The Bottom Line
Pros
- Most cinephiles have fun with the many movie references in “The Dreamers”
- Film occasionally manages to generate erotic tension
- DVD provides excellent bonus materials that enhance enjoyment of the feature film
Cons
- Some find the movie pretentious and its main characters too self-absorbed
- Some consider the film pointless and unevocative of its time and place
- Some find the movie’s main characters unlikable and not believable
Description
- DVD containing English-language drama "The Dreamers" (2003)
- Movie directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
- DVD has audio commentary by Bertolucci, screenwriter Gilbert Adair, producer Jeremy Thomas
- DVD provides 52-minute documentary "Bertolucci Makes 'The Dreamers'"
- DVD contains 14-minute featurette "Outside the Window: Events in France, May 1968"
- DVD provides music video "Hey Joe" performed by Michael Pitt and the Twins of Evil
- Excellent picture (anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, Color) and excellent sound quality
- MPAA Rating: NC-17 for explicit sexual content (there is also an R-rated DVD version available)
- Feature run time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- DVD release date: July 13, 2004
Guide Review - "The Dreamers" DVD
Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers" is not as deep or resonant as some of his other movies, but I nonetheless found it reasonably entertaining. I was impressed by the film’s beautiful visual style, and I enjoyed its allusions to old movies and the events in Paris in 1968. Also, "The Dreamers" occasionally manages to generate erotic tension, a quality rare in films made over the last several years. The movie is available in two DVD versions, one rated NC-17 and an R-rated one that is three minutes shorter.
I see "The Dreamers" as a coming-of-age story about a 20-year-old American (Michael Pitt) who is living in Paris in 1968. He religiously attends movies at the Cinématèque Française, but one day he goes there to find it shut down. A political demonstration is in progress, during which he meets a set of French twins (Eva Green and Louis Garrel) his own age. The film chronicles the relationship that develops among the three young people as they explore their sexuality. They are so wrapped up in themselves that they are caught off guard by the unfolding political events.
The bonus materials on the DVD greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the movie. There is a feature-length English-language audio commentary track with director Bernardo Bertolucci, screenwriter Gilbert Adair, and producer Jeremy Thomas. Also, there's a 52-minute making-of documentary that I found much more engaging than those on most DVDs.
