Thoughts on American Beauty DVD

A detailed Summary of Thoughts on American Beauty DVD


The "Awards Edition" DVD is well-stocked with extra features. The DVD contains feature-length commentary by writer Alan Ball and Director Sam Mendes, "Look Closer" a 20- Minute Behind the Scenes featurette, an hour-long Storyboard to film presentation with Mendes and Director of Photography Conrad Hall, two trailers for the film; cast and crew bios; and some fairly extensive Production notes, in addition to some DVD-ROM features.

While the materials provided really help the viewer to "Look Closer" into the film, in the first few moments of the commentary, it becomes clear what was not included. A much discussed alternate ending and opening scene cut from the film, mentioned by Director Sam Mendes are not included on the DVD. This is extremely unfortunate, because, the alternate ending is quite different from that which ended up in the movie and sounds as if it would be quite intriguing. That being said, however, the feature-length commentary is fantastic. While Mendes does a bit more of the talking than Ball, the two really go into the imagery used in the film, the process of making t


Finally, the documentary is an enjoyable look at the acclaim the film has received, the actors' view of the film and the process of making it, the meaning of various themes in the film, the admiration the actors have for each other and their first-time director, and the genuine fun they had making this film. Worth the time to watch this on its own is seeing Kevin Spacey doing a cheerleader pom-pom routine. The documentary features Steven Spielberg, one of the founders of Dreamworks Pictures who gushes about the genius of this film and Mendes. It is a nice addition to round out the special features on this DVD.

Also quite enjoyable is the storyboard to film hour long discussion. The feature shows three storyboards and three cells from the film, while Mendes and Hall talk for a while about what was intended, why they might have taken a different route and what it was like to film the scene. The two discuss a number of storyboards during the first half of the film, examining the major plot lines of the story. Perhaps the most saddening thing about this feature is that the discussion ends rou

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Category: Movies

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