Credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Writer-Director:
Craig Lucas
Cast:
Peter Sarsgaard……….Robert Sandrich
Campbell Scott……….Jeffrey Tishop
Patricia Clarkson……….Elaine Tishop
Sony Pictures and Strand Releasing present The Dying Gaul. Based on Lucas’ play. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R (for strong sexual content and language).
The movie:
“No one goes to the movies to have a bad time or to learn anything.” – The Dying Gaul
This could have only come from the mouth of a movie executive. Producers, and their assistants, weed through scripts to see which ones will be the most profitable as a commercial film. Though this is not always the case, as executives may want to do something that is less about being a tent pole picture and more about hitting a core audience. Campbell Scott stars as the executive in The Dying Gaul and voices the sentiment above when meeting with Robert (Peter Sarsgaard), a down-and-out screenwriter. Robert has come to Jeffrey with a screenplay about a gay love affair in which one character is dying of AIDS.
Jeffrey loves the script except for one thing: the lovers are homosexual. Make the couple heterosexual, he tells Robert, and I’ll cut you a check for $1 million dollars on the spot. Robert is conflicted. His screenplay is about his former lover. Jeffrey understands how he feels, but bluntly admits, “Americans hate gays.” It must be pointed out that this film is set in 1994, a time when the subject of homosexuality was still taboo to many studio honchos.
The one million dollar offering is a great temptation. You would be a fool not to pass on the deal. Jeffery knows it. He even goes as far as to tell Robert to do this one thing, (go against your principles), one time. Then you can be like Spike Lee and make movies however you want.
When Robert reveals that he has child support payments and college loans to pay back, Jeffrey knows the script is as good as his. Through out the meeting he makes the writer complacent. Asking him questions like “where do you see this [screenplay] going?” or “who do you see directing the picture?”
Campbell Scott has shown in films like Roger Dodger that with certain panache he can be both controlled and cankerous. When he talks about the success of a movie depends on having the broadest idea to appeal to the most viewers, we believe him.
The statements above make it seem as if The Dying Gaul is about the making of a motion picture. The meeting between the writer and the executive is just a prelude to a seductive thriller. In its own right the negotiation is a seduction. Robert compromises his beliefs in hopes of providing for himself and others around him.
Soon the impoverished screenwriter from West Hollywood is invited to Jeffrey’s home and is introduced to his wife Elaine (Patricia Clarkson) and their two children. The addition of Elaine to the story sets into a motion a chain of events that leads to a devastating conclusion.
This film marks the directorial debut for Craig Lucas. His previous screenwriting credits included Prelude to a Kiss with Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin, the Oscar-nominated Longtime Companion, and The Secret Lives of Dentists, another movie that starred Campbell Scott. This movie is based on a Lucas’ play and it is easy to distinguish; three primary characters who are well written and given a situation.
In certain cases adapting a play to screen can be daunting. Not just a play but any written publication. Especially those works that aren’t meant to be adapted. Craig Lucas does his best to get the most out of his own source material. The three performances are effective in their own ways. It’s the story and the parts comprised therein that makes it pedestrian.
Trying to remain spoiler free, I will admit this much. Jeffrey is turned on by Robert. While the two hug to seal the deal, Jeffrey tells him, “You are very handsome.” Elaine, on the other hand, is enthralled by Robert’s analytical mind. She was a screenwriter some time ago, but motherhood is a full time job. Conversing, Robert tells her that with his lover dead, he turns to the Internet for foreplay and sex talk.
With two curious parties come two intriguing affairs. Jeffrey and Robert become lovers. Elaine, shrouding herself in a cloak of anonymity, creates a fake identity and begins to communicate with Robert in an online chat room.
What happens next is for you to discover.
Score: 6/10
The DVD:
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
The video transfer looks good, except for a few instances of dirt on the print. Cinematographer Bobby Bukowski’s visual eye helps to capture the luminescence of Hollywood.
Score: 7/10
THE AUDIO
(Dolby Digital 5.1)
Since plays are primarily dialogue-driven, The Dying Gaul is a talkative affair. The words don’t really come at you full force in 5.1 surround, but the despondent score by composer Steve Reich’s helps to fill in the gaps where an exchange of ideas cannot.
Score: 7/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: Deletions and trailers…
Had Sony Pictures decided to include a commentary by the writer-director or perhaps the three leads, then maybe the extras would have been satisfying. Instead, what is included gives the viewer little insight about the story or background about the play.
A six minute, 15 second deleted ending adds a few minutes to the theatrical cut, but works against the impact of the original ending. Also included are three deleted scenes, playable separately, that don’t really add anything to Craig Lucas’ film. Completing the supplements are trailers for Where the Truth Lies, The Confessor, Chasing Ghosts, The Tenants, and Saint Ralph (again, another movie featuring Campbell Scott).
Score: 2/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for The Dying Gaul | |
