Insomnia - Criterion Collection
by Erik Skjoldbj?rg
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Gisken Armand, Kristian Figenschow, Maria Mathiesen, Stellan Skarsg?rd, Sverre Anker OusdalDirector: Erik Skjoldbj?rg
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: Norwegian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Swedish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-07-13
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Insomnia - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: INSOMNIA...A comparison
Summary: 5 Stars
Upon my initial viewing of Norwegian director Erik Skjoldbjaerg's INSOMNIA, I must say I heavily favored the American remake. But, after a second watch of this original, I was able to better construe much of the psychological complexities that dwell within the framework of this story.
This is a much darker exploration into the fragility of the human soul.
Instead of Alaska, this takes place in Northern Norway, just above the Artic circle.
Stellan Skarsgard(Good Will Hunting) plays Jonas Engstrom, the detective transferred to help with the case. This cop seems to have a bit of a lurid past. Possibly a dainty, immoral disposition in regards to his sexual tendencies. His partner jokingly mentions that Jonas was caught having an "intimate conversation" with an important witness to a previous case. This immediately sets an apprehensive tone to the movie, and casts the lead character as a man with questionable ethics.
In the remake, Pacino is the highly regarded detective who tampered with evidence in order to imprison a rapist/killer. Although this was a blatant violation of police procedure, it helps the viewer sympathize with his efforts of stopping the bad guys. A much easier road.
In the fog, Jonas accidentally shoots his partner. An honest mistake. But why does he try to hide this fact? I think possibly because of the guilt from his past, he didn't want any more of his mistakes exposed.
Pacino had more of a reason to murder his partner, due to the apparent upcoming betrayal with Internal Affairs. This is a much more cut and dried premise behind his acts of deception. Hollywood prefers to incorporate obvious reasons for each character's actions, so you don't have to contemplate.
Some other differences:
-Jonas shoots a live dog and retracts the bullet for false evidence. Pacino conveniently finds a dead dog to shoot?
-Jonas tries to kiss the hotel receptionist, which was inappropriate. Pacino keeps it friendly.
-Jonas takes the high school girl for a ride in the car, and he rubs on her thigh in a very provocative manner. Creepy. The honorable Pacino resists this temptation.
-Jonas secretly watches the high school couple have sex. Creepy. Of course I enjoyed seeing the hot naked young chick too, so I shouldn't be judgemental.
I loved the route this foreign film took. Still a couple of slight things I thought the remake did better:
-during the interrogation at the high school, the student tried to punch the cop? And he didn't get arrested?
-the students were played by some older looking actors? 30yr olds usually have graduated from high school.
-the chase scene over the floating logs was intense. Not in the original.
-I loved Robin Williams performance as the bad guy
Overall, it's hard to pick a favorite. Both are great films. Still I have to go with this original, due to it's dark elements which make it slightly more believable. If you prefer things spelled out for you and a little more light-hearted, you should stick with the American version.
Summary of Insomnia - Criterion Collection
Disgraced Swedish detective Jonas Engstr?m (Stellan Skarsg?rd) travels to northern Norway to solve a brutal murder in Insomnia. Unable to sleep through the night of the midnight sun, Engstr?m quickly loses his grip on the case and his mind. Erik Skjoldbj?rg's debut feature is a deft amalgam of psychological thriller, morality play, and police procedural. Criterion presents the DVD premiere of Insomnia in a new widescreen transfer.This 1997 film from Norway and neophyte director Erik Skjoldbj?rg delivers the goods with unsettling effectiveness. It's an intense, smart, and taut thriller if only because what it eerily implies is creepier than the film's reality. Opening with a churning, chilling murder of a young woman, Insomnia invites the viewer--as well as its protagonist, celebrated Oslo homicide cop Jonas Engstr?m (Stellan Skarsg?rd)--into the mind and thoughts of a killer by making Engstr?m fatally flawed himself. While in pursuit of the murderer, Engstr?m makes a mistake; he accidentally shoots his partner and friend and covers up his deed in a panic. But he overlooks a minor detail: the real killer has seen him commit the crime. What ensues is a layered, complex, and unnerving descent into chaos, brought on by the inability to sleep in this land of the midnight sun. Engstr?m suffers from insomnia, which warps his logic and resolve, and before long he's totally unraveled and unsure of his every move. But not before a twisty transference and countertransference occurs between cop and killer. The two play a game of high-stakes one-upmanship that surprises in the end. Insomnia is fresh and psychologically bent, full of Scandinavian despair and dark humor, and it boasts a film noir pulse beneath its blinding light. --Paula Nechak
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