Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)
by Allen Coulter
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Diane Lane, Kevin HareDirector: Allen Coulter
Brand: Universal
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 127 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Lacks focus, but there's still some pleasure here
Summary: 3 Stars
In 1959, actor George Reeves, who had a small role in "Gone With The Wind" but was mainly famous for playing TV's Superman, was found dead, an apparent suicide. In this fictionalized retelling, low-rent private eye Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), convinces the actor's mother to launch a press-driven investigation into her son's death. Among the suspects are Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), Reeves' mistress and the wife of the powerful Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), a senior executive at MGM, and Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) a possibly gold-digging fiancee... Director Allen Coulter has a good deal of fun exploring alternate theories of Reeves' death and at the same time delving into some unsavoury aspects of Old Hollywood. But the film's focus seems misplaced. The story of Reeves' rise and fall is a potentially moving one. Reeves was a talented, good-looking actor whose success as Superman was undercut by a feeling of ridiculousness, on top of the fact that he was supported by an older mistress, the wife of a top MGM executive. At age 45, there was every possibility he was washed up for good. Real poignancy might have been wrung from his predicament had the story been allowed to dwell there. What gets in the way is first-time scripter Paul Bernbaum's framing story involving Simo's investigation. It's far less intriguing than the melancholy tale of a limited actor reaching the end of the line during a transitional period in Hollywood. It doesn't help that Brody's Simo is a distinctly unlikeable protagonist and his investigation isn't really used to drive the narrative. The film's strengths lie in the unstated assumptions and emotional undercurrents developed among Reeves, Toni and, to a lesser extent, Eddie Mannix, along with its subtle portrait of a Hollywood still dominated by big studio grayhairs but in the midst of a major overhaul to youth and TV. It's great to see depictions of real-life characters such as Eddie Mannix and Joe Spano, MGM's powerful head publicist. They lend conviction and spark to an otherwise plodding film. Affleck won the Best Actor award at Venice for his portrayal of Reeves. It's good to see him doing something different, but it's hardly great work.
Summary of Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)
A uniquely compelling exploration fo fame & identity inspired by one of hollywoods most infamous real-life mysteries. The glamou of tinseltown permanently fades for actor george reeves t.V.s superman as the actor dies. Behind the icon was a complex man who gave his life to hollywood in more ways than one Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/18/2007 Starring: Adrien Brody Ben Affleck Run time: 127 minutes Rating: RThe fact-based mystery of Hollywoodland takes place in 1959, when the death of Adventures of Superman TV star George Reeves cast a pall over the waning days of golden-age Hollywood. As written by Paul Bernbaum, this intriguing whodunit effectively evokes the tainted atmosphere that surrounded Reeves' death (officially ruled a suicide but never conclusively solved), and speculates on circumstances to suggest that Reeves may have been murdered. In combining the melancholy course of Reeves' career with the investigation of a down-and-out private detective into the possible causes of Reeves' death, the film evolves into an engrossing study of parallels between lives on either side of the Hollywood dream. Building upon a distinguished career in TV including episodes of HBO's The Sopranos, Rome and Six Feet Under, director Allen Coulter finds a satisfying balance between the tragic overtones of the Reeves case and the time-honored elements of the gumshoe genre, with Adrien Brody doing fine work as private eye Louis Simo, a fictional composite character who is our conduit to the desperate yearnings of Reeves' final months.
In a critically acclaimed performance, Ben Affleck plays Reeves in moody flashbacks, caught between Superman stardom and financial dependence on his lover Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the somewhat predatory wife of Hollywood "fixer" and MGM honcho Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), whose mob connections suggest foul play as Simo's investigation progresses. Reeves' subsequent lover (played by Robin Tunney) may also be culpable, and as Simo's own personal life unravels, his empathy for Reeves takes on added significance. In presenting its mystery as a set of plausible scenarios, Hollywoodland holds interest as a mystery that's refreshingly compassionate toward the fate of its characters. Warts and all, they're likable dreamers in a town where dreams don't always come true. --Jeff Shannon
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