Freed from the strictures of the Karlsburg royal palace to attend University, THE STUDENT PRINCE IN OLD HEIDELBERG experiences true love for the first time.

This wonderful, exuberant, heartbreaking film - one of the last major movies of the Silent Era - is a scintillating example of the artistry of director Ernst Lubitsch. Filled with wry humor & aching pathos, Lubitsch tells a tale which is a persuasive paean to the power of the talkless film.

MGM had great faith in this movie & gave it excellent production values, with crowds of extras and picture-perfect sets & costumes. Based in part on the Wilhelm Meyer-Förster novel & the operetta by Sigmund Romberg, the film revels in romanticism.

Ramon Novarro, always eager to please his audience, brings great charm to the title role. Although about 10 years too old to be playing a typical university freshman, he nonetheless brings tremendous enthusiasm to the role. It was this essential boyishness which encouraged MGM to continue giving him roles which were too young for him (in 1932's HUDDLE he would play a Yale freshman). The Studio also insisted on giving their Mexican star a wide range of ethnic parts, everything from Chinese to Arab. He played them all well, but none better than here in STUDENT PRINCE. It is a shame that Hollywood would not reciprocate by giving him topnotch assignments.

Norma Shearer is radiant as Kathi, the vivacious & lovely barmaid who is beloved by the Prince. She gives a wonderful performance in what was considered a breakthrough role for her. She married MGM executive Irving Thalberg the same year STUDENT PRINCE was released and her stardom at the Studio was firmly established. She earned her celebrity through hard work and honest talent, however, not by noodling with the boss.

Jean Hersholt, as the Prince's gentle tutor, puts his own stamp on the kind of sympathetic role with which he would become associated. Miles removed from his villainous portrayals in TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY (1922) or GREED (1925), Hersholt here is the very embodiment of benevolence.

Gustav von Seyffertitz as the cold King, Edmund Connelly as the stern Prime Minister & Bobby Mack as an old rustic retainer all add very fine support. Movie mavens will recognize Lionel Belmore as a boisterous student & Charles K. Arthur as a drowsy inebriate, both unbilled.

Carl Davis supplied one of his typically bravura scores for the home video reissue of the film. He conducts the English Chamber Orchestra.

While Karlsburg is a fictitious Teutonic kingdom, Heidelberg is a very real city located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. As ancient capital of the Rhenish Palatinate, its electoral counts - always a branch of the Wittelsbach royal family of Bavaria - played a significant role in the history of both the Holy Roman Empire and Central Europe. Although originally Roman Catholic, political vicissitudes brought about a change to Protestantism centuries ago. Heidelberg University was founded in 1386 by Count Rupert I & chartered the same year by Pope Urban VI. After a period of dissolution, it was revitalized in the 19th Century as a center of the sciences, law & philosophy. Town & gown are both overlooked by Heidelberg Castle, one of Europe's mightiest fortresses, where it sits on its hill 330 feet above the Neckar River. Its cellars contains the fabled Heidelberg Tun, a prodigious 18th Century wine cask capable of holding 49,000 gallons - surely a source of wonder to the Student Prince & his classmates...


Crown Prince Karl Heinrich (Ramon Novarro) hates being a prince. He can't go out and mingle or meet other people because of his station. He goes to Heidelberg to study. There he meets beautiful bar maid Kathi (Norma Shearer) and falls madly in love. She loves him too..but he can't marry beneath his station in life...

Just stunning silent film. You watch the screen mesmerized by how beautiful it is. It's wonderfully directed by Ernst Lubitsch with some truly incredible images but it's Novarro and Shearer who carry this film. He's unbearably handsome--she's just incredibly beautiful. Together they look like perfection and both give superb performances - I believed they were in love completely! There's a just incredible sequence on a starlit night in a field of flowers. All kidding aside, it was so beautiful you could almost cry! It all leads to a tragic but realistic ending. Just simply a must-see movie. Don't miss this one!


Before Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly wrote their immortal score for The Student Prince, it had originally been performed as a straight dramatic work by the great turn of the last century stage actor, Richard Mansfield. Entitled In Old Heidelberg it is what we are in fact seeing here as opposed to a silent version of the musical, an oxymoron if there ever was one.

I do so love the music of Romberg and Donnelly, especially what they wrote for The Student Prince. Yet I was able to appreciate the fine dramatic work of Ramon Novarro as the prince of Karlsbad and Norma Shearer as Kathi the barmaid. They certainly were as romantic a couple as ever graced the silent screen.

Without the music, this version of The Student Prince went for characterization instead. There is a long sequence of about a quarter of the running time of the film that goes into Prince Karl's childhood with young Philippe DeLacy playing the prince as a child. We see the relationship with the very stern King played by Gustave Von Seyfertitz and later on when he's introduced to his tutor and closest friend, Jean Hersholt. Hersholt has the best performance in the film.

Novarro plays a most charming prince and Shearer is a fetching barmaid with whom he falls in love with. After the childhood prologue, the rest of the film is pretty much the same as the 1954 version with Ann Blyth, Edmond Purdom and the voice of Mario Lanza.

For reasons I don't understand MGM which held the rights to the Student Prince did not make a sound version until 1954. Odd when you consider that during the Thirties they had Allan Jones under contract who would have been wonderful in the part. Having heard him sing Deep In My Heart I can attest to that. Failing that it sure could have been a property for Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.

I believe the German locale of the story probably had something to do with it not being filmed. Also the subject of an errant prince refusing to face his responsibilities was a big international story with the once and future Edward VIII giving it all up for the woman he loved. I can believe that Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer probably did not want to anger the British market at that time.

Though I missed the Romberg/Donnelly score, I still enjoyed the performances of Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer and the rest of the cast being transported back to Old Heidelberg under the masterful direction of Ernest Lubitsch. Try to see this if it is ever broadcast again.


I found this film an absolute delight. All of the leads put in outstanding preformances. The romance between Prince Karl(Ramon Novarro) and Kathi(Norma Shearer) is wonderfully presented, and it is truly poignant. I did feel, however, that the film loses momentum, to an extent, twoards the end. The music score on the home video edition is, like most by Carl Davis, a big plus. Well worth seeing.


Ramon Novarro (as Karl Heinrich) is the Crown Prince of Karlsburg. He is envied by his subjects, but lonely and isolated behind castle walls. Quite Princely in appearance, and capable of performing royal duties, he is, nonetheless, not enamored with dutiful royalties. With help from tutor Jean Hersholt (as Dr. Juttner), he becomes an honor student, and is goes to university at Old Heidelberg. There, he meets and falls in love with commoner Norma Shearer (as Kathi).

"The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" is a first rate silent film production, expertly directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Mr. Novarro is appropriately exuberant as the young Prince - his performance is excellent throughout, but really starts to dazzle in the scenes beginning with his witnessing of Ms. Shearer's downing a German beer. Mr. Hersholt is great as Novarro's tutor; both men are superior with the necessary "silent screen" acting, and the more forward "underplaying". Ms. Shearer is just a step behind her co-stars in artful acting; but, it's a a gap she will very quickly fill. Shearer is terrific in the scene when she learns Novarro is leaving, and helps him pack. Philipe de Lacy is notable, playing the Prince as a boy; his characterization matches the older Novarro - director Lubitsch directs these early sequences effectively, creating the image of a young prince in his castle prison.

When a couple of important people in the Prince's life die, the story becomes necessarily more somber in tone. Of course, Novarro must eventually become King - these scenes are beautifully symbolic, and extraordinarily well photographed. The visit by an old friend prompts Novarro's return to Old Heidelberg, with unexpected results. Don't miss a later scene, when Novarro returns to his Old Heidelberg bedroom - especially, watch how Novarro briefly strokes his bed, obviously thinking of Shearer; it's a superb little bit of sexual suggestion. It would be nice to know whether the gesture originated with Novarro or Lubitsch - but, it's probably not possible to determine. "Is it Good to be King?" You'll know when you see Novarro's beautifully acted final scene, in his royal carriage - certainly, it's one of the most memorable performances in silent cinema.

********** The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (9/21/27) Ernst Lubitsch ~ Ramon Novarro, Norma Shearer, Jean Hersholt, Philippe de Lacy


I have seen both sound and silent versions of this movie and I actually prefer the silent one--even though it was based on a musical! Maybe part of this is because I am not the biggest fan of musicals, but I think more of this has to do with how beautifully made this film is. The film was directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch--a man renowned for his deft artistic touch and romanticism in films. All this is so apparent in this film, as it is just a work of art--gorgeous and romantic through and through. The sets, camera-work and acting are all exquisite and help to make this a very memorable film. If you want to see a sound version, help yourself. But for me, this is THE definitive version of the film.


The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg is such a wonderful classic silent film, that it is amazing to me that the movie doesn't get more recognition from Hollywood film organizations. The film made Norma Shearer an absolute star at MGM, and confirmed her talents on the silver screen. The direction by Ernst Lubitsch is first-rate, as he captures a royal love story, along with the beauty and essence of Imperial Germany in the 19th Century. The look of this silent diamond-of-a-film is unforgettable, and the music score that one now hears on videos of the film only adds to the elegance of this silent art masterpiece. Ramon Novarro did his best work in this film, and the character of Dr. Juttner (played by the wonderful Jean Hersholt) is one that is so likable, that audiences root hard for the characters of Prince Karl and Kathi, whom Dr. Juttner supports. Although I have agreed with most of AFI's 25 Greatest Female Stars List, I wish that Norma Shearer was on it. She married the greatest film producer that Hollywood will ever know (Irving Thalberg), but even without having married 'The Boy Genius'(as Thalberg was then called), Norma Shearer would have have shined on her own - which she proved with this film before she married Thalberg. The reviews for this film in 1927 and 1928 were overwhelmingly positive - including the November, 1927 Photoplay review, which raved about the film. Maybe Hollywood film organizations and historians should take a second look. I loved it, and not just because I have German roots in my family.


The storyline is gripping and the performances are so superb, that you do not miss the dialogue or the music in this story that most people identify with the musical version. As Kathi, the girl the prince leaves behind, Norma Shearer gives a heartbreaking performance.


This a delightful film full of humanistic touches-- from young Prince Karl's playful relationship with his good-natured mentor, Dr. Juttner, his carousing and drinking with the students in Old Heidelberg, to his paddling upon lakes and taking mad carriage rides with the beautiful barmaid, Kathy-- it's all at once side-stitchingly funny, bittersweet, romantic and a nostalgic tribute to youth and young love. The film is made with such a deft touch that, to the end where Prince Karl returns to visit Heidelberg, it never becomes schmaltzy. It is consistently charming and ends on a pitch perfect note. A real crowd pleaser. Highly recommended.


An involving, clever, romantic, and sometimes very funny film featuring two of the era's most popular stars. Forget all the other silent starlets; Norma Shearer is the Queen of the silent movies! I'd never seen her in anything but dramas, and was delighted to see what a great comic actress she was. Ramon has some great moments, too. The end of the movie was a bit of a surprise, and is just one more reason to view this charming romantic comedy-drama.


Who would guess that a SILENT-era version of a Sigmund Romberg musical chestnut like 'The Student Prince' could be so wonderful? The acting -- especially by the stunningly handsome Ramon Novarro in the title role and the glowing Norma Shearer as his love interest, a humble beer-hall girl -- is uniformly excellent. The settings and costumes are exceptional as well. The overall sepia glow that this film has adds to the sense that the viewer really IS seeing and experiencing "Old Heidelberg". The movie has it all : a little drama, a little humor, a little romance -- it is a confection that anyone who is willing to explore silent films is bound to find enjoyably sweet and memorable. HIGHLY recommended! (The version I saw also had a fantastic 'new' score by Carl Davis that added considerably to the atmosphere while supporting the action.)


I enjoyed this silent film version alot, it is 1000 times better than the 1950's musical version. Carl Davis' soundtrack for this one is passable, not one of his best. I kept wanting to hear Sigmund Romberg's melodies in the background for the soundtrack, too bad they couldn't get permission at the time, since the musical was introduced in 1924.


Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)

**** out of ****

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

With Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer

Prince Karl Heinrich have an easy life, with all pleasure, but he hate that, he want to know the world. Suddenlly, he is send it to old Heidelebrg to study and there known, not only friends but love. Beautiful, rich, splendorous Lubitsch gem is so fresh than ever, with a gentle, incredible and beautiful Novarro and an adorable and stunning Shearer. Beautiful scenes that get sticked in your head with an uncommon ending for the time. A must see!


From time to time and in order to remember older better times, it is good to watch again those films that the European aristocracy and especially this German count likes most. Such is the case with "The Student Prince In Old Heidelberg", film directed by Herr Ernst Lubitsch during his Amerikan career.

And this German count especially likes this silent film not only because in the oeuvre can be seen Teutonic aristocrats and even crowned kings, not to mention stiff laws about etiquette, uniforms with plenty of medals, tradition, obligation and, last but not least, royal duties. Another reason is because the film has style and classic elegance, primal emotions in motion, beautiful scenery and almost real decors, an impossible but idealistic true love story and memorable and skillful direction. There are a lot of superb silent moments, as for example, the first and unseen kiss in the garden, the night meadow scene, each and every shot starring the heartbreaking Dame Norma Shearer and a charming Herr Ramon Novarro. Besides those indispensable and unforgettable supporting silent actors, there is finally a magnificent, cruel, real and sorrowful ending.

"The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" is a film about youthful dreams, the first painful love and the greatness and illness of falling in love. It's about the passing of time and those glorious memories of loves past that nobody can take away in spite, after all, of those unbearable and unjust social actions of people in high places against working class folk.

Obviously this German count is talking about a classical, universal, wonderful masterpiece, a joy to the eye of a serious Teutonic aristocrat.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/


Once they started working together Buster Keaton and Roscoe Arbuckle made their first half-dozen short comedies in New York, from spring through fall of 1917. Late that year Arbuckle relocated his "Comique" production company to Southern California, and the gang celebrated the move with an elaborate two-reeler called OUT WEST, a satire of the sort of hard-bitten Westerns cranked out by William S. Hart and Broncho Billy Anderson in the early days. The result is a distinctly callous comedy that doesn't hold up at all well. This is the sort of movie in which our hero spikes a horse's water supply with liquor just for laughs, someone gets shot in the butt in almost every scene, lots of Injuns and Mexicans get killed, and a dozen bottles are smashed over the villain's head without effect, at which point a six-shooter is emptied into him . . . also without effect.

The comedy in this film is so violent some of it actually works as parody-- which, after all, is how it was intended. When a cheating gambler is fatally shot, grim-faced saloon proprietor Buster coolly disposes of his body through a convenient trap-door, and this still works as a jab at actual Westerns where violent death is treated as routinely as the ringing of the phone. Next, when the bartender is shot down and Buster instantly puts up a sign reading "Bartender Wanted," it's darkly funny although the joke is starting to wear a bit thin. But the joke is ruined when a gang of sadistic cowboys torment a black man by shooting at his feet to make him dance, and Buster & Roscoe join right in. They only stop when stern Salvation Army lass Alice Lake enters and puts a halt to the rough-housing, saying "Aren't you ashamed?" They are, and they put away their guns, but the mood has soured badly. (I first saw this movie at a public screening as part of a Keaton festival some years ago, and although it had been going over fairly well up to that point this sequence totally killed the laughter for the duration of the film.)

Even allowing that OUT WEST is a parody, a lot of the material-- and not just the racial humor --is in surprisingly poor taste for these guys, although fortunately it's a lapse that was not repeated in their subsequent careers. There are some good gags here, even some clever ones, but they're practically lost in the shuffle, weakened in impact by the prevailing ugly tone.

OUT WEST is currently available on video and DVD in two releases, from Kino and from Image Entertainment, and it's worth noting that the two versions differ significantly. The Kino print is badly tattered and missing several bits that survive in the Image release, which looks better in general. Also, the two prints have been edited differently, and several dialog titles and a couple of character names differ in the respective versions; this isn't unusual with films from the silent era, which were frequently altered for foreign releases or even to suit local taste in various locales within the U.S. The Image version features jaunty period music well selected for individual sequences, while the Kino release features music by a group called the Alloy Orchestra that I find mostly jarring and inappropriate, to put it politely. Over all I'd say that anyone interested in seeing this film should seek out the Image Entertainment version, but be forewarned that this comedy does not show off either Buster Keaton or Roscoe Arbuckle to best advantage.


The best part of the whole short--Roscoe's routine: the famous one-handed cigarette roll, striking the match on the train, then leaping into the caboose as the train speeds by--in less time than it takes to read this. Worth the price of admission alone!


This short silent comedy starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle with Buster Keaton and Al St. John in support is a mixed bag as a spoof of westerns. In begins on a train where Arbuckle ingeniously steals some food from three men one of whom was Buster's father, Joseph. After being thrown off and getting chased by Indians (or in today's parlance, Native Americans), Roscoe stumbles into the town saloon where he foils robber St. John's holdup and takes his guns. This is when he and Buster meet and become teaming acquaintances. There are many very funny gags up to this point to where they tickle St. John victoriously but then there's a racist gag involving one Ernie Morrison Sr. (the father of original "Our Gang"s Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison who would also occasionally appear in Harold Lloyd shorts) that threatens to put things to a halt. Fortunately, there's still some decent laughs after that. Oh, and there's a woman involved as well. So on that note, I'd recommend Out West. P.S. The version I watched was on the Image Entertainment "The Best Arbuckle-Keaton Collection" DVD.


Out West marks a distinct departure for Arbuckle as a director in that compared to what had come before it had a much stronger, more thought out and developed style and story. It has more genuinely clever and funny ideas than the preceding shorts with Al St John and Buster Keaton put together - the high concept of the western theme clearly releasing the creative genius that Fatty could display.

Keaton and St John also have stronger parts than their usual nameless knockabout side characters that had come before. Visually the sepia rounded-corner 19th century photograph look of it is a stylish stylistic directorial choice from Arbuckle, showing the talent he could display (and would again) rather than simply allowing the action to be the film. You feel the story here from the outset. Excellent.


I always saw Bruce Lee as an enigma. This movie lays that feeling 100% flat to rest. It is so well done I was glued to the set even though all they show are clips and the remaining scenes to Lee's last movie: "Game of Death."

The scenes in "GoD" are very well-done even for a marginal MA fan like me. However, the pauses were too long, but Lee's mastery made it worth waiting to see his moves. The scene with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the last recorded piece) was better in the later part of the fight and even turned convincing.

John Little did an excellent job of directing this documentary. He allowed first hand witnesses to speak freely. It is clear from the start of the film that it was made as a reverence to Mr. Lee - a world class person and martial arts master. A sadness permeates this movie because you feel that Bruce Lee was taken way too early.

- Zafoid


Man, I was shell shocked. I actually saw this on AMC for the first time and was blown away by the in-depth interviews with Bruce, not to mention his spectacular demonstrations. John Little gets big credit for putting this masterpiece together.

I got so much more information about Bruce from this one. You really get to see him as a person, how his beliefs shaped Jeet Kun Do and how he applied it to life in general. Hearing Bruce speak shows how intelligent and philosophical he was, humble, very down to earth....a very likeable guy. It's such a shame to think what potential he would have had if he hadn't died in 1973. Hearing everyone from Linda to Kareem and others speak about him show what an impact he had on others...and not just kung fu. I had known that he defied tradition by teaching "anyone" kung fu and this shows Bruce was a great man. His belief in the "way" and "no limitation as limitation" is really thought provoking as well.

The creme de la creme was the hidden footage from Game of Death they discovered. Bruce's vision and his philosophy on what the different levels represented just made me respect him moreso. Plus, the outtakes of various fight scenes from his film shows his hard work ethic and determination in getting the scene down pat.

Overall, I've been a big fan of Bruce Lee since I wore Osh Kosh an this made me admire him so much more. To anyone who wants to learn about Bruce, watch this one. To all his fans, I don't need to tell you what a gem "A Warrior's Journey" is.


This is a touching and compelling portrait of the legendary martial artist, humanist, entertainer and philosopher, Bruce Lee.

While interested in Lee, and entertained by his films, I have never considered myself a fan. Produced with love and care, A Warrior's Journey has helped rekindle my interest in a man whose timeless messages, and amazing physicality were lost to the world as I was growing up.

This documentary is less comprehensive than a biopic, as it really does not cover all of Mr. Lee's too-short life. Rather, it is a film essay concerning his importance as a cultural icon and his unique melding of intensely personal quasi-taoist philosophy with the practice of martial art. If you've ever wondered what the "big fuss" concerning Bruce Lee is, this film is the right choice. Interviews with Lee's friends, students and family are carefully woven together with a well-written voice-over narrative, interviews with Lee, and the ever-intense fight footage from several of Lee's films. Particularly interesting are the articulate comments of his friend and student, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, and Linda, his wife.

An added bonus, worth more than the cost of the DVD, is the complete remaining footage of Lee's last major project "The Game of Death", featuring some of the most interesting physical acting and clever martial arts photography I have ever seen.

I did not expect much from this film, but was surprised to find that once I got it rolling, I could not take my eyes off the screen.


This is BY FAR the best Bruce Lee documentary I have ever seen for two reasons: they consentrate on more of his philosophical beliefs rather than his life story, and they show GAME OF DEATH!!! That was the real reason I watched it. They found Bruce Lee's original outline and stunt moves for the film, and also all of the footage cut for the 1979 version. They put it all together now in the order it was supposed to be in and the result is AWESOME!! The nunchakaus scene is sweet! And the fight with Kareem is cool as well. A must-see for any Bruce Lee fan.


The first Bruce Lee documentary that tells the real story behind one of the most fascinating men of the 20th Century. For fans of Lee or martial arts it is absolutely unmissable. There is so many awful movies/documentaries out there that take advantage of Lee's name to make some money, it's great to see a documentary that's true to the great man.

If you enjoy this, I recommend you read the Lee's biography 'Fighting Spirit', the author of which is Bruce Thomas.


This documentary shows you Bruce Lee's life, how he went to be as good in Martial Arts as he was. There are also a great look at the original version of the "Game of Death" fighting in the Tower scenes. These scenes are just great, very different from the 78 version. And they are never been showed before. So take a look here, and see how Bruce Lee takes his one inch punch and much more....


Arguably the best Bruce Lee documentary available at the moment, and I've pretty much seen every one that is available. Having grown up idolising the great man and having seen all his movies countless times, when I first saw the "Curse of the Dragon" documentary I was most intrigued by an interview which was conducted with Bruce's long time friend, colleague and training partner Dan Inosanto where Bruce's original concept for "Game of Death" was brought to light. Inosanto made mention of the 5-floor pagoda idea and immediately I made it my mission to somehow find this lost footage.

Some years later I have finally been privileged as well as honoured to see the long lost footage from the final battle scenes in "Game of Death" and to see the master in action for one final time. All I can say is that the "Game of Death" footage alone is worth the price of admission and any true Bruce Lee fan will be left salivating after seeing the incredible fight scenes coupled with the philosophical undertones that Lee so wanted to convey to his students, fans and audiences alike.

The lost footage aside, the documentary is also quite solid with excellent insight into Bruce's philosophy and his incredible determination and integrity which truly made him a master in his respective trade. While other documentaries often focused on his meteoric rise to stardom and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his untimely death, this documentary chooses rather to focus on his life, his teachings, his way of thought and his remarkable achievements - all of which made him a legend.

10/10


This is a documentary which pays homage to the pure mayhem and fury of the myth/man Bruce Lee! Moreover, it contains the most astonishing scenes from the Game of Death. It shows the scenes how Bruce intended them, and I must say it is awesome to say the least! Whereas the original Game of Death movie almost even manages to ruin the Bruce Lee material (not to speak of the rest of the movie, which is worthless) this new material is mindblowing and real! For example, you can see the Korean Haikido masters lips move in the original Game of Death but there is no speech! Here you hear what he says, and you hear Bruce Lee's comments and thoughts. Such as: "Give him the fatigue bombing!" and wonderful dialogue such as Karim: "You must have given up the hope of living" "On the contrary, I don't let the thought of death bother me", and "I hope you don't mind that we move our man so the two of us have more time to groove!" Moreover, they call each other "baby" all the time. It is truly awesome. The rest of the biography is also good but what makes this a real classic is the remake of Game of Death.


The only regret I had watching "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" was that Bruce, the master of all masters, wasn't still alive to see what great tribute is being paid to him with this documentary. He would have been so proud. What a shame it is that such a young, handsome man is ripped out of this life by some, well, whoever it was - IT WAS WRONG!!! The documentary contains great footage of Bruce, the master, and of his movies, too. I especially liked the parts from the movies, since they reminded me of the time I was watching them. I didn't miss a single movie, and I say that with the proviso that I am not capable of understanding Chinese. Therefore I have even more regrets that he only got to making one English movie before the tragedy. So people out there, don't miss that great account of a great master, Bruce, in a great documentary. It's really a great experience and shouldn't me missed by anyone. I enjoyed it a great deal and I am very choosy, for example I didn't like Star Wars.


I had only recently become aware of this DVD as it was being advertised as containing missing footage from Game of Death. What an understatement watching this footage is just an incredible experience. That coupled with the documentary portion of this DVD truely gives us a better insight IMO into what Bruce was about, and the way he was trying to show us all.


Short and sweet: If you're a Bruce Lee Fan, You have to have this DVD. If you're not, you will be. Watching this Doc/Feature was like going back to the early 70's. Seeing this never before released footage reminded me why I became a fan. It's a treat to have the "Real Bruce" visiting us again. The original 30 minutes or so of Bruce's (not Robert Clouse's) "Game of Death" makes this DVD a must have. Anyone that does have the Clouse's version can now dump that film in the trash. Why settle for a film with 7 Bruce Lee imitators when you can have the one-and-only. "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey," though only containing 30-or-so minutes of the original "Game of Death" is (the real) Bruce Lee's last film. Enjoy :-)


Incredible. Moving. Inspiring. Exciting. Touching.

Those are just some of the words that come to mind when seeing this awe-inspiring docu-movie about world renowned martial arts philosopher, Bruce Lee. After years of shabby documentaries and countless demeaning stories about this brilliant man, we are finally able to see the reality and discover the real story about one of the 20th century's most influential men.

Forget any documentary about Bruce Lee you may (or may not) have seen in the past, because this is THE one and ONLY one to see. See Bruce perform the infamous one-inch punch. See Bruce endure one finger pushups. View dozens of clips and footage from Bruce's films and treasured appearances in other shows. Watch Bruce train in his own backyard with star students such as Chuck Norris. Forget the terrible "Game of Death" of 1978 and learn the REAL story behind this unfinished film. See exclusive reels and articles from the Lee family and be enriched by the informative narration.

And finally, the one thing Bruce Lee fans the world over have been longing for: the original 41 minutes of footage of Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death' restored for your viewing pleasure, including over 7 minutes of nunchuku action between Bruce and loyal student, Dan Inosanto and the extensive fight scene between Bruce and LA Laker student Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This is a marathon of the best fighting you'll ever see from the legendary Little Dragon.

Bruce Lee fans and true martial arts lovers alike, pick up "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" and meet the man behind the legend...


Many people only know Bruce Lee merely as a martial arts film actor in b-grade or C-grade movies from the 1970s.

However, he was much more than that. Mnay martial artists believe that he was the greatest martial artist who ever lived.

Bruce introduced kungfu to the non-Chinese world, breaking Chinese traditions to teach everyone, regardless of ethnicity; and he made martial arts much more popular.

Before he became a world-famous film actor, he developed his own martial arts style - Jeet Kune Do - the style of no-style and every style - utilising all styles, but being bound by none. I.e. the best of "martial arts" and street-fighting combined.

He took whatever worked from any martial art, philosophy, psychology theory, sports science theory, etc., without prejudice, without following traditions (dogmas), and synthesised them into an ever-evolving martial art. This meant that this little man was able to defeat opponents twice his size - big football players, big karate men and big street fighters.

Bruce did not compete in karate tournaments because he saw them as unrealistic. However, when he was a martial arts coach (he preferred that word, rather than "teacher" or "master"), the top 3 karate tournament competitors were all his students.

Bruce Lee is very admired amongst martial artists for the many great things that he achieved; and he has inspired many people in martial arts, physical fitness and so on, even after his death.

I find this documentary inspirational, and you might, too, especially in the area of self-defence and also in personal achievement generally. Also, if you watch this documentary, you might learn some profound truths, "taoist" truths, "zen" truths. ; ) PS, another great film for learning profound truths about martial arts and life in general, is "The Silent Flute" (a.k.a. "Circle of Iron"), which was based on a screenplay written by Bruce Lee.


It was infuriating to see the tasteless knockoffs that surfaced when Bruce Lee died. Like the lamentable lemming, I found myself queuing up every time one of these stinkers opened; and, like said lemming, I invariably found myself regretting it. But I was a true believer, a Bruce Lee fan from his days on THE GREEN HORNET, and I wanted to see anything and everything that might shine light on his having been. It was often painful. The long anticipated theatrical release of GAME OF DEATH, with footage thought to be lost, was nothing less than loathsome. Here and there, documentaries had hinted that there was much more footage than had been seen in the lackluster feature. Most of us had given up on ever seeing any more of it.

Enter John Little, and suddenly there was something to crow about again. BRUCE LEE: A WARRIOR'S JOURNEY is must-see for fans of "the little dragon." Often moving and always- always- respectful, Little's documentary is the tribute to the memory of the greatest martial artist of the 20th century that we've been waiting for since 1973. The GAME OF DEATH fight scenes- as presented here- are among the very best Bruce Lee ever conceived. In many respects, these beautifully crafted confrontations are the highlights of his career. The focus is almost always on Lee himself- which is where it should've always been, anyway. A follow-up theatrical release of GAME OF DEATH with a reworked beginning (omitting none of the available footage in its present form) would be worth paying to see, indeed. But only so long as John Little wrote and directed it.


I love this documentary because it gives a better image of who Bruce really was and how much of a great hard worker and perfectionist he was. The only thing that kills me about this documentary is when they talk about the tv series Kung fu. Everybody and their momma know that Bruce should have been playing that role instead of that worthless Carradine. This shows you what type of world we live in. But anyway, I loved the Game of Death footage because of the offbeat comedy between Bruce and his buddies. I liked the way in which Bruce is relaxed and how his buddies sit back and watch him save the day. I really appreciated the lost footage especially compared to that sorry crap they put together back in 1978. Robert Clouse should have his ass kicked for making that garbage. Overall I highly recommend for everyone especially Bruce fans like myself. 4.5 out of 5.


I thought I'd seen just about everything there was to Bruce Lee, but boy, was I wrong. In addition to the missing Game of Death scenes, the documentary analyzes more to Lee's character and mindset.

Any fan of Bruce Lee will enjoy this very interesting DVD. Go buy it!


Excellent film about misogynist Maxwell Bright (Patrick Warburton) who, fed up with his dating history with American women, decides to get a mail order bride from China. Things go well for him at first as she appears as subservient as advertised, but when he embarrasses her (and himself) in front of his friends at a poker night, he finds that she is much more than just a prim and proper housewife. In fact, the gifts she has may even lead this unlikeable jerk to redemption.

Warburton gets to bust out of his usual monotonous character trappings and shows some serious depth and rage. The changes seen in Maxwell Bright are neither smooth nor immediate. He has a tendency to lash out verbally at any female in the vicinity, and his tirades are alternatively LOL funny and cringe-worthy for their cruelty. Marie Matiko plays the beautiful Mai Ling, Max's bride, with equal amounts dignity and strength. When Max finally makes his turn for the "better", the lessons learned are never preachy, and the story doesn't turn sentimental. Religion is dealt with in a mature manner that is a departure from most movies I've seen that have tread in that area. David Beaird's screenplay treats its characters and the audience with respect.

I went into this film thinking it was just going to be a cute little romantic comedy or fish-out-of-water story, but the plot twists taken are brave and eventually much more satisfying. This is not light-hearted fare. It's worthy of a wider release.


The film starts off with a disclaimer stating that a true Buddist would sacrifice to live their life in hell so that another would be spared the same fate. This is followed by an opening scene that could have been taken from COPS or a really bad porno flick. It quickly emerges that Maxwell is a profane, mentally unstable misogynist who makes his living hawking TV's on TV in Southern California. His collection of pitiful friends and his materialist lifestyle are even more pathetic than his abominable anger at everything and everyone. For the first two acts, it seems a black comedy that is heading down a clichéd path toward ignominy. Maxwell's behavior is so disturbing and contemptible, you may even be tempted to leave the theater, but a story of love and sacrifice emerges that you may never forget. Maxwell's life is ultimately changed when he is able to see life differently through the eyes of both his best friend and his wife, a Chinese woman who he has arranged to marry through a broker. This film will leave you with profound emotions and may even change your life.


Maxwell Bright hates women, but he hates himself even more. He destroys his business, his credit rating, his home and his friendships. Even his body falls apart, seemingly under the great cosmic weight of his hatred. And yet: this movie isn't about loathing; it's about forgiving. Yes, Maxwell is repulsive. But he holds a paradigmatic, redemptive trump card: somebody loves him. If Mai Ling can forgive him, honor him, love him -- then so can we. And ultimately, so can Maxwell himself -- which is precisely what sets him free.

I enjoyed the naked shakiness of this movie. Performances by Patrick Warburton, Marie Matiko and Eric Roberts were especially textured and compelling. See this movie. It will test your powers of forgiveness, and you'll be better for it.


My favorite Patrick Warburton character is The Tick. I went to a screening of The Civilization of Maxwell Bright at the Scottsdale Film Festival last night because it looked intriguing, but really, it was because Patrick was presenting the film and doing a Q+A after, and I didn't want to miss anything he might say about The Tick.

And then The Civilization of Maxwell Bright ended up being the best film I've seen all year. A great story, direction, acting, cinematography - it was wonderful. Patrick Warburton was absolutely riveting. I can't think of anyone else who could present such a despicable character - an extreme misogynist, and yet keep the audience laughing even during his hateful diatribes against women. His vulnerability underneath all the bluster and anger kept you interested in what would happen instead of just dismissing him and wishing him a horrible fate.

I don't want to reveal anything about the story, but if you think you 'know' Patrick Warburton and love him from Seinfeld or the Tick, you will be pleased and maybe surprised to find that he has this depth of talent. And the film has such an emotional impact that one audience member said it made him feel better about death. It was a life -affirming film in the best, non-Lifetime network way.

And he DID talk about The Tick! I was very happy.


I wanted my husband to come to the Scottsdale Film festival to see this movie with me, thinking it was going to be a chick flick; hoping he'd see a few images of chauvinistic men seeing the light and then turning themselves around, (I love those gentle reminders). Instead my mother and I went and we rode an emotional roller-coaster during this "enlightening" movie. We Laughed, we cried, we loathed.... the movie was so unpredictable!! (It was a breath of fresh Hollywood air.)

Mai Ling was an inspiration. Her performance was beautiful, as was she. It ended up being me who was reminded of compassion and kindness. Patrick Warburton was fantastic... I hated his character so much initially I wanted him to die, and by the end of the movie my heart did a 180!! Well done David Beaird!!! This was definitely one movie worth the price of admission.


Although there are plot points that you could drive a truck through, this is a well thought out script and the acting is uniformly great. Patrick Warburton really gets to show us his acting chops as the cement headed misogynistic Max Bright and Marie Matiko as Mrs. Bright is the perfect counterpoint to his bluster. Special kudos to Eric Roberts as the long faithful friend. There is Warburton's impressive full frontal nudity that arrives on the scene even before the opening credits roll, but even this robust titillation quickly fades once the story is under-weigh.

On the whole I am completely baffled why this little gem of a film has languished in the Never Never Land of "Can't Find a Distributor". For those that care to search it out, it is available on DVD in Australia in the PAL format. It's a legit pressing, but looks like a work print was used for the transfer. It was filmed on video and transfered to film which doesn't help either.

Check it out.


A plot synopsis of this film has been provided by at least one other reviewer, so I'll skip that. What was striking and refreshing about the film was its refusal to get psychological. I don't think anyone can watch this--especially the first 15 minutes--without wondering where Max's incredible anger comes from. It would have been tempting for the writer/director to include some sort of exposition of his childhood and/or his relationship with his mother and other women, either as flashback or monologue. Instead, what you see is what you get. Max is infantile and uncivilized (as the title implies) and no bones are made about it.

Still it's tempting to speculate. For example, one wonders if his life became chaotic after the loss of his initial girlfriend--the one we get a very good look at in the beginning--or if it was always like that. Does the absence of unconditional love throw his life into nihilistic disarray, or does he just require a girlfriend to keep his house clean? Why does Mei-Ling accept him twice, the second time after he's humiliated her horribly*? Does she see a big teddy bear in there or is she taking him on as a project? I see this as a strength of the film. Too much psychologizing feels like condescension. "Here. Let me explain every motive the characters have because I'm sure you're not sharp enough to think about them on your own." This is an excellent and powerful film, which ultimately imparts a sense of tenderness and peace without ever becoming mawkish.

*After having thought about it and, thanks to comments from other viewers, I have a theory about this question. If a Buddhist would enter hell in order to save another person from it, Mei-Ling continued to accept Max in order to take his place in hell. Perhaps the Buddhists know that such an act will redeem them both.


I saw this film at the Milwaukee International Film Festival Oct. 2005. The director/writer warned us it was dark and that we could laugh. And that it was. The time just flew by while we watched the movie, which makes me feel like I didn't waste my time. Max has a lot of issues in this movie. He's a jerk. But somehow, at the end, you're OK with him being that way. I don't want to give away anything. There is nudity and there is a ton of swearing and touchy subject matters, this is not a movie for anyone who dislikes those things. I liked all the casting and the writing/plot was interesting. Didn't see the twist coming. I don't know if Milwaukee received a bad copy (is that even possible anymore?), but the film quality had a bit to be desired. Some bad sound areas and some weird stuff on the film itself, maybe that can be repaired once the film is picked up. I wish them luck!! Patrick Warbarton was in the theater for the viewing. He was very nice.


I saw this film at VISION FEST'05 in New York. It is film worth watching. Well acted, great direction, surprising and unforgettable. Patrick also received an award at VISION FEST for acting. See it!!! Review: Max Bright's relationship with women are explosive and cruel, so he resolves to find his fantasy woman: demure, submissive, and obedient, and he buys a Chinese mail-order bride. When Mai Ling arrives, she attempts to awaken the peaceful "Buddha" on Max as he introduces her to American luxury, carnality, and freedom. Max's world spirals out of control when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer and Mai Ling becomes his foundation as his health deteriorates and she leads him in exploring the spiritual aspects of his life.


I thought this film was nearly flawless.

First of all, the acting was incredible. I had only known Patrick Warburton as Putty from Seinfeld, so I was expecting him to have the same dufusy air about him. However, Patrick really gave the character of Max Bright a great deal of dimension, and I was impressed by his ability to convey subtler feelings later in the film. Marie Matiko, who portrays the female protaginist, was sublime; she played her role perfectly. The supporting cast was not outstanding, but generally each actor gave a convincing performance.

The story was borderline sensational but also captivating. I enjoyed the mild plot twists. The writer/director spoke after the screening I attended, and he said that he had no outline for the script; the story just told itself along the way. This approach shows a little bit, but the movie never seems aimless.

And finally, I laughed a lot. I really came to like the characters, which certainly helped.


The movie starts out with a long shot of a nun meditating at a temple and a voice-over: "A good Buddhist would be willing to jump into hell to save just one other person." Then it cuts to a picture of a Southern California town with a big caption: "HELL".

I thought this movie was going to be an amusing comedy about a boor who gets his expectations of a submissive, doll-like mail-order bride turned upside down. He does, but rather than being comedic this movie is dramatic and touching. Maxwell Bright starts out as a guy who is self-destructing and losing everything in life - his business, his friends, his house, his self-image. He thinks he can buy a "geisha girl" who will prop up his ego, but what he gets is a quietly strong woman who both makes him realize what humiliating depths he's sunk to, and pulls him out of them.

It seems like a low-budget production because the camera work is a bit choppy and the pacing is terrible - slow bits should be fast and fast bits should be slow - but the writing and acting are great.


I saw this film at the Austin Film Festival last week. Definitely above average, but there were places where the story felt disjointed, such as why Max has such an attitude about Western women--the opening scene doesn't do it for me. And a little more about why Max is running into financial trouble would have been nice. Overall, a very good movie with standout performances from Warburton, Marie Matiko and Eric Roberts.

What I liked most is that this was a non-threatening exploration of spirituality and attitudes towards marriage, as well as the genuine emotions evoked at the end of the film. It deserves a wide release and the opportunity to find an audience beyond the festival circuit.


This movie was a total surprise from the first scene. Twisted and turned and the loved the handling of the theme of redemption. Caught this at Worldfest Houston, 2005, and have to say that anyone who can write a script like this in 2 weeks blows my mind to pieces. Really appreciated the contrasts and the superb acting. The writer/director stayed true to his characters and story line throughout. There was not one moment that lost my attention. Eric Roberts was the best I have ever seen him. His every word and action completely convinced me he was in the best role of his career. In every male in the movie, I have to say, that I have known many men with the exact characteristics portrayed and punched around in the movie. Sadly, I have met few women that have the devotion and fortitude of Mai Ling (the Chinese mail order bride) character in the movie. I applaud the entire movie: creative idea, screenplay,directing, acting, editing, total, total. I left the theater wanting more.


I have been watching movies most of my life. I have seen some great ones, bad ones but I have never seen a movie that slapped me with such a roller-coaster of emotion. By the time I figured out what I should be feeling I was experiencing another emotion. It was non-stop. Should I laugh or cry, get mad...love, I did not have enough time to know what to feel.

This movie was all of this. I wanted to see it over and over again! This movie proves that we are not what we seem on the outside. Patrick Warburton has established himself as an actor that should be a "star". His acting shines throughout in every scene...even without words.Ms. Matiko is beautiful. Amazing movie!


Witnessing the transformation of the main character in this film, I felt as fortunate to be a part of the Desert Film Society's audience as Mr. Walburton stated in the subsequent Q&A he was to play the lead. Analagous to the Mr. Bright being civilized, transformed if you will, in this movie is the marvelous revelation of the viewer that the talent of Mr. Walburton is not limited to sitcoms and animation. Ms. Matiko modestly understated the chemistry that exists between herself and Mr. Walburton on camera during the ensuing questioning session as, in my opinion, a cohesive couple of this caliber is rare even in big production films. Every aspect of the film deserves high praise from the cast to the music, the editing to the makeup. All of these beautiful boughs branch from the tremendous trunk of the solid script designed specifically for Mr. Walburton by his former teacher, Mr. Beaird.

At the outset one might be prompted to depart the theater but, much like the example in the film, patience and understanding have their rewards. On the surface it may appear that a mail-order bride might be the cure for a former jock's jerky behavior, but the dialog and performances take the viewer for a trip through the spectrum of emotions. There are directing nuances that remind me of Kubrick, in particular the parallel of montages between Mr. Bright's "male bonding" near the beginning of the movie and the "personal closure" clips in the latter frames. One subtle observance is the relative shakiness of shots at the onset, perhaps analogous to the character's life, later balanced with images obtained from a sturdier camera as the lead role becomes more "grounded." In the end, one will be moved to e-mailing their address list to spread the word about this "indie" and hope one day a DVD copy will be available to share with their children.


Raw, powerful film that grips your shirt collar and proceeds to rip you into the roof of rage, drag you down walls of ugliness, beauty, disgust and sorrow that are all human, and finally drop you breathlessly into serene consciousness. Actors are terrifically on-target; I hope this opens new doors for Warburton and gets Matiko greater exposure. I've always been a Roberts fan, but this one brings out something in him I've not seen in a long time. Writer/director Beaird also did the film Scorchers, which I recall recommending to folks years ago when I worked in a video store -- now here's another to add for truly, refreshingly, "touch-my-soul" viewing.

Additionally, since Maxwell Bright was shown as part of Scottsdale's International Film Festival, producer Steven Wolfe and actor Patrick Warburton hosted the filming and stayed after for a Q&A -- REALLY wish there were more of that in this country. Both gentlemen offered a grounding, personable and humble connection between film-goers and film-making (smilin', but I can't resist -- Warburton appears much the shy boy, proving his talent on screen, and Wolfe brings an authentic, accessible face to the business of producing). Nice, truly. Really nice. Fantastic evening.


It's a pleasure to see an imaginative film in which the brief words "yes" and "no" actually condition the dialog, suggesting that human beings, not plaster action-puppets, are the stakes. A Chinese geisha is anomalous, but many Western men share Maxwell's notion of what it means to have one, whatever it (or she) is, and the rest doesn't matter anyhow. Bold hero, he'll simply undress her for the enlargement of himself and the enlightenment of his society. He'll lop off Buddha's head only to (in order to?) discover that his zen is misguided. ("When the wrong man does the right thing, it's the right thing done the wrong way.") A wonderful carving down of misspent energy and noisy ultimatums. I wish Hollywood moguls had the stomach for it.


Noah Baumbach's semi-autobiographical tale of divorce in the mid-1980's in Brooklyn is funny and touching and ranks right up there with the best work of Woody Allen or Sophia Coppola as superb bourgeois cinema where we are treated to the neurotic underbelly of over-educated, over-indulged, upwardly mobile, urban middle class families. This a wonderful film imbued with a fantastic sense of place and time and small details in which the viewer can find great delight (like the hilarious scene where Jeff Daniels takes his teenage son and the kid's new girlfriend to see David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" instead of the first choice "Short Circuit" or the closing shot of the actual squid fighting a whale at the NYC Musueum of Natural History).

Jeff Daniels is slyly funny as the cheapskate, snobbish father who was once the toast of the literary world and is now just getting by on teaching. Laura Linney is again perfection (when is she not, really) as the mother just starting her own brilliant literary career and who is a bit too open about her sexuality with her children. While the parents bicker over custody (even the cat gets to skate between two homes), the older son acts out by plagiarizing Pink Floyd in a talent show and nervous encounters with girls (one of whom is his father's live-in student/lover played by the always alluring Anna Paquin), and the younger son (a very good Owen Kline-real life son of Kevin Kline and Pheobe Cates) turns to drinking alone and public masturbation.

It's all as awkward, real, and devastatingly funny as it sounds. A great script and even better acting highlight this tale of a family on the skids. Every member of the family is brilliantly brought to life and even though they are acting in their own flawed, selfish, self-annihilating and myopic ways, they still endear themselves to the audience like they are our own family.

Bottom line: Only a Philistine would turn down the chance to enjoy "The Squid and the Whale."


THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (2005) **** Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jessie Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin, William Baldwin.

Literary autobiography with heartfelt humor.

Filmmaker Noah Baumbach is back in fine form since his debut with the excellent "Kicking and Screaming" (a personal fave of mine; a "Diner" for the '90s) in this semi-autobiographical account of his family's dealing with his parent's divorce with bittersweet frankness and a heaping of witty humor.

The family Berkman of Park Slope, Brooklyn circa the early 1980s, consists of author/teacher Bernard (Daniels in a career high performance that deserves an Oscar nod), literary pursuant mother Joan (Linney sublimely good) and sons Walt and Frank (Eisenberg and Kline, the latter the progeny of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates making a Culkinian debut with surprising chops) aka Chicken and Pickle (their mom's nicknames). The quartet is harmonious in literary pursuits and drastic life changes when the parents agree on separating sending the boys (and ultimately themselves) into an emotional tailspin.

Bernard, a very sardonic critical yet loving man, is taking it very internally despite his sarcastic remarks about everything to his sons as a sounding board in his attempt to keep his boys together by a joint custody agreement with Joan by taking a fixer-upper brownstone across the park while he deals with the likelihood that his new book will never be published.

Joan's affairs are discovered shockingly by the boys - Walt the more avuncularly bitter lashing out and blaming her for not giving the marriage a chance reasoning that dad's lack of success has made her seek another shot a life of empty sex yet promise in her undiscovered writing talents (much to the resentment of Bernard); meanwhile budding tennis pro wannabe Frank, the youngest, begins to experiment with alcohol and masturbation.

Added to the mix is Lili (Paquin), a female writing student of Bernard's, who has a hidden agenda when Bernard invites her to share his new home as a roommate while the boys visit every other day with mixed results. Walt is attempting to begin a sexual awakening as well with his first girlfriend but is getting all the wrong comic advice from Bernard who is clueless with the opposite sex as he is also trying to have sex with Lili while burning over Joan who has hooked up with Frank's tennis instructor Ivan (a doofy Baldwin whose every other utterance is "Brother").

Achingly funny, sharply witty and skewering with some pricelessly amusing moments including the running gag of Bernard driving his kids around the neighborhood ("my space is missing!" an apt metaphor for his listless situation) and subtle touches (Bernard reading Saul Bellow's THE VICTIM and the new home decorated with posters of films like PSYCHO and THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE and using the instrumental theme of Tangerine Dream's score to "Risky Business" during Frank's sexual awakenings!) ) bring a smile if not a burst of laughter in the unease of a family's reluctant transition that will scar them forever.

Baumbach is clearly making a heartfelt valentine to his own upbringing when his parents eventually divorced during his trying teens and the affects that have rubbed off are bittersweet and universally humorous. He has a keen touch with his actors  especially Daniels, the centerpiece character, who is brilliantly funny, touching and head-shaking misanthropic at the absurdity of his situation (at one point he says glibly with a touch of melancholy, "that's my home which I used to live inas you may know", to his son during one of their jaunts back and forth) that has echoes of his first fine role as Flap, the philandering English professor husband of the doomed Debra Winger in "Terms of Endearment", suggesting a bookend to what Flap may have become ultimately (and I'm damned if I'm not right at one point Walt is looking at his father's novel's backflap and the photo suggests a still from that film!). Bernard genuinely cares for his family but does things in such an ass-backward (and frugal) way that it is borderline heartbreaking especially his confounded loss of his status (both professionally and familially) that at one point I welled up with tears as he caressed a shelve of books while dropping Frank off with his mom. Daniels has always been one of my all-time faves and a severely underrated (and underestimated actor) it's be criminal if he didn't get an Academy Award nomination.

There are some very funny moments throughout with the brothers particularly Frank's stream of profanities in frustration at the tennis lessons (no doubt from his competitive father in several sequences) and Walt's stone-cold declaration that the musical piece he will be performing, Pink Floyd's "Hey You", was written by him as an original work!

Baumbach has crafted some fine work over the years (the aforementioned masterpiece of "Kicking & Screaming" about recent college grad buds deliberately not accepting their new status in the 'real world' by refusing to adapt and his recent collaboration with executive producer and fellow auteur Wes Anderson on last year's equally sublimely funny/sad "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou") and his latest, a blend of Salinger and Updike suggests a novella come to life and one of the year's finest comedic dramas.


Noah Baumbach, the immensely talented writer, and director of "The Squid and the Whale" clearly demonstrates he is one of the brightest young directors working in America today. Having admired his previous films, we were looking forward to this new work in which he presents a part of his life, baring his soul, something some other movie makers would shy away from. This experience must have been a painful reminder for Mr. Baumbah of his past, or maybe it served as a catharsis.

If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here.

The Berkman household in Park Slope, Brooklyn, appears to be normal when we are introduced to the family. These are the kinds of parents that encourage their two children participate in discussions in which books are at the center of the conversation. What's more, Walt, the eldest boy, seems to know a lot about what is discussed. Bernard, the father, is an author that hasn't got a lot of recognition and now teaches college to support the family. Joan, the mother, also a writer, is starting to get her work published. The two sons, Walt and Frank are clever beyond their years.

Evidently, not all seems to be happy in the house. First, one notices Bernard making the couch in the morning, in which he has slept in order to "ease his back problems". Joan, is a supporting mother, but somehow, she appears to be distant. Both parents sit with the kids one night to tell them about their impending separation. Of course, this takes Frank, and especially Frank aback by the announcement. The semblance of a tightly knit family begins to unravel in front of the children's eyes.

For Walt, the situation is not as crucial as it is for Frank. Being older and being a city kid, Walt has seen this happening among his age group. For Frank, however, his parents break up is the end of the world, as he knew it. Both boys are resilient in accepting the situation. It's clear Bernard and Joan love their sons, but the idea of not having both parents around at the same time is devastating.

"The Squid and the Whale" is a film that lays bare the emotions the two boys are experiencing. Basically, it's their film as it shows how they have to adjust to the new circumstances. They both adore their parents, but the resentment is clear as they blame Bernard and Joan for daring to fall out of love and in a way, abandon them to a new reality the older Berkmans didn't prepared them for.

The quality of the acting Mr. Baumbach gets from this ensemble cast is absolutely amazing. We believe we are, in a way, intruding in this family's problems. We are voyeurs to the tragedy their separation presents for the boys. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney are perfect as the elder Berkmans. Mr. Daniels, especially, gives an inspired performance for his take of the stingy Bernard. Ms. Linney, one of our best actresses, is marvelous as Joan.

What the director has done with the young actors, Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline is something incredible. We can't think of any other director that could have accomplished what Noah Baumbach has in guiding them to make the great contribution both these teen agers gave to the film. Both actors are up to the task and there are never a false move from anyone of them.

The supporting cast is interesting. William Baldwin plays the tennis pro Ivan. Anna Paquin is good as Lili, Bernard's student that is wiser than her young years indicate. Halley Feiffer is perfectly sweet as Sophie who likes Walt.

The film has been photographed in a faded technique by Robert Yeoman that gives the film a nostalgic look. The musical score is fine, reflecting the era in which the movie takes place.

The movie is a triumph for Noah Baumbah who clearly shows he is an unique voice for these times.


What about the freaking cat?? It's the only character in the whole damn movie I cared about. Oh, and Sophie--I hope she ran far and fast.

It's bizarre that so many people and journalists raved about this. It's emotionally unsophisticated and full of tired clichés about pompous academics and Park Slope liberals. The director's completely unresolved issues are painfully displayed. Dude. Therapy. Get some.

The father is so one-dimensional that he's not interesting to watch. But the mother--who is clearly the sympathetic parent in the director's eyes--is also horrible. Because her husband is so awful she's allowed to cheat on him for years? And did no one else think that SHE was equally responsible for leaving Frank alone for the weekend? He's a child--what if her husband had had his heart attack then? And where was she going that she couldn't wait 30 minutes for her ex to show up? Also, saving up the "you wanted joint custody because you're cheap" revelation timing for maximum emotional crippling? Nice. All in all, a family full of miserable people who all deserved one another.

Do not be deceived by the stated running time: One and a half hours of torture can seem like five.


I'll go a head and warn my review contains *SPOILERS* so if you haven't seen the film I then READ AT YOUR OWN RISK....

I went into the squid and the whale excited but realistic about my expectations for the film. I was impressed by Jesse Eisenberg in Roger Dodger and have always respected Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney and with Noah Baumbach helming I figured the movie was in capable hands. However I did fear that after viewing the trailer that I had already seen the best squid had to offer. In some ways I was right.

Firstly it deserves praise for it's portrayal of adolescent males. I found a lot of truth in Franks character. The scenes in which he studies himself in the mirror reminded me greatly of the same self absorbed and curious qualities I had at that stage in my life. However Baumbach played some of Franks sexual exploits and dirty language in a exploitive manner. The way he was portrayed made his character too much of a tool to shock the audience. In fact many scenes depicting sexuality seemed thrown in. The line were Bernard says to Lili, "Put me in your mouth" was petty and did little to reinforce any character traits that weren't already glaringly clear. I have no problem with risqué dialog or scenes that show characters in a despicable light. However that scene in particular seemed hollow. Bernard or Lili were not developed enough for me to really care that he would say something so rude to her. I already got that he was a self absorbed, loathing character. If Baumbach had used that line to trigger a stronger response in any of the three characters involved it would have felt natural. Instead we see nothing of Lili after and Walt didn't meditate very long after hearing something so low come from his father's mouth. I understand Bernard was a jerk, and used similar language around Walt. But still, it was far harsher then anything he uttered before or after. Yet no one seemed to really notice. I could see how combined with the final argument and Bernard's self absorbed lines in the hospital it could "justify" Walt to see his parents in a clearer light. Yet Baumbach let the moment pass to quickly missing what could have been a stronger beat. Which brings me to my main problem with the film. Baumbach's pacing never lets the audience into the characters heads. He throws things at you and the characters so fast that neither you nor they seem to have the time to let the emotions sink in.

The number one thing that troubled me however was the ending. I understand that Walt mentions he could never look at the squid and the whale fighting but come on! To have him go and look at a giant squid and the whale fight as a way to end the movie? Please, not only do I always question movies that use the title as a line in the film that is "really important" to the story but to have something as petty and unemotional as a character looking at a science sculpture! If it had been better shot it may have work, however I didn't even have the time to let the emotions of the scene sink in before I was slammed with a big Title Card!!! Honestly I felt I was watching an unfinished film and that the editor didn't know what to do so they just put a title card to let the audience know "yes that was all folks!"

One other thing I found useless was the "gag" although no one laughed where Joan comes out of the bathroom and the Walt says something about the nasty smell. Why include this? Was it funny? No! Was it important to the story, scene, or characters? No! All it did was leave a foul taste in my mouth for no reason.

Still for as much as I've said what didn't work Squid does have some good things going for it. I'd like to thank the whole crew for making a film about people and human relationships in a time when so many movies seem to be about nothing more then eye candy. Also big props to all the actors for fine performances.

Squid and the Whale is a much stronger film then most, which is why I was so disappointed that it couldn't rise above it's problems to be something truly special.


Screenwriter and director Noah Baumbach's tale of his incredibly dysfunctional family could easily have been re-named "The Addams Family - 1986". The film recounts his ugly childhood with his younger brother, his writer-father and aspiring writer-mother living in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1986. His father Bernard, played revoltingly well by Jeff Daniels, has absolutely no concept of what's going on outside of his own world as he spews obscenities and dwells on his past as a respected writer; of course now no one wants anything to do with his writing so he teaches English instead (Gee, haven't we see that a few hundred times in films?)Bernard's wife Joan, played by a mousy Laury Linney, decide that after many years of marriage that divorce is the best option; which seems odd considering that they have nothing good to say about each other and that Joan has had affairs with at least four different men during their marriage. Why they don't continue with this nightmarish marriage isn't explained; there isn't a catalyst for this decision. Once the separation occurs and Bernard relocates several blocks away to a house of lesser amenities the film shifts focus to the effect the separation has on the two children; Walt and Frank Berkman. Walt, played by a brow-furrowed Jesse Eisenberg, idolizes his father and models his view of the world after Bernard's twisted vision. The majority of observations from Walt's mouth are direct quotes from his father, yet instead of revealing the depth of admiration Walt has for his father these comments simply show Walt as being shallow and pathetic. We wait for Walt to develop a mind of his own but sadly that never happens. Frank, played mincingly by Owen Kline, steals the film as the repulsive chronic masturbator who leaves his calling card on any non-human surface. At one point Joan and Bernard get their child custody duties mixed up and accidentally leave Frank alone for three days. Frank spends the time drinking Scotch, masturbating to his mom's underwear, and passing out on the bathroom floor. The next scene is Joan and Bernard being confronted by the school counselor. What happened for the rest of Frank's long weekend? A nine year old boy left alone with hard liquor and a Oedipal complex is a film in itself, but we aren't allowed to witness this, or a scene where the parents find Frank near death from alcohol poisoning (assuming that could have easily happened) lying in a pile of his mother's panties. The rest of the film is filled with Walt's blatant plagiarism, a non-stop stream of offensive cursing, arguments, premature ejaculation, Bernard allowing his dinner guests at restaurants to only order half-orders because he's so cheap, unbelievable therapy sessions, Bernard trying to force his female student and border to perform oral sex only to be interrupted by his son, and a medical emergency that is offered as redemption but fails. Contrary to reviews I've read, there is nothing charming, endearing, funny, or clever about this film. It truly boggles my mind that most critics enjoyed this film. The only reason I can conjure is that most of these critics were raised in a family as hellish as this one so it's like spending time with old, heavily medicated friends. If this film's final scene was of the four Berkman's going for a hot air balloon ride over the Catskills, and the balloon crashing in flames into the mountains with no survivors, then I just might have walked out of the theater with a smile on my face. As it is, this a slice of American ugliness that no one should have to endure.


When husband and wife decide to split, the only ones who get hurt are the children, and even though Joan and Bernard Berkman are in the center of their nasty divorce, their two sons -- Frank and Walt -- are the ones going through the trauma. Noah Baumbach wrote and directed this insightful, biting story of a family deadlocked in its inner battles based on his own life experiences and the result is bittersweet.

Bernard claims to have been an influential author of novels who has fallen on hard times. Frank idolizes him and has the same clipped, insolent tones as if he were talking to an admiring audience. Bernard openly attacks his wife Joan as if it were a requisite for their marriage to exist and Frank decides he too can't stand her. On the other hand, Joan, once Bernard casually reveals her affair with a neighbor, is coming into her own as a writer and as selfish as she may seem at times, she's the better person in the marriage. Walt, the youngest son, tilts towards her but is going through his own inner changes and is expressing it through masturbation -- especially on library books and his mother's lingerie.

After the Berkman's separate, Bernard and the boys move into the new house -- a rickety place within the vicinity -- and Joan initiates her life with Ivan, Walt's tennis tutor. A quadrangle and a triangle of sorts develops when Bernard rents a room to one of his female students, Lili, and begins a tentative affair with her. Frank, who is going out with a girl he seems embarrassed to be seen with, also pines and almost succeeds in seducing Lili. His father even encourages it. Events involving Bernard's and Joan's war eventually lead to a nasty head which will make Frank take a decision about himself.

What makes THE SQUID AND THE WHALE such a great little film is how natural it seems at all turns and how slice of life it is. I kept getting references from French New Wave all over the place. Baumbach writes his characters like real people at all times. Bernard's relationship with his sons is real. Look at when he and Walt curse over losing a table tennis match in almost exact verbal intonations, or when both he and Frank lock themselves in their elitist world and chatter about Kafka, how Bernard has decided he was once a brilliant writer which may or not be true, and how "A Tale of Two Cities" was a lesser Dickens as if reading it meant getting an eye infection. Frank, in imitating his father's worst traits, when it is discovered that a song he'd written was in fact a song by Pink Floyd and in a Ted Bundy style argues that "it was as if he had written it so it was his by appropriation" exposes him for the empty snob he is on the inside. Joan, while a little unsympathetic here and there, is a real human and one who maintains her composure when its clear her writing career is on the rise even if her family is about to implode. When she propitiates the demise of her family it's at first seen as an act of selfish abandonment, but one look at Bernard and his abrasive, self-obsessed, hurtful personality and all is explained. Now, Walt has a more internal character development despite some verbal outbursts at the beginning of the movie. Once the family is divided and he is left increasingly alone, his psyche begins delving into his own sexual awakening which under the detached music of Tangerine Dream is seen as something he himself doesn't understand. It's clear he's more tolerant of the two brothers and able to accept Ivan -- an much better guy as his mother's new guy.

There's also an interesting subtext involving the film BLUE VELVET that may or nor may be intentional. While Frank invites his father to see SHORT CIRCUIT, his father arrogantly puts that film down (for being commercial) and decides they will see BLUE VELVET. The climactic scene where the main characters converge at the Williams' household seems to open a door to Frank's sexual fascination with brunettes and fuses his progressive revulsion of Sophie, a dead ringer for Laura Dern. The appearance of the dark-haired Lili increases this -- she holds within a similar mystique that lures Frank and leads him to push Sophie away in a painful scene.

THE SQUID AND THE WHALE is a sharp domestic drama about bitter people caught within their own patterns of behavior and it lingers on after its abrupt but symbolic ending. Even with Walt's forays into bizarre behavior, which is not as disturbing as a part of a boy's growth, it's Frank -- Noah Baumbach's apparent alter-ego -- who has the moment of clarity to see things as they really are and not be a figment of his father's poison. The moment he realizes he has been a pawn in a needless war between Bernard and Bernard -- not Bernard and Joan as initially depicted, he does what anyone would have done: run and let his feet and instinct take him to the truth.

And as is the case with these kinds of movies, all of the performances are on-target. Laura Linney continues on her winning streak of textured, modern women. Jeff Daniels made me feel like I was in the presence of a real jerk who could have a moment of sympathy but chose to remain locked in his delusions, and that takes guts. Ditto of Jesse Eisenberg who at times reminded me of Ted Bundy. Anna Paquin and William Baldwin fill out believable people with their minimal scenes and Owen Kline made me think of an adult trapped in a kid's body. Overall, this is a near-perfect film from start to finish.


What could the film THE SQUID AND THE WHALE be about? Is it an animated tale of two amphibians? An adventure? Certainly boasting an odd name, this movie is about a Brooklyn family in 1986, which is split through divorce. Their two sons are left in the middle, going back and forth in the joint custody agreed upon. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney play the parents, both writers, and they paint their characters skillfully, with genuine performances. He claims to have once been a great novelist, and she is now a successful author on her own. The sons work out their own confusion in their dealings with girls they like. The two actors playing the sons are also very convincing. One of them is Kevin Kline's real life son, Owen. If you have been in a family that has experienced divorce, this will touch a nerve. A very accessible character study, exploring the complexities and inner workings of a broken family. We are privileged to see behind closed doors and see an authentic portrait. Full of humor and poignant moments, rated R.


In1986, In Brooklyn, New York, the dysfunctional family of pseudo intellectuals composed by the university professor Bernard (Jeff Daniels) and the prominent writer Joan (Laura Linney) split. Bernard is a selfish, cheap and jealous decadent writer that rationalizes every attitude in his family and life and does not accept "philistines" - people that do not read books or watch movies, while the unfaithful Joan is growing as a writer and has no problems with "philistines". Their sons, the teenager Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and the boy Frank (Owen Kline), feel the separation and take side: Walt stays with Bernard, and Frank with Joan, and both are affected with abnormal behaviors. Frank drinks booze and smears with sperm the books in the library and a locker in the dress room of his school. The messed-up and insecure Walt uses Roger Water's song "Hey You" in a festival as if it was of his own, and breaks with his girlfriend Sophie (Halley Feiffer). Meanwhile Joan has an affair with Frank's tennis teacher Ivan (William Baldwyn) and Bernard with his student Lili (Anna Paquin).

This little family and coming to age drama is a sensitive story, apparently based on the self-biography of the director and writer Noah Baumbach. The story is very well acted and develops a phase of separation of the couple Bernard and Joan and its effects in their sons Walt and Frank. The moment of the conclusion is pretentious and deceptive, with Walt in the American Museum of Natural History recalling a good  or maybe the best - moment of his life looking at a giant squid fighting a whale displayed in the museum. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Lula e a Baleia" ("The Squid and the Whale")


The full page ad in the local arts & entertainment weekly exalted The Squid and the Whale as, "Marvelous...Fresh & Fierce...Exhilarating...Sharply Comical", but it is none of those things. My date and I saw the film last night, in a theater filled with sophisticated film buffs. There was an occasional chuckle and an isolated laugh, here and there, but there was mostly an uncomfortable silence throughout the film.

We all collectively squirmed in our seats, looked at one another and winced when the preteen Frank masturbated in the school library, then wiped his semen on some books on the shelf. Who would find this humorous?? It is a badly conceived scene and done in bad taste, only to be touched upon again later in the film. The homosexual, pedophile market will find this film exhilarating.

The Squid and the Whale looks as if it was written in two weeks, while high on coke or something turned in by a college sophomore, who pulled an all-nighter on the last day to write an assignment. The term, "assman" was used repeatedly, each time reminding me of a classic episode of Seinfeld. If writing is to be original, you can't go around lifting catch phrases from sitcoms.

The acting is understated throughout, with the exception of Laura Linney's occasional shriek and raised eyebrows.

The film's sudden ending was a relief.


The acting was very good. The production was good. The story told was simply uninteresting and more off-putting than engaging. Jeff Daniels played his part so well that you just wanted to slap the creep. The mother character is even more reprehensible. These are people I would rather not know let alone invite into my living room. The only redeeming factor of this film is that it may be gratifying to parents watching it that are not screwing up their children as much as the parents in this movie were. If you have teenagers, definitely do not rent this movie. While some R rated movies can be watched by older teenagers with your supervision, this is definitely not one of them!


Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney play husband and wife Bernard and Linda Berkman. They live in Park Slope in Brooklyn. Both are PHDs in their forties. Bernie has had a couple of novels published and teaches at a local college. His wife apparently stays home with their two boys.

The dilemma of the two boys, Walt, roughly 15, and Frank, 11, is that their folks are breaking up and they aren't making it easy on their two kids. In fact, they're making it very hard.

There will be two homes, and each kid will switch to the other parents house each day. It is never discussed but that means the two boys never get to live together. The screenplay never even presents this as a problem for the two boys.

Bernie immediately strikes the audience as totally selfish and self-serving, and his oldest son Walt is his totally naive acolyte. When Bernie says Kafka's Metamorphosis is the ultimate book, Walt peddles the same stuff to a potential girlfriend. His high school counselor detects instantly that he has not read the book or any of the others he claims knowledge of. But Bernie develops self-serving alibis for Walt, like he does for himself, which is probably why Bernie's career as a novelist ended in his twenties.

The two parents are mostly unaware their kids are falling apart emotionally. Frank is still a kid but he has begun masturbating in elementary school and wiping the residue on selected girls' lockers. His brother has presented a song to an audience at a high school talent contest as his own, when it is really the work of a famous member of a rock group.

Walt is having trouble at Dad's too. Bernie has mostly resisted the potential groupie students in the literature courses he teaches. But then he finds out about the affairs Linda has been having with men in the neighborhood, even the kids' lame tennis teacher Ivan, played by William Baldwin.

Bernie invites one of the more forward groupies at the college to live temporarily at the house. Walt has a high school girl roughly his own age he is working on, but his father's student is starting to rouse him too.

Meanwhile, Frank, though only 11, has begun to drink beer and whiskey, and both kids swear and use foul language in front of both their parents. The key thing here is the two boys are losing it more each day and all Bernie can do is try and poison Walt against Linda. Linda too is unaware of the disintegration of her two boys. She's got a career to run.

It all comes to a head when Walt confesses to the school counselor that he used to like his mother some when they watched Robin Hood together on television, and when she reassured him after he saw the picture of an enormous whale swallowing the squid at the Museum of Natural History. He liked her before his brother Frank was born. A light bulb goes off in the heads of the audience but the school counselor still looks a little clueless.

Bernie is now so out of it with loss, he comes to Linda's house and asks if she would consider having him back. Linda laughs at this but the kids, both of them present, begin to wise up to the mendacity of their father and the new emerging confidence of their Mom. While Bernie's career is in limbo, Linda publishes a novel Bernie warned she would never be able to complete, and gets a short story published in the New Yorker.

Bernie's behavior is transparent to the audience throughout the movie. He is a total user, but Frank has sided with his mother and Walt with his Dad.

I was laughing at Bernie and Linda, mostly Bernie, though Linda has many moments too. The two parents were letting their kids regularly insult them, but when 15 year old Walt calls his mom a bitch, even Linda is alarmed and complains. This is when the two kids start to realize their parents particularly Bernie, have clay feet. Walt stops listening to his father, though Bernie has collapsed in the street from something and has had to be taken to a hospital by ambulance.

When the kids realize Bernie has been using them, the recovery is underway. Now that they know it isn't they who are screwed up, the two boys can begin to recover.

The film was written and directed by Noah Baumbach, whose parents himself and his brother are the subjects of this true story. Jeff Daniels gives his best performance ever, Laura Linney is fearless as Bernie's distraught wife. The two young actors who play the sons come close to breaking the hearts of the audience toward the end. The film is not a tragedy, its a tragicomedy.


Believe it or not, we've seen films like this one before. Maybe not with the same detail, but about the same general subject; a messed up family that deals with their problems in a direction and script without inhibitions. We could say that "The Squid and the Whale" has a few less inhibitions than the normal level, no Joaquín?

With a big dose of reality included, the Berkmans have to live with parents Frank (Jeff Daniels) and Joan (Laura Linney) getting divorced. At first, it seems that they just don't love each other anymore; later, new facts come to light in front of their sons' Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and Frank (Owen Kline) eyes. This leads to a huge amount of craziness and an apparently uncertain conclusion.

In the line of writer/director films as "The Door in the Floor" and "Igby Goes Down", the picture doesn't really last too long and the secret of the camera lies in the observation. Here, we don't experience a piece full of camera tricks and innovating shots, but we're not expecting that either. We instantly realize there's a story being told and in order for us to pay attention, everything has to move slowly.

Take a look at the performancesJeff Daniels, as disinterested as usual in a role that fits him perfectly; walks calmly through the development of the story, only raising his voice and getting angry two or three times. And so it occurs with all the characters: Laura Linney is marvelous in the difficult role she gets to play, but rage gets into her twice; Jesse Eisenberg (from the underrated "Roger Dodger") has one very strong scene of shouting, while he sadly looks lost for the rest of the movie, accurately portraying the complex Walt.

In Owen Kline we find a natural talent for an obscure performance that would make his father Kevin proud. And we also get the presence of the beautiful Anna Paquin, who plays a really 'racy' character and completes a very 'racy' scene with a high level of mastery. I have also wanted her to do more things than she actually does. William Baldwin is the last and probably the calmer man within the cast, playing the philistine Ivan, a tennis professor that becomes Frank's role model.

The technical work is among the calm alsoSpecially Tim Streeto's edition, who has been assistant editor in various films of this type ("Black and White", "American Splendor"). Finally, Noah Baumbach is a man we can expect a lot from. The trick of the observation in the camera is automatically connected to his peculiar but fantastic screenplay that, as I said, contains a lot of detail which can become creepy; but with great expertise and timing.

We could easily say that Baumbach's script is a storm, because it puts its characters in the middle of one, but we can also say that Baumbach is a man who definitely tries to find the calm between the storm, in his characters and in his movie. See the reference of the title of the movie in the story and you'll get it: a clarified example about finding the calm between the storm (no Urdinez?).


Excruciating and utterly dark comedy exploring the end of a marriage, and the consequences for all concerned.

Set in mid-80s New York, this low budget production contains some brilliantly cringe-making set pieces, as Bernard and Joan Berkman struggle to come to terms with their break up, and how it affects their two sons. Daniels is superb as Bernard, capturing the essence of someone who has obviously invested his entire being in the importance of art, literature and the academic American dream, and his very pretentiousness make him both pathetic and repellent. Linney's Joan is no less complicated, expertly conveying both maternal love and abject selfishness. Her inability to put the brakes on when telling her sons about her relationship experiences and history are hilarious. In Walt, Eisenberg creates a wonderful picture of adolescent priggish arrogance covering up inexperience and naivety  his determination to ape his father's character and views only serves to heighten the discomfort when he is eventually disillusioned. Lastly, director Noah Baumbach has found a beautifully natural performer in Kline, whose reaction to his parents' separation is the antithesis of his brother's  his dislike of his father, his loss of control, his acceptance of his mother's behaviour.

Playing like some discomforting variation of a Woody Allen comedy, TSATW has no easy answers. Its low-budget production qualities are often lacking, but for all that it's a brilliant study of familial dysfunction, and frequently hilarious to boot.


The film is creative and really well-made. I can only imagine the difficulties that face children when their parents get divorced, but the film also includes the anxieties of teenagers something that most people can relate to in one way or another. Alcohol, sex, masturbation as well as the radical change in behaviour of some teenagers especially with expressing their hurt at school and with other relationships.

An upsetting scene in the film was when the girlfriend of the older son says that her mum doesn't like her dating him because his parents are divorced, and that that bad relationship might reflect on their relationship.

Great movie!


"It's an ambiguous ending," Walt Berkman (Jesse Eisenberg) tells his slow-witted girlfriend Sophie, and while he's talking about Kafka's "Metamorphosis," he could easily be referencing "The Squid and the Whale." Writer-director Noah Baumbach has crafted a film that is equal parts uproarious humor and personal anguish. There isn't a hint of the shaky imbalance that plagues movies that attempt to cross comedy and drama as he tells the story of Joan and Bernard Berkman (Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels), a couple that has spent years in a downward spiral of unhappiness, affairs, and crushed hopes. Walt and his younger brother, Frank (Owen Kline) approach this transition with a blend of misplaced anger and (often hilarious) sexual awkwardness; Baumbach embeds traits of the parents in the sons, which truly makes us feel that there is something at stake with the outcome.

Even if you didn't know that Baumbach and Wes Anderson ("Rushmore"; "The Life Aquatic") are close friends, you would notice from the overall design of "The Squid and the Whale": the use of music as a dramatic element (Pink Floyd's 'Hey You' plays a crucial role), costume design (Bernard and Walt wear the same kind of Nikes), and the titular exhibit, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the drawings that punctuate Anderson's films. And while the emphasis here--as in Anderson's "Royal Tenenbaums"--is a dysfunctional family, Baumbach wisely keeps us intimately invested in the small cast, thus tightening both the dramatic and comedic effect. Anderson's films all too often suffer audience detachment as a consequence of gigantic ensemble casts.

And the actors are in fine form: Daniels' Bernard is the epitome of a once-successful author in flux, looking to an adventurous student (Anna Paquin) to kick-start his faded sex drive; Linney's Joan is a blend of loose morals and regret; Eisenberg fuses the clunky transition to adulthood with anxiety over his identity ("Don't be difficult," he says in lockstep with his father); and Kline's foul-mouthed, alcohol-drinking, semen-spreading Frank displays the type of growing-up experience that is seldom touched in mainstream cinema.

But the key to "Squid" really is its ambiguity--it doesn't go down a predictable route, and by the end, our minds are bubbling over with questions (Did Joan remember watching "Robin Hood" with Walt? Did they retrieve the cat? Did Walt get back together with Sophie? What was the picture Frank carried around? What did Bernard have for breakfast?) that we don't fault it for not answering. As an intimate snapshot of a family in transition, not only do questions go unanswered, but the 'ending' really isn't an ending at all...yet this story really doesn't need one. "The Squid and the Whale" is a funny, beautiful, and painful experience...don't miss it.