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June 2000

Being John Malkovich: Special Edition
Reviewed by Roger Kanno
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment: ****1/2
Picture Quality: *****
Sound Quality: ***1/2
Packaged Extras: ***

Starring John Cusack, Catherine Keener, Cameron Diaz, John Malkovich

Directed by Spike Jonze

Theatrical Release: 1999
DVD Release: 2000
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen (Anamorphic)


Being John Malkovich received well-deserved Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and is one of the most original and innovative films in recent years. Although Catherine Keener was the only cast member singled out with a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her portrayal of the manipulative Maxine, the entire cast of this film is outstanding.

John Cusack plays Craig Schwartz, a dark and moody puppeteer who, to makes ends meet, applies for and gets a job at a strange office that's located on the 7-1/2 floor of an office tower. Everyone must crouch to move around. It is here that he discovers a small door behind a filing cabinet that is really a portal into the mind of Hollywood actor and thespian, John Malkovich. Anyone who enters it gets to see the world through Malkovich’s eyes for fifteen minutes before being deposited on the New Jersey turnpike. Sound too far-fetched? See this and you may really believe it can happen.

Lotte is Schwartz's pet-obsessed wife. She is portrayed by the uncharacteristically homely-looking Cameron Diaz (whom you might not even recognize in this role). Despite her plain and unkept appearance, when Lotte travels through the Malkovich portal she transforms into a "smitten-kitten" longing for the love of sultry Maxine. Other odd characters wanting to enter the portal are Schwartz's boss (Orson Bean), a passive, elderly man mis-diagnosed with a speech impediment, and his hearing-impaired receptionist (Mary Kay Place) who wrongly diagnosed him. Charlie Sheen also shows up in a not-too-flattering yet hilarious cameo. Although John Malkovich plays himself in this film, his performance is actually a very funny caricature of himself. The only actor who plays a "normal" person is Keener. Even though she appears to be totally driven by greed and power, the audience can relate to her as the only sane person in a sea of neurotic and disturbed characters.

Schwartz’s puppeteering in the film is sometimes disturbing, but is used effectively as a device to mirror the plot with the puppets displaying an amazing range of emotion and feeling. The film can best be described as quirky with many sly jokes and clever observations that first-time director Spike Jonze keeps very low key. From Schwartz’s off-kilter workplace to the ridiculous humanization of Lotte’s pets, some of the situations are ridiculous, but Jonze’s wry and subtle direction is funny and manages to never go over the top.

The soundtrack of Being John Malkovich is mostly dialog driven with few foley effects and very little music. Because of this, the sound is often in mono. Dialog is almost exclusively center oriented with little atmosphere. However, there are occasional aggressive surround effects such as in Chapter 22 when Malkovich enters his own portal. The surround ambience is used effectively when entering the tunnel to the portal and when inside Malkovich’s head. In contrast to the sound, the video quality of this disc is outstanding. While the colors are often dark, the natural lighting brings out their richness without overemphasizing them. Color fidelity is superb with truly excellent shadow detail. For instance, the curtain of the puppet stage in the opening scene is a rich, deep, and a velvety royal blue. The interior shots of Schwartz’s apartment are dimly lit, but surprisingly detailed and natural in appearance.

While there are many extras included on this disc, two are merely video material which were featured in the film as a television broadcast and a videotape presentation. Two others are somewhat strange documentary features -- one on the art of puppeteering and one on the "art" of background driving (i.e. driving vehicles in the background of a scene). There is also what appears to be an interview with Spike Jonze, a theatrical trailer, television spots, a photo album, cast and crew biographies, and a page with nothing on it.

Being John Malkovich is one of 1999’s best films and is definitely worth owning on DVD. The picture quality is pristine and the audio quality, though not up to the standards of the video (probably more a function of the original audio mix and not of the DVD transfer), is acceptable enough. If you can only get one film from 1999 on DVD, get American Beauty (when it is released). But if you can manage it, make sure to get this one too. 


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