Ìý There's much to please Coen Brothers fans about the DVD release of "The Man Who Wasn't There", except for one nagging section….
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture The icy black and white cinematography of the film is beautifully transferred to DVD to create an image rich with detail.
Sound As with many of their films, the Coen Brothers have paid particular attention to the soundtrack for "The Man Who Wasn't There". The DVD offers both 2.0 and 5.1 audio options, with the 5.1 eminently more satisfying in recreating such pronounced effects as a floor being swept, or hair being shaved.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary Joel and Ethan Coen are joined by lead star Billy Bob Thornton for a warm and funny commentary that's a pleasure to listen to. Thornton's main fear with the project was that he didn't want to deliberately act noirish, but once on set with the old cars and period sets, it was easy for him to slip into the role. Making the film in black and white had its problems for the Coens too, as they found themselves constantly taking Polaroids to see how things would actually turn out in black and white.
Making Of Featurette This is 16 minutes of cast interviews where the focus tends to be on the characters they're playing. Billy Bob Thornton does manage to come up with praise on working with the Coens, by filing them under his "there are certain people that don't suck" category.
Interview with Roger Deakins There aren't many DVDs that come with a 46-minute interview with the cinematographer of the film in question. Sadly for you cineastes, this is an interview marred by numerous inexcusable faults. The camera is still being set up as the interview begins, there are interruptions and fumbles that could have been edited out, and the interviewer isn't wired for sound, so you strain to hear his questions. This may be a blessing, for his style is pompous and stilted, like someone picked to read aloud in class. As for Deakins, he does have plenty to say about working on a black and white film, especially as he was able to bring his experience on "1984" to the Coen Brothers. Frankly though, his comments could have been edited down into a concise 15-minute piece if someone had been bothered to present this footage properly.
Deleted material Four short trims of maximum 12-second duration, and one three minute scene.
Additional Extra Features Also on the disc is a small but good behind-the-scenes photo gallery, a trailer, and two TV spots.
Region: 2
Chapters: 20
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0
Technical Features:Scene selection.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
