FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Believer [DVD] [2001]

The Believer [DVD] [2001]
enlarge	Director: Henry Bean Actors: Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Peter Meadows, Garret Dillahunt, Kris Eivers Studio: Pathe Distribution Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £3.01 as of 23/11/2009 00:40 GMT details You Save: £9.98 (77%) New (9) Used (5) from £2.49 Seller: findprice Rating: 10 reviews Sales Rank: 23656 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Original Language), Hebrew (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 98 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5060002902554 ASIN: B000065UH7 Theatrical Release Date: 2001 Release Date: June 3, 2002 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review With IThe Believer/I, his first film as director, screenwriter Henry Bean wastes no time in going for the jugular. In the opening scene a timid Yeshiva student is chased off a New York subway train, racially abused and savagely beaten up by a ranting skinhead, and from then on in the level of hatred and violence rarely abates. But the passion that fuels the film is as much psychological as physical. The skinhead Danny Balint is the film's protagonist, and his anti-Semitic venom has an unusual cause: he's Jewish himself.p Bean, whose previous work as a scriptwriter (IMulholland Falls/I and the like) has been accomplished but not exceptional, tackles this fraught subject with a strong sense of personal commitment. He doesn't go for easy targets, either. Like Edward Norton's character in IAmerican History X/I, Danny is no mindless thug: he's intelligent and frighteningly articulate, and he can argue his case with mouth and brains no less than with fists and boots. The film traces his attitude back to his schooldays, when he revolted against the unquestioning submission to Orthodox doctrine that his teachers tried to instil. Faced with a group of Holocaust survivors he denounces them for their passivity in the face of oppression. "Kill your enemies!" he tells them scornfully.p There's a lot of talk in this film, and several of the characters are little more than mouthpieces for their respective views. (If Bernard Shaw had ever written a play about anti-Semitism, it might have come out rather like this.) But the play of ideas is passionate and deeply felt, and as the tormented Danny, constantly drawn back to the faith he despises, Ryan Gosling gives a riveting performance. This is an intense, anguished film that dares to pose deeply disquieting questions. --IPhilip Kemp/I pBOn the DVD/B: Although the disc only has one special feature, "Anatomy of a Scene", courtesy of the Sundance Channel, it is an interesting and informative dissection of the filming processes, the casting and the controversial and moving script. The visuals are on top form with 16:9 widescreen, but the sound is a disappointment--only mustering a 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. --INikki Disney/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next » A cut above the rest June 4, 2006 Spider Monkey (UK) 10 out of 11 found this review helpful Although graphic to watch in places this film is highly deserving of any praise it receives. It deals with a controversial subject remarkably well and with real power. It also comes at it from a new angle, that of the Jewish Nazi, which gives it that extra edginess. I have rarely seen a film that left me thinking of it's issues so long and recommending it to so many people. Compelling story and truly interesting take on Judaism November 14, 2007 Prayers for rain (Midi Pyrénées) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful I had seen the Believer at the cinema, and have recently seen it again in DVD. This movie had left a strong impression on me, and the feeling has been confirmed after watching it again. br /It is the story (inspired by the true story of a certain Daniel Burros) of a young Neo-Nazi Jew taken in the net of contradictions between his religion/roots and his antisemitic ideology, between the quest for meaning and self-hatred. One might have feared clichés and simplistic psychology, but none of these in that movie. The actor (whose performance some newspapers rightly compared to De Niro's in Taxi Driver) perfectly incarnates this young man undergoing a metaphysicial crisis -- a rebel rejecting his roots and religion, but prisioner, despite himself, of his own identity, which will constantly catch him up. br /Metaphysical questioning and very interesting reflexions on judaism makes this movie powerful, thought-provoking and excellent (careful though : several violent scenes). br /The non-manicheistic, quite existentialist end brings more questions than answers and illustrates the inner questioning and complex / yet coherent psychology of Daniel, the protagonist. br / br /In short, an intense and powerful movie, that I strongly recommend. Let me quote the words of Mr Maurice Samuel (a Jewish author) which echo Daniel's own questioning and self-destructive behaviour : br / br /". . . we Jews, br /the destroyers, will remain the destroyer forever. . . nothing that the br /Gentiles will do will meet our needs and demands". br / br /When it was released, the Believer didn't find a film distributor in USA, and remained confidential there -- given the anti-Hollywood treatment of the subject, this is no surprise. Yet the film was released in various European countries and Israel as well. It won the Grand Jury Prize in Sundance Festival in 2001. 5 stars...not enough August 7, 2002 E. Towner (UK) 4 out of 6 found this review helpful ...ryan gosling has been one of my favourite actors for some time now, and i thought i'd check this film out as i heard form some fellow fans in thew states that he's brilliant in it, and that it's a great film. they weren't wrong, in fact what they said didn't do the film justice. after it finished i sat there for at least 10 mins absorbing the ending. i went over the last 2 scenes, and heard the last sentence over and over in my head. i can still hear it too... it's a very powerful movie and affected me a lot. the holocaust scenes movied me. i don't want to spoil it for anyone, but when danny was seeing himself as the victim, and the perpetrator it was really wow..i can't think of brany other word but wow.brthe way ryan portrays danny is amazing, when danny felt pain so did i. when he was in the sensitivity traing unit, i was near tears, as was he, when the survivors were accounting their experiences. brthis truly is the best film i've seen this year, and in a long time also... A very thought-provoking and well-developed film January 12, 2005 Ms. N. L. Wood (Kent, UK) 2 out of 3 found this review helpful Having visited Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2003, I was interested to see how the neo-facist attitudes and views of the main character would be portrayed in "The Believer". I actually found the film to provide great insight into the minds and beliefs of neo-facist individuals in today's society, and it helped me personally to understand why so many people can hold such views even in the face of such devistating evidence of the testimonies of Jewish people who were detained in concentration camps, and the camps themselves. The film was particularly powerful in this sense because the main character was in fact Jewish himself and had experienced a Jewish upbringing, thus giving him a personal understanding of what it is like to be Jewish and yet at the same time revolting against this.pWhat I found most provoking in this film was the sense of the main character's inner struggle as he attempted to come to terms with his Jewish foundations. There are no words which overtly express his inner desire to reform bonds with his religion, but rather this desire is expressed through a numer of powerful and symbolic actions which works extremely well in this context. pFor me the idea that even someone as extremist as the character initially appears to be can be pulled so deeply and so ultimately back towards his fundamental beliefs was extremely compelling. Ryan Gosling deserves an Oscar March 29, 2006 Mr (Glasgow, United Kingdom) 2 out of 4 found this review helpful This film is raw, gritty and powerful, but more than that it is so rough around the edges that you can't tell at times whether it's a documentary or a film. This film is Oscar material, Ryan Goslings performance is so intense and conflicted that he sincerely deserved an Oscar for his excellent effort in this film. br / br /All the actors do a good job in this film (though it may have been interesting to see more conversing between Billy Zane and Ryan Goslings character). Theresa Russel reminded me of my Right-wing teachers at Primary school - very intimidating. br / br /The Director really did a superb job here and created alot of empathy (and sympathy) for Ryan Gosling's character. Like Tim Roth's character in Made in Britain he is an intellectual, who feels shackled by society and Liberalism and the only way he can stand against is by being part of the Right-wing and opposing the State. br / br /I felt this film shed alot of light on Judaism and actually gave me a better understanding of it (and it wasn't done in a preachy manner). br / br /An excellent film, worthy of five stars and well worth a watch for those who like their films more raw than the usual Hollywood fare. Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 1 2 Next »

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