Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9536 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-05-08
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, German, French, Dutch
• Dubbed in: German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
While too many films suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy, Being John Malkovich is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.

The puppeteer takes a job working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious co-worker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognisable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalise on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, playing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, Being John Malkovich is a wild place to visit. --Jeff Shannon

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
DVD 9
French\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French German
Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo
Original Theatrical Trailer
Filmographies
Art Of Puppeteering Featurette
Art Of Background Diving Featurette
John Horatio Malkovich
Dance Despair And Disillusionment
7 And A Half Floor Orientation
Spike Jonze Interview
Photo Album
4 TV Slots
Dutch\English\French\German

Synopsis
Original is far too understated a term to describe this picture, brought to you by the surreal, twisted minds of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and actor-director Spike Jonze. The story concerns a puppeteer, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers his office has a secret portal that leads directly into the brain of one of America's most popular actors, John Malkovich (Malkovich himself, in a hilariously self-mocking appearance). When the journey ends fifteen minutes later, the participant is spewed onto the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. Schwartz uses his discovery as a way to get closer to fellow coworker Maxine (the always fascinating Catherine Keener). Together, the pair form JM, INC., which allows ordinary citizens to join in on the fun for 200 dollars a pop. But when Craig's wife Lotte (a homely Cameron Diaz), is seduced by Maxine while in Malkovich's body, things begin to unfurl at an even more outrageous pace. Sound confusing?

Customer Reviews

A must see!
Written by Charlie Kaufman, this film is a true original. Being John Malkovich follows a small group of people who discover a portal that leads into the mind of John Malkovich, where people can see through Malkovich's eyes for 15 minutes before being dumped by the New Jersey turnpike. They set up a business charging people for the experience - and that's when the film starts to get really weird... This is a must-see.

Daring - Imaginative - Complex
This film was one that i was reluctant to watch, it looked very dark and quite complex. It was dark and it was complex, but it was very entertaining, witty and moving in places. I found myself really feeling the characters emotions. Its a great story that is well executed by the cinematic techniques, the acting and the imaginative set (floor 7 1/2). Ok its not for everyone, but i recommend you rent it first so you can make up your mind, give it a chance.

Bizarre but Entertaining
"Being John Malkovich" is an enjoyable, surreal and thought provoking film. John Cusack plays a failed puppeteer who takes a job as a filing clerk on the seriously low-ceilinged 7 1/2th floor of a large office block. Cusack uncovers a small door in his office which acts as a portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich and enables him to further his puppeteering ambitions. He ,and his "kooky" wife played by Cameron Diaz (I didnt realise it was her until the final credits) , both end up getting the hots for one of Cusack's new female colleagues (Catherine Keener) and their marriage disintegrates as John Malkovich's brain , or , more accurately, soul, becomes a marital battleground after the pair of them enter the portal to experience the joy of sex with Malkovich's new girlfriend , amm, Catherine Keener. It is a weird concept and the film is certainly original as well as humourous. However is the premise of the film really that ridiculous ? Is it not theoretically possible for a technologically advanced civilisation , from another dimension/universe perhaps, to enter our Minds and live our lives , if not for us , then alongside us ? The physical tunnel in the film is of course a symbol of a metaphysical gateway into our consciousness which is perhaps not as far fetched as it may seem.