Absence of Malice
by Sydney Pollack
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Actor: Bob Balaban, Luther Adler, Melinda Dillon, Paul Newman, Sally FieldDirector: Sydney Pollack
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Owen Roizman
Producer: Sydney Pollack
Editor: Sheldon Kahn
Producer: Ronald L. Schwary
Writer: David Rayfiel
Writer: Kurt Luedtke
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-12-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Absence of Malice
DVD Review: Great Performances
Summary: 4 Stars
"Absence of Malice" has so many excellent performances from so many first rate actors that it's hard to know where to begin. But let's begin at the top, with the performance of Wilford Brimley, who in a brief 10 minute appearance as a Department of Justice official, steals the show. Brimley has been in nearly 100 films, starting out in "True Grit" (1969) and giving us memorable performances in "The Firm" (1993), "Cocoon" (1985), "The Natural" (1984) and "The China Syndrome." He's best known as the TV spokesman for Liberty Mutual and Quaker Oats, where he says "It's the right thing to do" which is a line right from this film.
The film stars Paul Newman and Sally Field, and features Melinda Dillon, Josef Sommer, Bob Balaban, and Luther Adler.
For Paul Newman this 1981 film came at the height of his career. He had 5 Oscar nominations in his belt and 4 more to go, including his sole win ("The Color of Money", 1986). Sally Field was also at the top of her game having just won the Oscar for "Norma Rae" (1979). Both stars put in great performances.
Melinda Dillon was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film, and was also nominated for "Close Encounters" (1977) in which co-star Bob Baladan also appears. She worked in the Group Theatre (as did co-star Luther Adler). She's made a few dozen films including "Slap Shot" (with Paul Newman) and "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987)
Josef Sommer plays a wise editor at the paper when Field works. Sommer has appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows, including "Dirty Harry" (1971), "The Front" (1976), "Close Encounters" (1977), and "Witness" (1985). He's played the President ("X-Men: The Last Stand"), Woodrow Wilson ("Young Indiana Jones"), Joseph Kennedy Sr. ("A Woman Named Jackie"), Gerald Ford ("The Betty Ford Story),and Franklin Roosevelt ("The Kennedys of Massachusetts"). He usually plays the good guy, but he showed us he is equally capable of playing the bad guy as Harrison Ford's crooked superior officer in "Witness".
Bob Baladan has given us memorable performances in more than 50 films. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2002 as an actor ("Gosford Park") , twice nominated as a director by the DGA ("Bernard and Doris" and "Georgia O'Keefe") and nominated for a Tony as Best Actor for "The Inspector General." He had a recurring role on "Seinfeld" as Russell Dalrymple. Along with this film I think his best work was in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977).
Luther Adler is a multi-talented actor that moved gracefully between stage, TV and film. He was the brother of Stella Adler and worked with Lee Strasberg in the Group Theatre. He appeared in the remake of "M" (1951), played Hitler in "The Desert Fox" (1951), and played Paul Muni's colleague in "The Last Angry Man" (1959). "Absence of Malice" was his last film.
The film is directed by Sydney Pollack. Pollack was 5 times nominated for an Oscar, and won once ("Out of Africa"). He often works with Robert Redford (8 films). Pollack directed such memorable films as "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972), "Tootsie" (1982), and "Out of Africa" (1982), He said of Paul Newman - "You can feel his intelligence, you can see him thinking."
The film is not only compelling as a film, it also provides a good look behind the scenes at a newspaper. Other films to lift the veil include "The Front Page" (1934), "Citizen Kane" (1941) "All the President's Men" (1976), "Deadline USA" (1952) , "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957), and "Ace in the Hole" (1951). Like "Sweet Smell" this film looks at the abuses of the media, and perhaps more than any other film, it shows that the subject is complex.
As good as the film is, it's far from perfect. The romantic subplot between Field and Newman is out of place and adds little to the plot. The film exposes problems with government and the media, and then suggests that a white knight will come charging in (Wilford Brimley) and save the day, which most times is not the case. And the ending is a little weak.
This is a film that will appeal to almost everyone, and the plethora of excellent performances only adds to the value.
Description of Absence of Malice
HIGH-MINDED STORY ABOUT THE HARM THAT NEWS MEDIA CAN INFLICT.The ethics of the press are roundly slapped around in an entertaining if not always believable drama from director Sydney Pollack. Sally Field is the Miami reporter who is set up to leak information on a dead-end murder investigation. A sneaky government official (a marvelous, rubber-band-spinning Bob Balaban) provides the information that implies liquor distributor Paul Newman is under investigation. When the story runs, it uncorks a legal quagmire that puts the spotlight on presumably innocent lives. As the lawyers explain, the paper's story is accurate, even though it may be untrue. The details of the story are sharply drawn by first-time screenwriter and former reporter Kurt Luedtke (who later went on to win an Oscar scripting Pollack's Out of Africa); the film could be used in a Media Ethics 101 class. Newman secretly counterattacks in a clever plot to derail the process that quickly encompasses his jittery friend (Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon). Field's continuing ethical gaps--including falling in love with her subject--stretch the film's credibility. Then again, who wouldn't fall for Paul Newman in the Florida sun? --Doug Thomas
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