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The Man Who Wasn't There [Fullscreen]

Actor(s): Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub
Director(s): Joel Coen
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Movie Details

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children, Profanity
Movie Release: 2001
DVD Release: 04/16/2002
Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned
Audio Tracks: English, French
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 56 mins
Studio: Polygram USA Video
Total Copies: 5
Genres: Comedy Drama, Crime, Post-Noir (Modern Noir), Crime Drama
See Also: The Man Who Wasn't There [Widescreen]

DVD Synopsis

Set in a sleepy Northern California town in the 1940s, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There stars Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane, a humble barber who suspects his hard-hearted and hard-drinking wife Doris (Frances McDormand) of having an affair with her boss (James Gandolfini). When a jocular stranger (Jon Polito) breezes into town hinting at the fortune to be made investing in an outlandish-sounding new invention called dry cleaning, Ed hatches a blackmail scheme he hopes will make him rich and get him some revenge at the same time. His plan goes horribly awry when he accidentally commits a murder for which Doris ends up being blamed, landing her in the slammer and Ed at the mercy of blowhard big-city lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub). Filmed in black-and-white by three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, The Man Who Wasn't There was inspired by the seedy crime novels of James M. Cain, putting a distinctly Coen brothers' spin on the film noir tradition. Though spiked with their characteristic humor, its moody atmosphere hearkens back to the darker moments of Blood Simple and Fargo -- a marked departure from the high-spirited slapstick of O Brother Where Art Thou. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide

Actors

Billy Bob Thornton - Ed Crane
Frances McDormand - Doris Crane
Michael Badalucco - Frank
James Gandolfini - Big Dave
Tony Shalhoub - Freddy Riedenschneider

Editorial Review of DVD

Joel and Ethan Coen's homage to 1940s film noir, The Man Who Wasn't There finds its way to DVD, and the results are quite wonderful. The anamorphic image, framed at 1.85:1, is a real standout. Released in black-and-white (actually, a color negative was transferred to black-and-white), it's visually striking, with outstanding contrast and blacks that are deep and solid. As for sound, even though the English 5.1 surround track is primarily centered upfront, it's still distinct and focused, without any distortion. Extra materials also stand out on this disc. Of great interest to fans of the Coen brothers is their first legitimate commentary track (it's basically thought that the "commentary track" from Kenneth Loring on =Blood Simple is one of the brothers, though), along with star Billy Bob Thornton. Granted, it's easy to get lost on who's who, but their enthusiasm for the project is clear. Also this disc includes a "making-of" featurette, consisting of interviews with the cast and crew, plus some behind the scenes shots. In addition, director of photography Roger Deakins gives an insightful, though maybe too long, interview that runs just over 45 minutes. In contrast to these supplements are five deleted scenes that don't amount to anything, and seem completely out of place on this fine disc. Finally, if all that wasn't enough, there is also a decent photo gallery, a theatrical trailer, and two television spots. USA Entertainment, on one of its final discs before being acquired by Universal, has done a marvelous job with a smart and daring title. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide

Member Movie Reviews

Frank E. (realartist) from HENDERSONVLLE, NC wrote on 8/26/2009...

After a week of "three steps forward, and two back", sometimes we need a movie that's just light fluff...sort of like the French comedy you can find here, by the title "The Valet".
Well, boys and girls, this movie isn't fluff. We know several things just looking at the title and the brief description...A) it's in black and white, or 'film noir', which all by itself suggests a dark tale. B) it is described as 'comedy, drama, crime, profanity, not suited for children'...hmm...if it's all that, why then do we even employ the term 'comedy' at all? This is one of the identifying traits of a Coen brothers script and film production. Often, there is involved an ordinary joe like you and I, but rather beguiled, bewitched, bothered, ...something just generally eating away at him...meaningless job, alcoholic wife, having an affair, which is never mentioned...that sort of thing. so he decides to , well, get even? Pull a caper? A rank amateur at pulling capers?...here is the comedy element. Someone in a Coen bros story decides to practice a little white lie, a little crime. "After all, they deserve it don't they", we convince ourselves. and here is precisely what makes a Coen Bros script literature, and not mere fluff. They limn a character like ourselves, so plausible, so real, that we readily just move into his body and mind, and think like him. "What we we do in his situation", we ask ourselves. Probably something very similar!
But what most of us fail to realize is there is always someone more evil than ourselves that we will soon encounter...not by chance...but as a direct result of "crossing over to the dark side", however gingerly, and carefully we step over just a bit. Our intentions were a little less than noble, sure...but we didn't mean to set in motion all of "this". And "This" is exactly what makes this movie a page turner. It's getting late, we really need to get to sleep so we can get up and trudge through another day of work tomorrow...but we can't stop watching this film. We HAVE to see what happens next. The odd thing is, it is a slow paced film...remindful, say of a week at Mayberry RFD. And here is another beauty of this film. It takes place in the late forties, and absolutely everything is exactly as it was then. There is a great scene where the unintended widow, the accidental widow, as it were, has come to the man who wasn't there, to reveal her theory...that it was a secret agent thing..."It goes, DEEP", she says, trembling a bit...as the wind rustles in the night, and dark shadows flutter = giving both a bit of a shiver. And then it's over, and on to the next shivery unfolding of events.
In opera, this style of libretto is known as a "Serio Buffo"...a serious tale, even deadly serious...but with light comic moments. It's entirely possible for there to be light moments, while all the while there is a dark undercurrent of events unfolding, and leading God only knows where. So where exactly IS the comic relief? IS it the slick, high priced lawyer come to town to represent the lady who didn't do it? Who presents his theory about the case, citing the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle..."the act of examining something, alters what is being examined " ? Or is it the very young and not so innocent "Birdie" played by Scarlett Johanssen ? The 'comedy' part is harder to identify than 'who did it' an an Agathie Christie play. This movie is more like "The Comedy That Wasn't There"!
One thing for sure though...it will have you thinking about it for many days after...like all Coen brothers' films. It IS great literature...a little Edgar Allen Poe-ish this time , granted...but it's is a really good film. I put it up there with another Black And White Film - with George Clooney and Kate Blanchhett - called "The Good German"...both are absolute masterpieces of the period we've come to know "Film Noir". Personally, I don't think this genre is by any means exhausted. I truly hope to see more. If any of you have come across another one, as good as these two I mention here= please point me to it.