American Beauty (US)
...look closer
Certificate: R
Running Time: 122 mins
Retail Price: $26.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
...look closer at the most talked about film of the year. Intelligent, provocative and wickedly funny, American Beauty has struck a chord with audiences around the world and become a defining achievement in cinematic history.
...look closer at the most honoured film of the year. Winner of 5 Academy Awards, American Beauty appeared on over 275 Top 10 lists and was named Best Picture of the Year by over 65 critics. In an extraordinary directorial debut, Sam Mendes (Directors Guild of America Award) teamed with screenwriter Alan Ball (Writers Guild of America Award) to capture unparalleled praise among critics and audiences alike.
...look closer at the most acclaimed cast of the year led by brilliant performances from Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening as the indelible Lester and Carolyn Burnham, a seemingly ordinary couple in an anonymous suburban neighborhood whose marriage, and lives, are slowly unraveling. From beginning to startling end, American Beauty has been deemed a "flat-out masterpiece" (Rod Dreher, New York Post) that will entertain and challenge audiences to ...look closer for years to come.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
American Beauty: Look Closer... A Fascinating Behind-the-Scenes Featurette with Interviews from the Award-Winning Cast and Crew
Insightful Film Commentary with Director Sam Mendes and Writer Alan Ball
Exclusive Storyboard Presentation with Commentary by Sam Mendes and Director of Photography Conrad L. Hall
Digital Screenplay with Corresponding Film Footage and Storyboards (DVD-ROM only)
Cast and Crew Biographies
Two Theatrical Trailers
Production Notes
Plus, Other DVD-ROM Exclusives!
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English
DTS 5.1 English
Subtitle Tracks:
CC: English
Directed By:
Sam Mendes
Written By:
Alan Ball
Starring:
Chris Cooper
Peter Gallagher
Mena Suvari
Wes Bentley
Thora Birch
Annette Bening
Kevin Spacey
Casting By:
Debra Zane
Soundtrack By:
Pete Townshend
Thomas Newman
Bob Dylan
Director of Photography:
Conrad L. Hall
Editor:
Christopher Greenbury
Tariq Anwar
Costume Designer:
Julie Weiss
Production Designer:
Naomi Shohan
Producer:
Stan Wlodkowski
Dan Jinks
Bruce Cohen
Alan Ball
Executive Producer:
Steven Spielberg
Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Your Opinions and Comments
I was so looking forward to this movie (I haven`t seen it in theater), but boy, was I disappointed.
I will not bore you with the story, since I personally found it just too boring to begin with.
The video transfer is not that good. There are a lot of scratches and a couple of blemishes as well. The artistic photography does not help. A movie of that magnitude
(according to anyone but me) deserved a better transfer.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack and DTS soundtrack are both ok. While this is not an effect movie, the surrounds are used on occasion and quality of the sound is satisfying.
The menus are animated and are nicely done.
The extras include a commentary by the director, a behind the scenes look, some storyboard to movie comparison and the usual filmographies. Nothing too exciting.
Bottom line - 5 Academy Awards? In one word - hilarious.
American Beauty is a great film. Funny, witty, clever etc etc.
Everything a film should be. A deserved winner of 5 Oscars or whatever it won.
How can the previous reviewer give it 7 and 8 out of 10 if he dislikes it so much?
Watch this film. It is a defining moment in Cinema.