Search - Pi on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Profanity Movie Release: 1998 DVD Release: 01/12/1999 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 25 mins Studio: Live/Artisan Total Copies: 34 Genres: Avant-garde / Experimental, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Surrealist Film

Darren Aronofsky scripted and made his directorial debut with this experimental feature with mathematical plot threads hinting at science-fictional elements. In NYC's Chinatown, recluse math genius Max (Sean Gullette) believes "everything can be understood in terms of numbers," and he looks for a pattern in the system as he suffers headaches, plays Go with former teacher Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), and fools around with an advanced computer system he's built in his apartment. Both a Wall Street company and a Hasidic sect take an interest in his work, but he's distracted by blackout attacks, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions. Filmed in 16mm black-and-white, the Kafkaesque film features music by Clint Mansell (of the UK's Pop Will Eat Itself band). Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival where Aronofsky won the drama directing award. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Sean Gullette - Max Cohen
Mark Margolis - Sol Robeson
Ben Shenkman - Lenny Meyer
Pamela Hart - Marcy Dawson
Stephen Pearlman - Rabbi Cohen

Watching a $60,000, black-and-white indie movie in a format devoted to video and audio clarity may seem like swatting a fly with a Buick. True, there isn't much to be gained from =Pi's non-anamorphic, matted presentation (at least it's letterboxed). More importantly, this disc offers a glimpse into the low-budget world of what director Darren Aronofsky calls the "Pi family," and the driving techno soundtrack sounds at least $60K worth of decent in 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound. The behind-the-scenes montage takes about two seconds to demystify the film's special effects secret: hot glue. But viewers will also see the director's mom, Mom's best friend (who had a small acting part), and the low-rent set in low-grade color. The two commentary tracks -- one from the director and one from his college buddy and lead actor Sean Gullette -- reveal the budget- and sanity-stretching hoops the cast and crew jumped through, including shooting illegally on the New York subway and handling a real brain. Four deleted scenes with commentary, film-geek production notes, and home-video footage of the Pi family's trip to Sundance round out this fuzzy, but still fun DVD. ~ Jen Muehlbauer, All Movie Guide