Heights (Merchant Ivory Productions)
by Chris Terrio
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elizabeth Banks, Eric Bogosian, Glenn Close, James Marsden, Jesse BradfordDirector: Chris Terrio
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language); French (Original Language); Portuguese (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-01
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Heights (Merchant Ivory Productions)
Movie Review: Urban Secrets and Lies
Summary: 5 Stars
"Heights"
Urban Secrets and Lies
Amos Lassen
"Heights" follows the lives of five characters on a full day in autumn in New York City. Isabel is a photographer who is in the quandary of having second thoughts about her upcoming marriage to a lawyer by the name of Jonathan. On the very same day, Isabel's mother discovers that her husband has a new lover and she begins to have new thoughts about the choices she has made and the open marriage she is living in. The new women, Isabel and her mother, Diana come into contact with a young actor, Alec and Peter, a young journalist. As the plot continues the connections between the five characters are shown as each lets us into his life and they all must choose the kind of lives they want to live before daybreak the next day.
The movie explores the ennui and boredom of modern urban life and those emotional earthquakes that disrupt the lives of our characters. Deception and secrecy seem to be the roots of the troubles of the characters. Jonathan seems to be suffering the most--he is Jewish and his fianc?e is not and she refuses to go see the rabbi before the wedding. The two just do not see eye to eye. Diana, Isabel's mother, is a famous and admired actress and has an eye for young handsome men. When Alec auditions for a part in her new play, it is clear she likes him and not for his acting ability alone.
"Heights" is a film that succeeds because the story, the actors, the writing and the cast are all just fine--brilliant, in fact. The cast could not be better--Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden. George Segal, Isabella Rosselini, John Light all turn in excellent performances.
At its most basic the movie explores desires and the situations of the characters are held together by a character, a photogtapher, Benjamin Stone, who is never seen in the movie. His lover, Peter, tracks down models for an upcoming show and former models (who perhaps were also his lovers) so he can complete his memoirs. This is what ties the characters together. This is a powerful film even though the ending is somewhat of a downer because of the exposure of the characters earlier. It is a fine movie and a great character study.
Summary of Heights (Merchant Ivory Productions)
With wit and sympathy, Heights traces the crossed paths and messy lives of New York theater people, journalists, and artists. At the middle of everything is Isabel (Elizabeth Banks, The Sisters), a struggling photographer whose mother, Diana (Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons), is the grand dame of the theater world. Isabel's fiance, Jonathan (James Marsden, X-Men), is being pursued by a writer for Vanity Fair about his relationship with a lionized photographer. Meanwhile, Diana, though married, casts her eye on a young actor named Alec (Jesse Bradford, Happy Endings), who lives in the same building as Isabel... This only begins to unravel the tangle, but a clever script, clean direction, and nicely pitched performances keep Heights from tripping over its own plot lines or sagging into soap opera. Close, in particular, has a blast doing an uncanny Meryl Streep impression, and deft supporting performances by Isabella Rosselini (Blue Velvet), Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio), George Segal (California Split), and musician Rufus Wainwright keep the edges of the stories lively. Heights doesn't achieve the emotional fullness of the best of Robert Altman's ensemble movies, but it stakes a claim in that cinematic territory. --Bret FetzerDrama DVD Video
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