Rushmore (The Criterion Collection)

Rushmore (The Criterion Collection)

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DVD Reviews of Rushmore (The Criterion Collection)

DVD Review: Take DVDead Aim On The Rich Boys: The Criterion Collection
Summary: 5 Stars

Wes Anderson, a self-described film buff and devotee of the Criterion Collection, must have jumped out of his boots when he found out the company planned a deluxe DVD edition of his second feature film, "Rushmore". But he probably didn't jump as high as I did the first time I found this DVD in my hot little hands. The features included here follow standard DVD format -- audio commentary, photo galleries, video featurettes, behind the scenes footage, etc. -- but done at an excessively high level. They do the film, one of my all-time favourites, deserved justice.

From the main menu, which features the innocent sketches of Eric Chase Anderson, Wes' brother, and snippets from Mark Mothersbaugh's renaissance-style soundtrack, you can select from amongst the Rushmore AV Club, the Audio Commentary, the Max Fischer Players Presents, and Archiva Graphica.

The Rushmore AV Club features various behind the scenes and promotional video clips. The first, "The Making of Rushmore", is ostensibly an Electronic Press Kit, filmed by Eric, intended to be longer (it runs nearly 17 minutes) and more in-depth than most EPK's. Eric shows that he's come by his Anderson genes naturally, as he proves himself to be an observant, low key, and amusing documentarian. The film is basically an annotated introduction to the crew and cast, with an oddball explanation of each person's job. Favourite moment: on his last day, Bill Murray does his interview while getting his head shaved. He convinces Eric to do the same.

The Storyboard sections, which include an option to watch the film's opening scene while Anderson's storyboards play below, are instructive and illuminating. Anderson's simple pencil sketches look like they were drawn by a 6-year old, but planned out by Alfred Hitchcock. They are at once juvenile and precise.

Next we get a complete episode of "The Charlie Rose Show". I'm a big fan of Rose, whose interview style, while often times erratic, never fails to get something interesting from his subject. And when your subjects are Bill Murray (who takes the first half hour) and Wes Anderson (who does a neat 20 minute segment to close the show), how can you go wrong? Murray is charming and thoughtful and insightful (and, duh, funny). Anderson, visible tickled that he's talking to Charlie Rose, is matter of fact about his talents and his film, while engaging Rose in a wonderful little conversation.

Finally, this section includes the film's theatrical trailer.

Next from the main menu is the option to turn on the film's audio commentary track. Shared, although unfortunately not recorded at the same time, by Wes Anderson, co-writer Owen Wilson, and star Jason Schwartzman, the track is a treat. Especially for fans of the three men.

You can tell they are all film fans. They deliver the track as if in conversation, sitting next to the listener in a darkened theatre while the film plays in front of them. They talk in stage whispers, so as not to disturb the viewing enjoyment of those around them. It's quite sophisticated that way.

Anderson knows what he wants, and knows how to get it. And he'll tell you how, if you're willing to listen. "Rushmore" seems like a serendipitous experience for him. He's grateful for all the luck he had, from the casting of Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, to figuring out that the locations, to having a vast repository of influences to draw upon at just the right moment. This is even carried through to a story about the genesis of his relationship with Owen Wilson. But Anderson is not just lucky; he's smart, and he works hard to make his own luck.

Wilson comes across as more of a spiritual guide to Anderson than anything. That's not to say that he had any less to do with the screenplay, for it's obvious that he more than pulled his weight. I mean that it's Owen's charismatic personality, his charm, and his wit that the less captivating Anderson can latch on to. And, though he tells some truly interesting anecdotes about how "Rushmore" came about, he really needn't say anything of substance. That slow, Texas drawl just gets me every time!

Schwartzman's contribution surprised me. In interviews he comes across as an unbound-Id, always ready to leap feet first into any situation and make the most of it. But here he candidly admits that, and this shouldn't have been a surprise seeing as he was a first time actor, he was scared witless about being in the film. But as he relaxed into the role, he brought a lot to it (putting the gum on the wall was his idea). And even though it was intimidating at first, he seems to have developed an honest and sincere relationship with Bill Murray, one that he treasures to this day.

The Max Fischer Players Presents section features four delightful video segments. First you get the on-camera auditions of the principle young actors: Schwartzman, Ronnie & Keith McCawley, Stephen McCole, Mason Gamble, and Sara Tanaka. McCole, especially, has a grand old time, sporting a smile on his face as he spits out his lines in a luscious Scottish brogue. The next two features show some of the artwork Max put together for his two plays-within-the-film: "Serpico" and "Heaven and Hell". Finally, The Max Fisher Players, a repertory company made up of high school students, re-enact for the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards "The Truman Show", "Armageddon", and "Out of Sight". They are at once satiric and respectful and innocent. A real joy.

Finally, in Archiva Graphics, you get a motherload of ephemera, including posters, promotional pics, and close-ups of all the in-film art. The detail that Anderson is so noted for is exhibited for close examination.

Even if the film weren't currently in rotation as one of my must-watch-over-and-over movies, the Criterion Collection DVD offers so much "Rushmore"-related material that it would probably still never leave my DVD player.

Description of Rushmore (The Criterion Collection)

Never stooping to sentimentality or schmaltz, Anderson and cowriter Owen Wilson have fashioned a wickedly intelligent and wildly funny tale of young adulthood that hits all the right notes in its mix of melancholy and optimism. As played by Schwartzman, Max is both immediately endearing and ferociously irritating: smarter than all the adults around him, with little sense of his shortcomings, he's an unstoppable dynamo who commands grudging respect despite his outlandish projects (including a school play about Vietnam). Murray, as the tycoon who determinedly wages war with Max for the affections of Miss Cross, is a revelation of middle-aged resignation. Disgusted with his family, his life, and himself, he's turned around by both Max's antagonism and Miss Cross's love. Williams is equally affecting as the teacher who still carries a torch for her dead husband, and the superb supporting cast also includes Seymour Cassel as Max's barber father, Brian Cox as the frustrated headmaster of Rushmore, and a hilarious Mason Gamble as Max's young charge. Put this one on your shelf of modern masterpieces. --Mark Englehart