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Sometimes I don't understand movies. Here we have The Dreamers, made by Bernardo Bertolucci, one of the world's more respected filmmakers. Some would consider it art. And some would consider it filth. Myself, I tried to see it for the film - I tried to appreciate it for the art, but in the end, I just felt dirty.
The Dreamers is set in 1968 France - a time of revolution and rebellion - and also a time and place where film and art were king. A time of cinephiles - film buffs - who I guess tried to change the world. I wasn't around, so I can't really say. Amongst the cinephiles, this is the story of an American named Matthew (Michael Pitt). To say that he loves movies would be an understatement. Then, there's Isabelle and Theo (Eva Green and Louis Garrel) sister and brother and fellow cinephiles who take Matthew into their home. Everything starts out fine, but then it starts to veer into the strange and it lost me. What was the point of this story? Want me to explain? Well, if nudity doesn't bother you, I guess you might like this movie. But if that nudity involves brothers and sisters forcing each other to perform some pretty graphic sex acts in front of other people, you might want to steer clear. That's all I have to say about that.
Among the special features included on this DVD, there's a feature commentary with director Bernardo Bertolucci, writer Gilbert Adair and producer Jeremy Thomas. It isn't a bad commentary, but it didn't make me appreciate the movie that much better either. Bertolucci was the weak link here, as it seemed he mumbled his was through the commentary - and it was difficult for the most part to understand what he was saying. Of the three participants, Adair was the most animated and provided the most insight, considering the film was based partly on his experiences. (The cinephile part, not the kinky sexuality part I hope.)
For featurettes, the documentary "Bertolucci Makes The Dreamers" is a behind the scenes look at the making of the movie. This isn't your ordinary making-of featurette. It's produced by the BBC, so it isn't your glossy, studio-produced advertising piece. Instead, it's a mixture looking at the history and the filmmaking, with clips from actual events in 1968 France interwoven with interviews with Bertolucci where he talks not only about the history, but also the production in relation to his own personal experiences. We also get interviews with the stars, the writer and various people involved all of which makes this feature the best thing this DVD has to offer.
In the featurette "Outside the Window: Events in France, May, 1968" we go more in-depth into what was going on at the time, and how it relates to the movie. While semi-interesting, personally, I didn't get it. While the movie starts out in 1968 France, it soon veers into this wild and crazy incestual sex romp and the whole 1968 France thing falls by the wayside. After seeing the movie, the time and the events are going to be the last thing you remember about the story. So why try to make a big deal about it?
Other features include a music video for "Hey Joe" performed by Michael Pitt and directed by Bertolucci, and trailers for this movie and for Garden State.
An unforgettable erotic story? Hardly. Am I that closed-minded? I don't think so. In my opinion, this movie crossed the line. Not that I mind a little sex and nudity. (And trust me that Eva Green isn't too difficult to look at). I guess if incestual sex is something your into - by all means, check out this DVD - just do me a favor and don't call it art.
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