Bartleby (DVD)

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Inevitably, there will be comparisons to "Office Space" and "The Hudsucker Proxy"-the former, because of office antics, and the latter because of the fabulistic treatment and surreal elements (such as the office building set ominously high on a hill rising high among freeway cloverleafs as commuter cars roll along). But this film lacks the laughs of "Office Space" and the complex plot of Hudsucker. Watching it, I couldn't help but think of an old Jimmy Buffett lyric, "Living and Dying in Three-Quarter Time." This is life in the slow lane.

Video:
It would have been a real disappointment, given the psychedelic treatment, if the colors in this film had not been strikingly vibrant or if the picture wasn't sharp. Fear not. Parker's crew produced a visual treat, and the sensory overload is almost jarring against so much slow-motion activity. And maybe that was his goal. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1, which is broad enough to handle such a wild palette.

Audio:
You have a choice between Dolby Digital Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. The tonal quality on the Stereo option is flatter than the Surround, and a bit heavy on the treble. Rear speakers aren't just used for ambient office sounds. They help distribute the pervasive Theremin soundtrack evenly throughout the room, so that it begins to feel like interactive video. No complaints here-but be warned that the Theremin produces a "wooooOOOOOoooo" sound, over and over again, that may find you thinking it's eerie and cool one minute to thinking it's nerve-wracking and annoying the next.

Extras:
This disc contains a real mixed bag. There's a click-on filmography for each member of the six-person ensemble, which is always useful. But then there's a click-on interview with each cast member, in character. That would be fine, if what the actors said somehow revealed how they got into their characters or gave us more insight than we could get from watching the film. But that's not the case. This lame feature just gives us talking heads telling us what we just saw. Then there's the obligatory trailer, where it's fun to see how a film is packaged. But the best of the extras are two small featurettes: "Mini-Director Commentary with Jonathan Parker" (and friends), and "About the Theremin." The commentary is really a making-of feature with talking heads and background shots interspersed with footage from the film, but as such features go it's above average. The real treat is the Theremin feature. I hadn't even heard of the instrument until this movie, and it was nothing short of a Sixties' trip to watch a musician play this thing by moving his hands too close to two antennae so that they caused weird feedback (and, thus, the strange-sounding music).

Parting Thoughts:
While Parker remained faithful to the circumstances of the Melville fable, he opted for an eerie tone and surreal atmosphere. As a result, the film has the feel of a Ray Bradbury story: "Something Reluctant This Way Comes." But that, coupled with the anti-establishment theme, the psychedelic colors, and the slowed-down pacing should be enough to make this film a cult classic. Who knows? It may even evolve into another "Rocky Horror Picture Show," with audience participation and a new zest for the anti-office life.

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