Search - Masked and Anonymous on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Adult Language Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 02/17/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 46 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 6 Genres: Comedy Drama, Musical Drama, Political Satire, Ensemble Film

Enigmatic rock legend Bob Dylan stars as an enigmatic rock legend (talk about a casting coup!) in this purposefully eccentric satiric comedy. Uncle Sweetheart (John Goodman) is an unscrupulous concert promoter who has figured out a way to cash in on the feelings of doubt and uncertainty that plague his nation, which is being torn apart by civil war and political revolution. Sweetheart has decided he will stage a massive benefit concert, though the unnamed charity would appear to be his checking account. Sweetheart hires television producer Nina Veronica (Jessica Lange) to help promote the show and sell it as a nation-wide cable-cast event, while Sweetheart pulls a few strings to arrange for the perfect headliner -- Jack Fate (Bob Dylan), a legendary songwriter who is currently serving a term in prison. With Fate out from behind bars, Sweetheart and Veronica set out to sell their grand spectacle to the world, though one determined investigative journalist (Jeff Bridges) has set out to throw a spenner into the works of Uncle Sweetheart and his epic fundraiser. Marking the directorial debut of comedy writer Larry Charles, Masked and Anonymous also features Penelope Cruz and Luke Wilson; the film was shown in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Bob Dylan - Jack Fate
Jeff Bridges - Tom Friend
Penélope Cruz - Pagan Lace
John Goodman - Uncle Sweetheart
Jessica Lange - Nina Veronica
Luke Wilson - Bobby Cupid

Although Larry Charles is listed as the director of Masked and Anonymous, it is most certainly Bob Dylan's film. This oddity makes its way to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio. The closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. French subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Charles in which he goes into great detail about his admiration for Dylan. He offers little insight into what the enigmatic film "means," but he does freely discuss the working methods of the cast and crew and is obviously proud of the film. A handful of deleted scenes are noteworthy in that they are not much different in style or tone or quality than the scenes that were kept in the film. A making-of featurette and trailers round out this DVD. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide