The Door in the Floor
by Tod Williams
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elle Fanning, Jeff Bridges, Jon Foster, Kim Basinger, Larry PineDirector: Tod Williams
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Writer: Tod Williams
Producer: Amy J. Kaufman
Producer: Anne Carey
Producer: Julie Fischer
Producer: Marisa Polvino
Producer: Michael Corrente
Writer: John Irving
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
Published: 2004-12-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-12-14
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Door in the Floor
Movie Review: With every door closed another is opened...
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many films about loss released today; films that test the audiences ability to forgive and accept, to condone and condemn. `The Door in the Floor' is one of those films; a film that never allows room for an easy answer because the questions it asks are as complicated a question as one can find. While I have never read John Irving's novel `A Window for One Year', of which this film is adapted, I don't feel that the reading of that said novel is necessary to the connection one feels to the film. I've read that this film is only based on one third of the novel and so one must keep in mind that this story is not over yet (and hopefully it will encourage movie goers to research the novel, as I am in the process of doing myself).
`The Door in the Floor' tells the story of Ted and Marion Cole. Their marriage is rocky at best; slowly deteriorating before their eyes since the death of their two teenage sons crushed their existence. Since the loss of their sons they have moved and started a new life with their young daughter Ruth (who was not born until after Timothy and Thomas had died). That life is not one of joy and passion though. Ted has buried himself in affair after affair if not to shelter himself from the draining depression of his with Marion who doesn't quite seem to function as a person since the death of her boys. She has drifted away from her former self and has become unable to connect with her husband or even her only daughter. When Ted decides to hire a young aspiring author to be his helper for the summer he opens the floodgates of his marriage and ultimately his life.
Eddie O'Hare is young and naïve and reminds both Ted and Marion of the sons they lost. Marion sees in Eddie a way to connect with her sons once more, by seducing and ultimately sleeping with him. In this perverse act she has found a sense of solace, allowing herself to physically transcend the boundaries of death and be with her children once more. Author John Irving said that Marion's curiosity of whether or not her sons died a virgin played heavy in her decision to give herself to Eddie, and in that context one is able to sympathize with this grieving mother even if her heinous crime erodes those sympathies.
In the meantime Ted is finding that his life has become railroaded. His initial reasoning's for hiring Eddie are never made ultimately clear, but it would not be too far fetched to conclude that he knew in a way that the affair was inevitable. He most likely hoped for it, but as we watch the film we see his fears for what the affair would lead to creep over him. As the film trickles to its conclusion the audience is given the opportunity to break with these characters, feeling their pain firsthand and ultimately understanding their actions.
`The Door in the Floor' would not work if the acting was not above and beyond flawless. The four main actors all give this film the honesty it needs in order to root itself in our heart. Young Elle Fanning is, like her sister, born to be a movie star. Unlike her sister I was able to see a little girl in Ruth as apposed to a little woman. Their was a hint or glimmer of maturity in her eyes, but that maturity never outweighed the fact that she was only four. Jon Foster (brother to Ben) delivers a great performance, truly finding the balance between innocent observer and unwilling participant.
The real stars here though, are Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger. Basinger is not one of my favorite actresses, not by a long shot, but her delivery here is outstanding. Her character is mentioned throughout the film as `turning to stone' and the dead stare in her eyes emotes that feeling to perfection. She finds a way of making the hollowness glow with life, for we can read her depression and understand her deterioration. As good as Kim is though, Jeff Bridges is better. As Ted, Bridges has the difficult job of making his character understandable, and he does that masterfully. Ted is charming and likable yet he is repressed in areas that one may not fully grasp. On the outset it looks as if he has overcome the difficulties of losing a child while his wife has never recovered, but when one studies Ted's actions and, more importantly, Bridges performance one can see the layers of pain that litter his every move. He wants to be whole again, but Ted not only lost his sons, he lost his wife, and until he gains some of that back he will never be complete. Ted thrusts himself into his daughter's life (walking up and down the halls telling her stories that are locked away behind glass) creating a way for him to hold onto something, but his grip is waning and Eddie may be the only answer to his growing problem.
In the end I have to say that `The Door in the Floor' moved me in ways I cannot fully explain. I felt deeply touched when the film came to a close, and the final shot of Jeff Bridges descending through that door in the floor has so much more meaning in it than almost any other shot in the film. Director Tod `Kip' Williams did a masterful job telling this story. I cannot say how faithful to the novel he was (although John Irving says he was VERY faithful) but I can say that his decision to break the novel down and focus on one section was probably for the best. This allowed us to really soak in the story and in the end invest ourselves completely into it.
Like I said on the outset; there are many films about loss; `The Door in the Floor' is one of the very best.
Summary of The Door in the Floor
BASED ON THE BEST SELLING NOVEL 'A WINDOW FOR ONE YEAR', THIS FILM CHRONICLES ONE PIVOTAL SUMMER IN THE LIVES OF FAMOUS CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR TED COLE & HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE MARION. IT IS A PROVOCATIVE STORY ABOUT ONE COUPLE'S EMOTIONAL JOURNEY INTO A WORLD OF DARING SENSUALITY & STUNNING HONESTY.Jeff Bridges demonstrates once again that he is one of the finest actors in film. Ted Cole (Bridges, Seabiscuit, The Big Lebowski), a successful writer/illustrator of children's books, invites a young student named Eddie (Jon Foster) to be his assistant for a summer. Eddie doesn't realize he's being drawn into the middle of a dissolving marriage until Ted's wife Marion (Kim Basinger, L. A. Confidential) invites him into an affair--which Ted both condones and resents. Slowly, Eddie comes to understand the secrets that are tearing the marriage apart. Bridges never shows off; everything he does seems simple, natural, almost unavoidable, but it's also utterly watchable. Whether you like the movie will depend on whether you like John Irving (The Door in the Floor is based on part of his novel A Widow for One Year), but Bridges's performance is undeniable. Also featuring Mimi Rogers (The Rapture). --Bret Fetzer
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