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Before Night Falls [2001] [DVD]

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Director: Julian Schnabel
Actors: Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Olatz López Garmendia, Giovanni Florido, Loló Navarro
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~£12.99~~
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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

11 reviews
Sales Rank: 14980

Format: PAL, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 128 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5039036008822
ASIN: B000067NPE

Theatrical Release Date: January 26, 2001
Release Date: August 5, 2002
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the posthumously published memoir by Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, IBefore Night Falls/I is artist-director Julian Schnabel's second exercise in artist biography, but where Schnabel's earlier film IBasquiat/I was relatively conventional, this film is bolder in both style and execution. Schnabel is perhaps too enamoured of his subject as a noble martyr, lending the film a somewhat inflated sense of importance. Still, it's rare to see an artist's life and work so elegantly interwoven, and IBefore Night Falls/I uses all of Arenas's life as its canvas, from impoverished youth to lively gay freedom in mid-1950's Cuba; imprisonment during Castro's antigay regime; and to New York City in 1980, followed by Arenas's battle with AIDS and subsequent suicide (depicted here as assisted) in 1990.p Through these extreme rises and falls, Arenas is always writing; his typewriter his most faithful lover and weapon (by way of smuggled manuscripts) against the dark forces that surround him. As ITime/I magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, Arenas is "a serious actor's dream role: to be a gay Jesus in a modern Passion Play," and Javier Bardem--the first Spanish actor to receive an Oscar nomination--inhabits the role with subtle ferocity, charting this emotional odyssey with outer reserve but blazing infernos of internal passion. While Schnabel suffers from a hyperactive camera, there's poetry here--visual, dramatic, and literal--and vibrant humour to temper the deep tragedy of Arenas's life. Schnabel also uses his actor friends to good advantage: a nearly unrecognizable Sean Penn adds an ironic touch to his brief appearance as a peasant, and Johnny Depp is both funny and fearsome in dual roles as a drag queen and vicious army interrogator. --IJeff Shannon/I

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 1-5 of 11

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Stunning August 25, 2005
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I haven't seen this for a while but I think its quite stunning. Its poignant, moving, interesting and humourous, tragic and shocking. The latter refers simply to the fact that Reinaldo Arenas' life ended in this suicide, when the film creates (in its portrayal of 1950's Cuba) a world almost before innocence lost! Obviously that might not make sense completely - But I mean it is portrayed as a vibrant, bright, free and easy world.brThis contrasts strongly with the representation of Castro-era Communism. br I think the film, like the book, is just utterly moving and quite beautifully filmed. As well, it makes some important observations about the period in history and freedom from censorship, be it the banning of free media/authorship or the censorship of unwanted deviants from society.br If you haven't seen it, do so. You'll be proud to have it and see it again.

5 out of 5 stars

Transports You August 8, 2004
Westley (Stuck in my head)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

"Before Night Falls" recounts the incredible life of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, played with great sensitivity by Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Born a peasant in the 1930's, Arenas had the great misfortune of being a gay writer in a country that considered art and homosexuality to be counter-revolutionary. "Before Night Falls" is based on his memoir and relates his imprisonment in Cuba and subsequent exodus to the United States. Despite this persecution, Arenas' work flourished and was published widely, albeit mostly outside of Cuba.pDirector Julian Schnabel is a well-known "neo-expressionist" painter; accordingly, he is able to bring an artist's understanding and sensibility to the story. His prior film was "Basquiat," about the 1980's graffiti artist. Although Schnabel seems to be limiting himself to portraits of artists, the two films are very disparate. Specifically, "Before Night Falls" is much grander in scope and incorporates more directorial flourishes than does "Basquiat." Despite the epic sweep of the film, Schnabel successfully tells Arenas' very personal and heart-rending story. Another major asset of the film is the cinematography and ambiance; vibrant colors and people populate the film. The viewer is transported to 1960s Cuba; you can feel the humidity and the pulse of the Mambo music.pJavier Bardem gives an astonishing performance, for which he deservedly received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. For the role, he was required to learn Cuban-Spanish as well as English. The DVD extras include a 7 minute interview with Arenas, and it's apparent that Bardem nails the look and speech of the artist, without reverting to a simple impersonation. Although most of the actors are of Latin descent, two big American stars have small roles: Johnny Depp has hilarious joint roles as a Cuban transvestite and a Cuban general, and Sean Penn plays a peasant farmer, rather convincingly too. The only minor debit of the film is that it's a tad over-long and could have used a bit more editing. However, overall, "Before Night Falls" is a superb film that perfectly captures another time and another place. Most highly recommended. pExtras: The extras include an interesting commentary track with Schnabel and Bardem, a short behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by Schnabel's daughter, and an interview with Arenas conducted in 1984 after he immigrated to the U.S.

5 out of 5 stars

Renaldo Arenas April 7, 2004
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Before Night Falls is a brilliant portrayal into to the life of cuban writer Renaldo Arenas. The movie is so powerful that after watching it it plays on your mind.pJavier Bardem is absolutely awesome in his role as Renaldo, words cannot describe his performance in the movie.brI think that this is probably one of my favourite films.brIt was nice to see Sean Penn and Johnny Depp was terrific as a drag queen. Johnny makes a georgeous lady when all dressed up.pOverall the movie is fantastic and is it really makes you think about how cruel life can be.

5 out of 5 stars

rich moving film about humanity September 24, 2005
waterceltfire (north east)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Having just watched this for the second time in a month, after having first taped it to help with my spanish studies (and because of the added bonus of Johnny Depp being in it!), it is one of my favourite films. I hadn't heard of Reinaldo Arenas previously, but the absolutely perfect performance that Javier Bardem gives, and the beautiful directing of this film, the production, the music, the colourfulness, Johnny Depp and Sean Penn's cameos, the clips of a previously banned film as the credits roll ... all of it tells the most touching story, contrasting the abuse of human rights with a very touching humanity. pThe times when the pace of the film slows I found to be most effective in making you care even more, and feel much closer to, Reinaldo, almost as if the film had gone into real time and you suddenly realised you were almost in the room with the characters, and at their most vulnerable time. The slowing of the pace happens occasionally, but most of all as Reinaldo's health is deteriorating; as with the whole of the film, this is impeccably handled. This film's had me in tears both times, near the end, and I don't easily cry at anything! Amazing movie, powerful and well worth seeing again and again. One of the most human films I can recall seeing.

5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary! March 20, 2007
G. V. Cherian (U.K.)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Julian Schnabel, a painter, has directed one of the most extraordinary films of recent times. I saw it in the theater on its initial release, and reccently watched it on DVD again, and my admiration for it has grown. The first time I saw it, it had been a few years since I had read Arenas' memoirs, on which it is based. From the hedonistic freedom that swept Cuba as Castro took charge , followed too soon after by the most horrific repression that Arenas had to suffer for being a writer and being gay, the book piled detail on detail, on such an extraordinary scale it was almost unbelievable! Magic realism couldn't hold a candle to Arenas own life! Prodigious sex and prolific writing and relentless persecution all one after another! The final irony ofcourse being that Arenas escapes Cuba,to arrive in America, and soon succumb to the ravages of AIDS. br /So much of the book survives in the film, that was what struck me when I saw it. It carried the book's explicitness as much as one could, and Javier Bardem's performance is one of the greatest screen performances of recent times. Utterly daring! What better tribute to Arenas, who thanks to his remarkable book, and Schnabel's and Bardem's work here, has achieved the revenge on his tormentors, that he so wished! br /

Showing reviews 1-5 of 11

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