Product Description
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Wes Anderson first illustrated his lovingly detailed, slightly
surreal cinematic vision in this witty and warm portrait of three
young middle-class misfits. Fresh out of a mental hospital,
gentle Anthony (Luke Wilson) finds himself once again embroiled
in the machinations of his best friend, elaborate schemer Dignan
(Owen Wilson). With the aid of getaway driver Bob (Robert
Musgrave), they develop a needlessly complex, mildly successful
plan to rob a small bookstore then go on the lam. Also featuring
Lumi Cavazos as Inez, the South American housekeeper Anthony
falls in love with, and James Caan as local thief extraordinaire
Mr. Henry, Bottle Rocket is a charming, hilarious, affectionate
look at the folly of dreamers. against radiant southwestern
backdrops, it s the film that put Anderson and the Wilson
brothers on the .
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and
approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography
Robert Yeoman
Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
Commentary by director/co-writer Anderson and co-writer/star
Owen Wilson
The Making of Bottle Rocket : an original documentary by
filmmaker Barry Braverman featuring Anderson, James L. Brooks,
James Caan, Temple Nash Jr., Kumar Pallana, Polly Platt, Mark
Mothersbaugh, Robert Musgrave, Richard Sakai, David and Sandy
Wasco, Andrew and Luke and Owen Wilson, and Robert Yeoman
The original thirteen-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short
film from 1992
Eleven deleted scenes
Anamorphic screen test, storyboards, location photos, and
behind-the-scenes photographs by Laura Wilson
Murita Cycles, a 1978 short film by Braverman
The Shafrazi Lectures, no. 1: Bottle Rocket
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by executive producer James
L. Brooks, an appreciation by Martin Scorsese, and original
artwork by Ian Dingman
.com
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This quietly daffy comedy should have been an indie hit, but
ended up ignored by audiences. Too bad; it's a wonderfully
sustained caper movie about friends whose career choice is all
wrong. Low-key Anthony (Luke Wilson) and high-strung Dignan (Owen
C. Wilson--the two actors are brothers) are brought into a life
of crime by Dignan's ambition to be a small-time thief. After a
few amusingly laid-back trial burglaries, they (and a third
buddy) find themselves over their heads when they hook up with an
experienced crime boss (James Caan). Because this movie is so
relentlessly deadpan, you really have to be dialed in to its
brand of humor--but once there, Bottle Rocket shoots off plenty
of sparks. Above all, Owen Wilson's portrayal of Dignan is a
terrifically original comic creation; Dignan is so sincerely
focused on his goals that he can't see how completely absurd his
ideas are. Owen Wilson, who went on to supply similarly
knuckle-headed performances in Armageddon and Permanent Midnight,
wrote the screenplay with director Wes Anderson. --Robert Horton
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Review
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A hilarious, inventive, and goofy breath of fresh air. --The
Washington Post
Set Contains:
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The Criterion DVD of Bottle Rocket is not quite as thorough as
Dignan's 75-year plan, but it should satisfy fans of Wes
Anderson's first feature film. Anderson and cinematographer
Robert Yeoman have supervised a bright and sparkly new transfer
of the film, a marked improvement over previous video releases. A
commentary track by Anderson and co-writer/star Owen Wilson
provides a droll selection of anecdotes, both men retaining that
strange air of innocence that makes the movie so beguiling.
Eleven deleted scenes give almost a half-hour's worth of unseen
footage; some of this is good stuff, but all of it was sensibly
cut out (even an explanation of the name "Future Man," which is
really much funnier if you don't know its meaning). The original
13-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short is here, the film
that got producers James L. Brooks and Polly Platt involved
(though it must be said that the feature is a vast improvement).
A brief test scene in widescreen gives good evidence of why that
format wouldn't have worked for this story, and the 30-minute
1978 documentary, Murita Cycles, made by Anderson friend Barry
Braverman, looks at the filmmaker's her, a neighborhood
eccentric. Supposedly the movie influenced the Bottle Rocket
team, perhaps in its style of deadpan observation. Storyboards
are here, plus set photos by the Wilson brothers' mother.
Strangest inclusion: The Shafrazi Lectures, No. 1, a mystifying
10-minute appreciation by a notorious New York gallerist.
--Robert Horton
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