Easily recommended based on the performances and production design, not on its relative merits as a historical document.
Bernard undergoes a remarkable transformation during the course of 102 minutes, going from meek and mild to flamboyant (Balaban calls it "androgynous," a description I disagree with). With each passing year, we see the manifestation of the confidence in subtle ways: an additional ring, looser clothing, longer hair, sharing more personal information. These touches serve two purposes, the first is to showcase the evolving character. The second, more subtle, is to denote the passage of time. See, one of the moments of genius in "Bernard & Doris" is how we´re never spoon fed the narrative. All the backstory we need to know is given over the beginning credits in the form of newspaper clippings. From there, the audience is forced to keep up with the shifting time periods. It is a deliberate choice by Balaban and Costello, a choice which works to the advantage of the production.
VIDEO:
I´ve gotta admit, as the second standard definition DVD I plugged into a brand new 46 inch HDTV, "Bernard & Doris" looks pretty bad. The package lists anamorphic enhancement and, indeed, it is rendered in that ratio. However, nearly every scene is undetailed, fuzzy and lacking in any sense of clarity. The only shots to look respectable are the ones taking place outside. Everything else is a disaster to look at. From blocky blacks to a general haze over the entire production, I can´t figure out what the exact problem is. To boot, Balaban claims the movie was filmed with a digital camera with a film lens in front of it. This is a poor transfer. I expect better.
AUDIO:
The 5.1 English mix fares much better, but then that´s not saying a lot, now is it? There is a slight audio hiss in the quieter scenes, but it really never becomes too intrusive. Everything else is about on par with what I expected: dialogue wasn´t muddled, voices are crisp and well rendered and most of the audio is kept to the front speakers. Only the soundtrack-somewhat comprised of Peggy Lee tunes-allows the rest of the speakers come to life. A Spanish 2.0 track is also included, along with the usual suite of subtitles (English, French and Spanish) and Closed Captions.
EXTRAS:
The film is headlined by a standard trailer for other HBO movies (1:42) and a trailer for "The Bucket List" (:33). Otherwise, we have a sub-ten minute featurette called "Growing Up Rich: The Real Doris Duke." Balaban is the only participant here and he comes off as someone unsure about the subject (Duke). While he goes into broad strokes regarding her life, there is never an in depth understanding of what made her tick. Only a recitation of what is gleaned off a newspaper article.
Balaban returns for the aforementioned commentary track. Honestly, it´s a near bore. He spends more time recounting the cast and crew than he does with any meaningful insight into the film. The director is most impressed with the production design…the flowers, carpets, chairs, beds and the like. His technical comments would have been better played with a partner, someone to bring the track to life. (It is also here Balaban gets into the most trouble. He acknowledges Sarandon and Duke don´t look anything alike, yet she was cast anyway. Why? He never says, but I suspect it has to do with financing. It´s these types of revelations which call into question why the film was ever made, not to mention beg for a follow up.)
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"Bernard & Doris" is easily recommended based on the performances and production design, not on its relative merits as a historical document. Too many liberties were taken with the original information because there was a lack of facts for the filmmakers to use. The problem is we never get the sense this is a real story, only an amalgamation of scenes. Why does Bernard adore Doris? Why does Doris take to Bernard and give him a second chance? Sadly, the narrative never seems interested in pursuing that story.
VIDEO:
I´ve gotta admit, as the second standard definition DVD I plugged into a brand new 46 inch HDTV, "Bernard & Doris" looks pretty bad. The package lists anamorphic enhancement and, indeed, it is rendered in that ratio. However, nearly every scene is undetailed, fuzzy and lacking in any sense of clarity. The only shots to look respectable are the ones taking place outside. Everything else is a disaster to look at. From blocky blacks to a general haze over the entire production, I can´t figure out what the exact problem is. To boot, Balaban claims the movie was filmed with a digital camera with a film lens in front of it. This is a poor transfer. I expect better.
AUDIO:
The 5.1 English mix fares much better, but then that´s not saying a lot, now is it? There is a slight audio hiss in the quieter scenes, but it really never becomes too intrusive. Everything else is about on par with what I expected: dialogue wasn´t muddled, voices are crisp and well rendered and most of the audio is kept to the front speakers. Only the soundtrack-somewhat comprised of Peggy Lee tunes-allows the rest of the speakers come to life. A Spanish 2.0 track is also included, along with the usual suite of subtitles (English, French and Spanish) and Closed Captions.
EXTRAS:
The film is headlined by a standard trailer for other HBO movies (1:42) and a trailer for "The Bucket List" (:33). Otherwise, we have a sub-ten minute featurette called "Growing Up Rich: The Real Doris Duke." Balaban is the only participant here and he comes off as someone unsure about the subject (Duke). While he goes into broad strokes regarding her life, there is never an in depth understanding of what made her tick. Only a recitation of what is gleaned off a newspaper article.
Balaban returns for the aforementioned commentary track. Honestly, it´s a near bore. He spends more time recounting the cast and crew than he does with any meaningful insight into the film. The director is most impressed with the production design…the flowers, carpets, chairs, beds and the like. His technical comments would have been better played with a partner, someone to bring the track to life. (It is also here Balaban gets into the most trouble. He acknowledges Sarandon and Duke don´t look anything alike, yet she was cast anyway. Why? He never says, but I suspect it has to do with financing. It´s these types of revelations which call into question why the film was ever made, not to mention beg for a follow up.)
PARTING THOUGHTS:
"Bernard & Doris" is easily recommended based on the performances and production design, not on its relative merits as a historical document. Too many liberties were taken with the original information because there was a lack of facts for the filmmakers to use. The problem is we never get the sense this is a real story, only an amalgamation of scenes. Why does Bernard adore Doris? Why does Doris take to Bernard and give him a second chance? Sadly, the narrative never seems interested in pursuing that story.
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[release]23529[/release]