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In a time where each years we seem to only find sequels, remakes and movies built around nostalgia, it’s a shame that studios don’t look to stage productions for inspiration. Plays are some of the most consistently fascinating forms of storytelling these days, focusing on characters and their personal journeys. Striping away budget in favor of creativity, trying to find something new to say instead or repeating themselves. Thankfully, there are people like Al Pacino in this world who realize the importance of what those productions are trying to say, and then use their celebrity status to present them to a wider audience by turning them in to feature length films.
It’s a well known fact that Al Pacino loves the stage, it’s what started his career and has been a part of him ever since. It’s through Al we’ve seen many plays brought to the big screen that without his star power may have never made it, movies like Glengarry Glenn Ross.
Once thought to never see the light of day, Fox seems to have finally settled on a date to put out this new collection of Pacino’s passion projects, as well as the single disc releases of Panic in Needle Park and Arthur! Arthur! For what has seemed like an eternity, but is more like two years, this set has been announced and pushed back seemingly every three months. To the point where Amazon had stop listing it on their website entirely.
The DVD collection is comprised of three movies that many average movie goers have never heard of, and are probably wondering why such unknown pictures are included in an Al Pacino box set. Well, these movies are all projects by and starring Al Pacino himself. It’s for long time die hard Pacino fans, not for those who only care about his more mainstream movies like Scarface, The Godfather, or Heat. This is a set for those looking to see another side of one of the greatest living actors of this era.
His performance in The Merchant of Venice a few years back was the best we’ve seen out of his in years, there’s just something about pieces intended for the stage that bring something special out of him. Having won two Tony Awards1, it’s no wonder why he tries so feverishly to bring it to the masses, the stage is in his blood.
So with all of that behind us, let’s get to these three new to DVD titles.
Disc One – The Local Stigmatic (1989)
Directed by:
David F. Wheeler and Al Pacino
Starring:
Al Pacino …. Graham
Paul Guilfoyle …. Ray
Joseph Maher …. David
The Local Stigmatic was made at a time in Al’s life when what every movies he was a part of the finalized products bared little to no resemblance of the stories he had signed on for, Cruising being a prime example. So he took matters into his own hands and purchased the tv/movie rights to the Heathcote Williams play “The Local Stigmatic”, a play he had performed in several times over the years. And since it was filmed in 1989, the project has been considered a “work in progress” and only a select few have been granted private screenings by the permission of Pacino himself. Now, almost twenty years since the idea of making the movie came in to his head, Al finally feels it was time to share his labor of love with the world.
In the film we have two men, Graham and Ray, who seem to have a morbid lust for despair. Who only seem to function when the world is crushing down on them. Graham follows the tabloids, along with all the latest celebrities that grace their covers. Not like most people do today in the form of entertainment, but almost as a way of reminding himself of his small place in the world. These are characters who thrive off of being where they are as the “lower class.” As the characters go about their day, they continuously play a game of push and pull, trying to see what it will take for one to make the other go over the edge. So when they come across a big time movie star at the local tavern, he’s unknowingly become the latest victim in their twisted idea of a pastime.
Pacino’s Graham is almost as haunting as De Niro’s Travis Bickle in terms of characters that are so far removed from human emotion that their every move is frightening. A simple glance can cause shivers to run down your spine. And while there isn’t as much character development here that one might like, it’s that unknowingness about these individuals that make it all the more memorable.
Being a one act play, each line of dialogue is skillfully composed and packed with layers upon layers of complexity. Each word out of the characters mouths are given meaning and weight; each line of dialogue is placed in a rhythm that is hard to explain but wholly original. Making Stigmatic is a very unique film to view. Heathcoat is like a maestro, masterfully choosing each word or expression to get across the larger meaning of the play, never allowing for a single line of dialogue that is out of place or to be under utilized.
While the anticipation may cause some viewers to walk away discouraged by the final product, I implore you to watch the epilogue as well as listen to Pacino’s commentary track. These two pieces combined will surely have you re-evaluating what your first reaction was and will most likely cause you to appreciate it on an entirely new level. The first viewing of the film may go over some peoples heads, but when the credits role it’s hard to deny that the film left an impression. Repeat viewings only further allow you to unravel what Williams was trying to convey in the story and characters, and that experience is a lot more fulfilling than what most other movies could ever offer.
Disk Two – Looking for Richard (1996)
Directed by:
Al Pacino
Starring:
Al Pacino …. Himself/Richard III
Harris Yulin …. Himself/Edward IV
Penelope Allen …. Herself/Elizabeth I
Alec Baldwin …. Himself/Clarence
Kevin Spacey …. Himself/Buckingham
Estelle Parsons …. Herself/Margaret
Winona Ryder …. Herself/Lady Anne
Aidan Quinn …. Himself/Richmond
With Looking for Richard Pacino has made a very unique documentary, one that tries to find a way of looking at Shakespeare from an entirely new angle. To make it more accessible to modern audiences while also trying to show them the artistry in the way Shakespeare wrote. Basically, this is like Richard the Third for both lovers and dummies alike.
Bringing together a large cast of notable actors, Richard shows them all trying to understand why American actors have a tendency to lock up when it comes to performing Shakespearean plays. Basically, the documentary has the actors try to deconstruct the play “Richard the Third” to its most basic of levels. Specifically, the way that Richard manipulates those that are around him, playing them like pawns in a chess game. But we’re also given the reasons for every action by each character in the play.
Here we have Pacino trying to open up the world of Shakespeare to modern audiences. You have to admit, the mere mention of Shakespeare around some people causes an instant groan to be heard loud and clear. Which is a shame, as his plays still to this day feature some of the most compelling and fascination character interactions ever written. It’s hard to deny that he had a way of finding the souls of his characters and portraying them on the page like no other, it’s just a shame that so many people seem to discard it in favor of something lighter or simpler.
Because it’s hard to defend Shakespeare’s style of writing with a casual reader, for many it takes years to understand and comprehend the tempo and rhythm of his work. And that doesn’t even include his choice of word play, which causes much of the humor in his writing to fall on deaf ears.
The film allows for those who have never seen the play to now go and experience it with all of the important information explained to them, while those who love the play are able to go along with the actors and be reminded why they hold it in such high esteem. Edited in a strange way of mixing rehearsals, on the street interviews and actual scenes from the play that were filmed for the documentary, Pacino is trying to show the play through his eyes. It’s almost his way of walking us through a very complex and layered affair so that when we finally reach the end, we’re able to appreciate it more than we have in the past. And for that, Pacino succeeds with flying colors.
Disc Three – Chinese Coffee (2000)
Directed by:
Al Pacino
Starring:
Al Pacino …. Harry Levine
Jerry Orbach …. Jake Manheim
Susan Floyd …. Joanna
Ellen McElduff …. Mavis
Based on a play that was created at The Actor’s Studio, Chinese Coffee is based loosely on real life events by writer Ira Lewis. Centered around two middle aged men, the movie is about them talking about their experiences going through life. All the moments where they realize that they’ve crossed a line in life, that everything is behind them. It’s only then where they begin to notice all of the things that are actually important to them in life.
Opening up with Harry Levine getting canned from his job at a high society hotel in the city, Chinese Coffee manages to instantly grab the viewers interest. Now unemployed and having nothing better to do, he goes over to his friend Jake’s house looking for the money that he still owes him for buying his photography equipment. But he’s not really as interested in the money as he is with Jake’s opinion on his latest book, which was intended to be a fictionalized view of their lives living in the village. What follows is an hour and a half of these characters spending the night going over their lives, where they went wrong, and where they wish they wound up.
The movie is mainly about a couple of old men that time forgot, lost in the 80’s and unable to fit in with the times. But it’s more than that, these guys spend the night locked up in Jake’s apartment and spend the night going over their friendship, wondering if it’s a real kinship or symbiosis. And the movie slowly peels back the layers of their relationship. This is a nice look at two different men, one trying daily to reach his dreams, while the other spends his entire life only talking about how great he can be, opting to instead spend his time critiquing the work of others.
Their interaction between the leads is what drives the movie, and the actors pull it off exceptionally well. Who could possibly ask for anything more than Al Pacino and the late Jerry Orbach on screen with only each other to interact with? The dialogue and exchange of words between them is what makes the film such a fun viewing experience. The two lead characters are both masters of verbal exchanges and it’s how the actors express themselves that makes it all believable.
The stage version had the characters spend the entire duration inside of Jake’s cramped little apartment. However, Pacino uses the fact that this is a film adaption to his advantage and breaks free of the room by incorporating flashbacks. This idea works great for two reasons, one it actually lets us see these character in the moment rather than them speaking about it in the past tense, while also avoiding the claustrophobia of having the film stay in one room for over 90 minutes. The one draw back to this choice, however, is that the chosen flashbacks aren’t incorporated as smoothly as possible. We’re thrown in to the middle of the story and have to play catch up for the entire film in order to understand the whole picture. Which in the end is probably one of the films strongest suits, after the brilliant writing, but at first can be a bit jarring.
Chinese Coffee was only released at the Toronto Film Festival a few years ago and never to be played anywhere ever again — until this DVD release. And that’s a shame, because this may very well go down as one of his best performances. While it doesn’t have the epic scope of The Godfather, or the glitz of Scarface, this character piece has Pacino in a form we haven’t seen since perhaps Serpico or Glenngary Glenn Ross. He embodies the Harry character.
Now as you can see, while these aren’t movies normally associated with Al’s more prestigious works, it’s undeniable that it’s about time they received the respect they deserve. If your a Pacino enthusiast and have experienced every one of his already available works, this is a must buy. But the appeal doesn’t end there, this is a compilation for anyone who enjoys storytelling at it’s finest. Pacino: An Actor’s Vision showcases some of the best things that movies can offer, compelling writing, intriguing characters and a deeper look at how stage productions get converted to film.
Video:
(Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
All three pictures are given very nice presentations here. Not on par with the latest blockbuster releases but, keeping their budgets in to consideration, are probably the best that we’re going to ever them. Stigmatic especially looks good given its long history of recuts and the amount of time the print has been sitting around (nearly twenty years), it’s hard to ask for better. There is still some expected problems with the transfer, some debris and scratches are prominent, but the level of detail is still noticeable. Chinese Coffee is probably the best looking of the three, with a very pristine DVD video presentation. No real complaints can be found, to be honest. Jake’s apartment is shown in great detail and the video remains sharp the entire runtime, with very few artifacts to be found. Looking for Richard comes with the same positives and negatives of a documentary, where the quality of the video is constantly fluctuating from acceptable to not so great. The level of noise is something that should have been handled better.
Audio:
(English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
All three movies are mainly driven by dialogue and as such the 5.1 is mainly included because it is so common place with DVD’s these days. Stigmatic does feature a very nice score by Howard Shore that is reproduced in stunning clarity and is placed through the speakers nicely. Richard also features a nicely mixed surround sound option for the music that is included on it.
Extras:
Feature Length Commentary for The Local Stigmatic and Chinese Coffee – Both tracks feature Pacino by himself, which allows him to fully explore anything that comes to mind about the productions without interruption. Each of these recordings are certainly worth listening to, as they have Pacino opening up about his experiences making the films like very few directors do. He ignores the trappings that plague many other commentaries; he doesn’t fill it up by talking just to fill dead air. Instead, he focuses on what is going on in the mind of the characters, the important things that help actors become their roles, and perhaps the most interesting thing of all, his experiences behind the camera as both a director and producer. He goes on at length about how he had troubles communicating the way he viewed things to people like his cinematographer, how he can’t watch the films without noticing little things that he wishes he could go in and fix. The commentary for The Local Stigmatic is especially eye opening, as it helps viewers to get a better understanding of what Heathcote Williams was trying to say with his play and causes viewers to look at it in an entirely different light.
Each film is also given its own Prologue (6:17 total) and Epilogue (61:22 total), all of which feature Pacino and Richard Brown. making it so that viewers who aren’t sure what they’re about to get in to, or what they just finished watching, can get a better sense of what each film is trying to say. Al goes over what inspired him to make start the projects, the hardships along the way, and what they mean to him now that they’re finished. Each disc also features an additional speaker, Stigmatic has director David Wheeler, Richard has Alec Baldwin, and Coffee has Jerry Orbach. These coupled with the commentary tracks and the documentary I’ll cover below show how much time and effort Al put in to making this DVD set the best it could possibly be.
Babbleonia: A Documentary (53:18) – As the fourth disc of this wonderful set, Babbleonia features Pacino and Film Professor Richard Brown at the Actor’s Studio. As something that could have easily been a discussion about Al’s career, it quickly turns in to almost a love letter by Al dedicated to the studio and what it has done for him and others over the years. This extra shows us why the set was titled “An Actor’s Vision,” because this is a nearly hour long feature that has Pacino talking almost non-stop about his early experience with the stage and how his perception of it has changed and evolved over the years; how he has grown to appreciate and understand it to greater lengths. He speaks about his life experiences so passionately that it’s impossible for anyone to watch this and not find a connection with what Pacino is saying.
All four discs also feature a Trailer for Looking for Richard (2:11), I’m not sure why.
Now as you can see, while these aren’t movies normally associated with Al’s more prestigious works, it’s undeniable that it’s about time they received the respect they deserve. If your a Pacino enthusiast and have experienced every one of his already available works, this is a must buy. But the appeal doesn’t end there, this is a compilation for anyone who enjoys storytelling at it’s finest. Pacino: An Actor’s Vision showcases some of the best things that movies can offer, compelling writing, intriguing characters and a deeper look at how stage productions get converted to film.
1. One in 1969 as Best Supporting or Featured Actor for “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?” and in 1977 as Best Actor for “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel.”
