Adaptation (Superbit Collection)

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DVD details

Actor: Brian Cox, Chris Cooper, Gary Farmer, Jim Beaver, Nicolas Cage
Brand: Sony
Primary Contributor: Nicolas Cage
Primary Contributor: Chris Cooper
Primary Contributor: Streep, Meryl
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-05-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of Adaptation (Superbit Collection)

DVD Review: Thinker
Summary: 5 Stars

"Adaptation.", on a superficial level, is a drama-comedy that is self-referential and existent in the vein of literature. At first assessment, one would suspect that Kaufman was not entirely true to the source material, as though he instead warped Orlean's work ("The Orchid Thief")as a footnote to his own. Deeper analysis indicates this couldn't be anymore wrong. "Adaptation." is about passion and about how a lack of it can make a person existentially miserable. I could make a substantial argument that the film is primarily concerned with passion at the expense of all else (which is a whole other level of irony, because isn't passion the pursuit of an end at the expense of all else?). Passion is also the central theme of "The Orchid Thief" and in this way they are bound. Just pay attention when you view this film, watch as Streep's character yearns for passion and syphons it off of the character of John Laroche (who follows his passions readily and without fear), and watch how Kaufman (the character) invests his passion in the character of Susan Orlean until the climax where he is forced to either accept it and the insecurities it is eternally bound to or to accept the bitter defeat of coming up short. Also, see if you can tell where the movie 'really' ends.

This movie is important, innovative, entertaining and meaningful. The acting is superb, the production is spot on. The agony of writing is adequately captured as well. You probably won't enjoy this if you are looking for simplicity and detest the idea of being engaged by a movie.

One of the greatest films ever created.

DVD Review: Adaptation is a Profound Thing
Summary: 5 Stars

I've only just seen this movie but I'm sure that I'll buy it. It's definetely more complex than you would think in the beginning, "Is he his twin or is he a dissociative identity disorder piece? Is this adapted from a fictional book or a nonfictional one? And why did I just see one of the twins lying on his back in 'that' room?" I've only seen it once but I'm sure I'll have the answers to all those by the 4th time around or so. I really like this movie, it had me on the edge of my seat booming with the Irish cackle and had me in tears of sorrow, but most importantly it's helped me to laugh at myself. I have no doubt that this movie is not for everyone, especially people who can't admit to themselves that they're at least a little insane, which believe it or not, you are if you are alive on this planet right now. Bottom line, cupcakes chop-choop and a pinkly-powdered peedle-pie, try this movie for something slightly different.

DVD Review: 3.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 4 Stars

The Bottom Line:

Adaptation is a movie that gets more and more witty and entertaining the more you think about it; while some of the reviewers on the site seem to indicate they found the movie too clever by half, you may rest assured that this movie is just clever enough.

DVD Review: Film adaptation? Biological adaptation? Emotional adaptation?
Summary: 5 Stars

A very strange self-referenced, self-involved, solipsistic film about a screenplay about a book about a flower. An article appeared in the New Yorker about orchids in the Everglades, it was turned into a book, Charlie Kaufmann was commissioned to turn it into a screenplay, Charlie Kaufmann didn't know how to write it as a screenplay so he reinvented himself as Woody Allen and wrote a screenplay about Woody Allen struggling to write a screenplay. The story works on many outrageous levels, and there are tons of brilliant scenes, just as there are tons of brilliant distractions. Kaufman also rather unsubtly uses the multiple meanings of the word "adaptation" to get even deeper, and more literary. Great stuff, very good. Kaufmann invents a twin brother, both of which are played by a very remarkable Nicholas Cage outperforming Eddie Murphy and Jeremy Irons in the dual role thing, and then "resolves" him in a very amazing way. Well, talk about catharsis! Kaufmann plays the ultimate joke by highjacking the original novel and turning it into a conflict that is man vs man, man vs nature, man vs himself, man vs drug-crazed hippy intellectuals. Insane.

DVD Review: One of my favorites
Summary: 5 Stars

Disappointed when I saw it in the theater, but multiple viewings have made me a rabid fan. This movie is so clever, amusing, hilarious, provocative, heartbreaking, poignant, honest, and ultimately so satisfying for all its ambiguity. To try to describe or synopsize it is like tying lead weights to the tail of a whirling kite.

As for the gorgeous writing and observations-- whose are they??? I read the book after seeing the movie and found that some of what we are led to believe are Orleans' most honest and beautiful passages really belong to Kaufman. Wildly original. Highly recommended.

Description of Adaptation (Superbit Collection)

The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format.

Twisty brilliance from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze, the team who created Being John Malkovich. Nicolas Cage returns to form with a funny, sad, and sneaky performance as Charlie Kaufman, a self-loathing screenwriter who has been hired to adapt Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief into a screenplay. Frustrated and infatuated by Orlean's elegant but plotless book (which is largely a rumination on flowers), Kaufman begins to write a screenplay about himself trying to write a screenplay about The Orchid Thief, all the while hounded by his twin brother Donald (Cage again), who's cheerfully writing the kind of formulaic action movie that Kaufman finds repugnant. By its conclusion, Adaptation is the most artistically ambitious, most utterly cynical, and most uncategorizable movie ever to come out of Hollywood. Also starring Meryl Streep (as Susan Orlean), Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton, and Brian Cox; superb performances throughout. --Bret Fetzer

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