Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
HBO Home Video
Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Naomie Harris, Jeremy Northam, Gillian Anderson
Extras: Commentary Track, Deleted/Extended Scenes, Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Trailer
Rating:
How to make a movie about the making of a movie from a novel that is essentially about the writing of a novel? The answer can be found in Michael Winterbottom's "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, " a bold experiment in metacinema that accentuates the madcap ups and downs of filmmaking while maintaining a surprising faithfulness to its literary source. Laurence Sterne's 18th-century serial novel, "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman," is a self-referential masterpiece that draws upon the styles and philosophies of various writers of the day as well as the reader's own knowledge of literary structure and language. In essence, it was postmodern literature before there was such a thing.
In Winterbottom's new film, a movie crew is currently in production of an adaptation of Sterne's "unfilmable" novel. British comedian Steve Coogan (played marvelously by Steve Coogan) has the starring role as both Tristram Shandy and his father, Walter. Fellow comedian Rob Brydon (Rob Brydon) has a supporting role, or co-lead, depending on who's making the argument. In the film-within-the-film, Tristram attempts to tell the story of his life, beginning with his conception and birth. The problem is that he digresses so frequently with anecdotes, forward jumps and just about anything else that pops into his head that he never gets around to the actual birth. The atmosphere on the movie set is no less erratic, with Coogan and Brydon (the characters, not the actors) incessantly competing for screen dominance and the director (Jeremy Northam) struggling to convince the financiers that the movie won't be a flop.
To confuse matters further, the set is cluttered with eccentric personalities who are all but dying to have their voices heard. Naomie Harris turns in a delightful performance as Jennie, Coogan's assistant and an unabashed film buff who will take advantage of any opportunity to talk about Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In a mind-boggling, metacinematic twist, British journalist Tony Wilson shows up to interview Coogan, who previously portrayed Wilson in Winterbottom's "24 Hour Party People." Even "X-Files" star Gillian Anderson pops in as an actress named Gillian Anderson, who is cast as the Widow Wadman.
"Tristram Shandy" follows in the tradition of other films about films, like "Adaptation.," François Truffaut's "Day for Night," and Frederico Fellini's "8½." In fact, a key musical theme is plainly lifted from Nino Rota's memorable "8½" score. What is so arresting about Winterbottom's work is the way he bounces back and forth between the actual film and the film-within-the-film. The latter is a bawdy, darkly lit romp through the 18th century with strikingly realistic costumes and sets, while the former is a convincing mockumentary filmed in Altman-esque style with dozens of characters delivering overlapping dialogue. With a new surprise at literally every turn, the film never becomes bogged down or static, and the results are sparkling. The dry, British humor can be both raunchy and subtle, and multiple viewings are required just to scratch the surface.
The movie is filled with dazzling, almost surreal moments, such as when Coogan is being fitted for the giant prop womb that will be used for the birth scene in the film. Flashbacks and dream sequences help create a stream-of-consciousness structure that is forever shifting between reality and fantasy, yet somehow remains believable. One memorable sequence involves the producers calling Gillian Anderson to offer her a role in the film. The picture splits into five different screens, each showing the reaction of a different person at the same moment. Such deliberately over-the-top effects add another layer to the movie, suggesting that what we are watching is not the reality at all, but perhaps a second movie within the first movie in which a third is being made. Confused yet?
Needless to say, "Tristram Shandy" is not for everybody. Fans of Steve Coogan's typical brand of humor may be quite surprised at this artistic stretch, and anyone expecting a cohesive, linear storyline may find this frustrating and convoluted. While it is not necessary that one be familiar with Laurence Sterne's book to enjoy this movie, viewers who are at least accustomed to metacinema (films that are expressly aware of themselves as films) will probably latch onto the playfulness more easily and also pick up on the many film references made throughout. For those who can appreciate the movie's ironic, self-referential nature, this is a thoroughly engaging, near-brilliant comedy.
Making its way to DVD via HBO Home Video, "Tristram Shandy" is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for widescreen TVs. The print looks great with excellent contrast, deep blacks, and good definition. The historical scenes are especially impressive, with nice, bold colors and rich detail. We can even see the grime on the characters' teeth! Most of the film was shot in low or naturalistic lighting, so brightness levels are kept to a minimum. On the whole, the picture is clean and smooth, with no visible grain or artifacts.
Audio comes to us in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that, while not tested to the limits, sounds very good and clear. The movie is quite dialogue heavy, and the surround is well-utilized, bringing out the overlapping dialogue. There is a brief battle sequence near the beginning of the movie with lots of explosions and sound effects, and it comes through brilliantly with good clarity and precision. The music is balanced well with the rest of the track, never becoming intrusive or overbearing.
As for special features, a number of entertaining goodies are provided. First up is the 12-minute, extended Tony Wilson interview from the movie. We are actually told in the movie by a voiceover narration that the rest of the interview will be included in the DVD special features, and here it is! I'm not sure how much of it, if any, was scripted, but it is played up for laughs and is well-worth a look.
Next are three deleted scenes and four scene extensions from the movie. Unlike most DVD deleted scenes, all of these are extremely entertaining and very well could have been in the finished product.
After this, we get 18 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. The bulk of this is a guided tour of Laurence Sterne's estate with actor Stephen Fry, who also appears in the movie. Fry provides lots of laughs, as expected, but also displays a surprising amount of knowledge and insight into Sterne's life and works, making this an informative as well as entertaining feature.
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon sit down (naked, apparently) for an audio commentary. In their own words, the track is only "semi-informative and a bit piffy." It is also flat-out hilarious, with the two mostly joking and cutting up for the duration. They do get serious every now and then, but this is no scholarly commentary. It sounds as though they actually stay in character (that is, exaggerated versions of themselves) for most of the commentary, reprising the sort of pompousness and snobbery that they exhibit in the film. Or maybe that's just their way.
Finally, a theatrical trailer brings a close to this DVD.
This is without a doubt one of the funniest and most thoughtful comedies of the year. Michael Winterbottom has fashioned a remarkably clever adaptation of a book that no one thought adaptable, and it is a most entertaining translation. It's films like this that expose everything that is wrong with American comedy. The movie is witty, engaging, and above all, intelligent, even if the story is all cock and bull. HBO Home Video's release is a worthy edition of a delightfully warped movie, and if you consider yourself a film buff, you should definitely check out "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story." It is required viewing.
