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Release Information:
Film Title: The Dancer Upstairs
Credit: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: 20th October 2003
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 127 Minutes
DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Widescreen 16x9)
DVD Sound Quality: 5.1 Dolby
DVD Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired
DVD Features: Commentary from John Malkovich and Javier Bardem
Featurette: Sundance Channel Featurette, Journeys with John Malkovich
Featurette: Revealing The Dancer UpstairsL
Editor
The first thing you need to know about this film is that there are a lot of
dead dogs in it - mostly strung up on lamp-posts. So if you're still interested,
read on! The film is set somewhere in Latin
American and is loosely based around police investigations into the work of
revolutionary activists. The main character Agustin Rejas is a fairly gloomy
and intense character and as the film progresses we're introduced to his wife
and daughter who takes ballet lessons.
The film shows a different culture and its interest is in how the police officer deals with the investigation in what is a very unstable and violent environment, where no-one really cares, and those that do are just a likely to stab you in the back. .
The film is somewhat confusing as nothing is clearly explained, e.g. where is it based, what are the motives of the revolutionaries. You could argue that these aren't important, but then that means that you have to be the sort of person who likes complex films. If you're looking for something light , then forget this one.
The other challenging aspect of the film is the various accents, that are mostly Spanish, but sometimes difficult to hear clearly. The character study of "Rejas" is interesting and there are minor twists here and there and a bit of warmth to contrast with the gory killings. This is a niche market film for acquired tastes - you'll either love or hate it.
From the Press Release
SAcademy Award® nominee John Malkovich makes his directorial debut in the critically acclaimed film THE DANCER UPSTAIRS, a gripping thriller with a love story at its core. THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is released to rent on DVD and video and buy on DVD on 20th October 2003 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Agustin Rejas (Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls) is an idealistic lawyer-turned-police officer who is put in charge of tracking down a pack of guerrillas whose trademark is to leave dead dogs tagged with ominous messages hanging from the city’s street lights. They strike at random, sowing fear in the population of the unnamed Latin American country where the film takes place.
Rejas dotes on his daughter and appears to be happily married. However, when he starts to take an interest in his daughter’s dancing instructor, the beautiful Yolanda (Laura Morante, The Good Father), his time with her allows him a kind of quiet sanctuary from the violence in his life.
John Malkovich, best known for his acting roles in films including Johnny English, Ripley’s Game and Dangerous Liaisons, has approached his first foray into directing with the same intensity he has always demonstrated as an actor and his small cameo performance in THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is worth looking out for!
On DVD, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS contains a commentary from John Malkovich and Javier Bardem and two fascinating featurettes - ‘Journeys with John Malkovich’ and a behind the scenes documentary ‘Revealing The Dancer Upstairs’.
THE DANCER UPSTAIRS was adapted for the screen by Nicholas
Shakespeare from his own novel and is an elegantly shot film which examines
the ways in which terrorism can take its toll on a nation’s self-confidence.
A rare piece of filmmaking that will stay with you long after the credits
have rolled.
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