Review of Rain Man (Special Edition)

Introduction

Where do you even begin with a concept like this? One of the original scriptwriters, Barry Morrow, became friends with someone upon whom Rain Man was based. He had already written an award winning script for a similar TV film starring Mickey Rooney in the title lead, Bill: On His Own back in 1983. Bill in this film was retarded and something similar was penned for Rain Man. Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman attached themselves to the script and this is when the hunt for a director started. There were no less than four names attached at various stages, starting with Martin Brest, Steven Spielberg, Sidney Pollack and finally Barry Levinson. Because of artistic differences, Martin Brest was off and the film was in limbo. Spielberg was now on board.

It was at Hoffman`s suggestion that his character changed from being retarded to autistic. When Spielberg spoke on the phone with writer Ron Bass, he told him that he was wrong and Hoffman was right, and proceeded to tell him why. It was all to do with drama and overcoming hurdles. It seemed to work better with someone who was autistic rather than retarded and that`s when the story changed direction. Hoffman, Cruise, Spielberg and Bass got together in the summer of `87 and brainstormed ideas, flew in technical advisors and shaped the script into the award-winning story it became. There`s plenty more to the film and this Special Edition DVD has a lot about the film packed onto three audio commentaries.

In all the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, with the film finally ending up with four: Best Picture, Writing, Directing and Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, Rain Man looks good, if a little soft from time to time. Colours look good, as does detail and contrast with grain kept to a minimum. There are minor flecks of dirt that pop up but it`s nothing to worry about. I couldn`t spot any other problems with the transfer.

Audio

Rain Man comes with a clear sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Dialogue is clear from the centre and the spread of sound across the front is very good. Subtle LFE supports the film where it`s needed, but the surround channels aren`t that active with very little ambient sound creeping in. This was composer Hans Zimmer`s first Hollywood film.

Features

Easy to navigate menus with a nice selection of extras:

• Audio Commentary with Director Barry Levinson (subtitled) - This is a scene specific commentary but unfortunately Levinson doesn`t talk a great deal. When he does talk however he`s interesting to listen to and provides some good insight into the film, the music and sound and the characters.

• Audio Commentary with Writer Barry Morrow - Barry wrote the original story which shaped Rain Man into what it is and once he gets going, he speaks well about the film, his ideas and personal experiences. I thought this was a very interesting track to listen to.

• Audio Commentary with Writer Ronald Bass - Ron Bass was the other screenwriter on the film and he`s another person not afraid to talk, and he talks a fair bit here providing some interesting facts and anecdotes. Again, if you have the time this is worth listening to.

• The Journey of Rain Man (widescreen enhanced, subtitled) (21:12) - This is an up-to-date interview with Barry Levinson, the writers and producers who talk about the film as they remembered making it, its success and Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

• Lifting the Fog: looking at the mysteries of autism (widescreen enhanced, subtitled) (19:23) - This piece talks to doctors and writer Barry Morrow about savant syndrome (autism) and we`re introduced to Dustin Hoffman`s two main role models, Joseph Sullivan and Peter Guthrie, who display a couple of their abilities. It`s amazing to watch these two as you can see Hoffman`s influence.

• Original featurette (subtitled) (6:54) - An old interview piece with cast and crew about the film.

• Deleted scene (subtitled) (2:05) - One deleted scene with Raymond in a store eating and drinking things before paying and getting into bother. Nothing particularly interesting about his sole scene.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:07) - Usual trailer fare.

• Photo Gallery - 42 production stills of the cast and crew.

The film has clear easy to read English subtitles and over a dozen more subs.

Conclusion

What can be said about the two central performances of Cruise and Hoffman that hasn`t already been said? Dustin Hoffman won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Raymond Babbit and spent a lot of time researching the part, in particular with two autistic savants whose characteristics can clearly be seen in his performance. While he remains constant in terms of his lack of ability to grow as a character, his younger, put upon brother Charlie Babbit goes through significant change; this is a good performance from Cruise.

Charlie starts off resenting his estranged father at his will reading and then discovers he has a brother he knew nothing about. This new sibling inherited the $3m trust from their father while Charlie just got an old car and the roses; bitter irony from the grave. His mind starts to toil and figure out ways to get his hands on this $3m trust fund and this is where he is introduced to his brother in an institution; his brother is an autistic savant. This is where the start of their up and down relationship begins as Charlie gets to grips with how autism affects his brother and forces him to question his own selfish motives. From being materialistic, caring about possessions and money, to developing a relationship with someone and going on an emotional and physical journey marks a big change in character.

As stories go Rain Man is something I find interesting. Yes it`s dressed and packaged in a certain way because it`s Hollywood, but it focuses on two main characters, brothers who`ve never been together, who have to find their way together; it`s a love story which doesn`t get eaten by sentimentalism.

Good video quality, good sound and a very good selection of extras mark this Special Edition DVD out as something worth having for those that have enjoyed the film but yet to see it on DVD.