After David Mamet created a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's great stage drama "Uncle Vanya," director André Gregory collected a group of actors and rehearsed Mamet's adaptation off and on with them over a period of years. In 1994 film director Louis Malle made a movie of Gregory's actors performing the play at the abandoned New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street in New York City, and thus "Vanya on 42nd Street" came into being. When I watched "Vanya on 42nd Street" at home, I was spellbound.
The movie begins on the bustling streets of midtown Manhattan, where we see the actors walking toward the theater. Two men, who turn out to be Gregory and an actor named Wallace Shawn—both of "My Dinner with André" fame—chat briefly about the rehearsal they're going to. Soon we find ourselves inside a grand old theater that has fallen into serious disrepair, and without advance notice, the actors—still wearing their street clothes—are suddenly in character and speaking lines from the play.
We eventually learn that Vanya (Shawn) is a 47-year-old bachelor who manages a modest country estate. He is assisted in that task by his twenty-something niece Sonya (Brooke Smith). Their dull lives are occasionally enlivened by social visits from Dr. Astrov (Larry Pine), a local physician. The plain Sonya is smitten with the handsome Dr. Astrov, but he seems to have no romantic interest in her.
The estate is owned by Sonya's father, Professor Serebryakov, who showed no interest in it for years. Vanya managed it for him and sent him the income it produced. But after the professor's retirement, he decided he could no longer afford to live in town, and as the story gets underway, he and his 27-year-old wife Yelena (Julianne Moore) have come to live on the estate.
The unlikable professor loathes living on the estate, and his habits completely destroy the rhythm of life there. Also, the unattractive Vanya becomes helplessly enamored of the beautiful Yelena, while Yelena becomes sexually attracted to Dr. Astrov. Meanwhile, Vanya's hatred of the professor continues to grow, and when the professor announces his plan to sell the estate, Vanya tries to kill him.
The movie "Vanya on 42nd Street" is basically a filmed play, so of course it's very talky. I enjoyed Joshua Redman's incidental jazz score. Also, the sets are quite stark, consisting of little more than ordinary tables, chairs, and benches. However, the abandoned theater in which the movie is filmed is visually quite interesting. Although simply photographed, "Vanya on 42nd Street" is surprisingly cinematic and completely enthralling. I found myself caught up in the drama: it's a richly textured study of human nature and subtle, complex family dynamics.
I think the best thing about the movie is the wonderful ensemble acting. Watching the faces of these virtuoso actors was more fascinating to me than any special effects I've ever seen. The actors are all very much at ease with Mamet's words, each other, and the camera. I particularly liked Wallace Shawn as Vanya and Julianne Moore as Yelena, but there's not really a starring role. It's the way the entire cast plays together that makes everything work.
Alas, the DVD offers no special features of any significance.
Selected Special Features on the DVD:
- Theatrical Trailers (3)
- Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
- Spanish Subtitles
