Dreamers” is the first
film in six years to be rated NC-17 by the MPAA. The film contains graphic full
frontal nudity for both sexes as well as some very realistic looking simulated
sex scenes as well as suggested homoerotic overtones and incest. I got the
impression from the way Isabelle father’s touched her that he might have had
some questionable contact with his kids. The reaction of the character of Theo,
played by Louis Garrel, to his father seems to reflect a combination of arrested
teen angst and jealousy that if one reads between the lines could suggest even
more. Of course my interpretation of this behavior does not mean I’m right so
at best the subtext of this sequence is debatable. Michael Pitt has a
resemblance to a young or younger Leonardo DiCaprio while Eva Green looks a bit
like a young Ione Skye. Of course what one finds erotic is also extremely
subjective and there is one scene where Matthew and making love to Isabelle
while her brother watches and cooks eggs, smoking a long thin red cigarette that
I could not keep a straight face watching. It seemed so ridiculous to me that I
laughed. Unfortunately this is as an easy movie to goof on though overall it is
a serious film that is punctuated by the use of various clips from many films to
intensify the attraction between the three “dreamers” who ultimately are
star-crossed because none of them are able to face reality. Michael can never
truly break the bond between Theo and Isabelle and Isabelle and Theo are
unwilling to give up each other. Michael is also always an outsider emotionally
because he cannot bring himself to fully submit into their games. “The
Dreamers” will not appeal to some for the obvious reasons and it is far from a
perfect film. I felt the ending was too abrupt though the overall message does
get across and it is not pornography.
Twentieth Century Fox Home
Entertainment will release “The Dreamers” in both R-rated and NC-17 rated
versions sold separately on DVD. The picture quality is excellent with an
anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio and a surprisingly full sounding
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack. French and Spanish Language Dolby
Surround Soundtracks and English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing
impaired as well as Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded as options. Director
Bernardo Bertolucci, Screenwriter/Author Gilbert Adair, and Producer Jeremy
Thomas participate in a screen specific and quite insightful audio commentary
track that discusses how the Paris demonstration scenes were recreated; how the
three actors helped redefine the way their characters were dramatized from the
script to the screen as well as the dramatic differences between the book and
the movie.
Two behind-the-scenes
documentaries entitled “Cinema, Sex, Politics: Bertolucci Makes The
Dreamers,” which was produced by the BBC and “Outside The Window” produced
by Fox are presented in anamorphic widescreen and complement the audio
commentary very well. Michael Pitt’s and the Twins of Evil’s music video for
their cover of “Hey Joe” and trailers for “The Dreamers” and “Garden
State” wrap up the extra features on this DVD. The main DVD menu is animated
while the subsequent menus are standard interactive still frames that are easy
to navigate.
“The Dreamers” will debut on
DVD-Video from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment at retailers on and
offline on Tuesday, July 13, 2004.
© Copyright 2004 By Mark A.
Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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