Beach, The (UK)

6 / 10
4 votes cast
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Innocence never lasts forever
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 116 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:

Synopsis:
"Leonardo DiCaprio is electrifying" (David Sheehan, CBS-TV) in this adrenaline-drenched, tantalizingly seductive thriller from the director of Trainspotting.

Richard (DiCaprio), a young American backpacker, is willing to risk his life for just one thing: that mind-blowing rush you can only get from braving the ultimate adventure. But on a secret, deceptively perfect beach, Richard will discover that "heaven on earth" can instantly change into a jungle of seduction and danger.

Co-starring sexy newcomer Virginie Ledoyen, this "journey to the unexpected, full of surprises, twists and turns, love and romance, lust and desire" (Maris Sallas, GEMS) explores the hidden perils and dark places that lurk just beyond the shores of paradise...

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Director`s Commentary
Theatrical Trailer
All Saints `Pure Shores` Music Video
9 Deleted Scenes, including alternate opening and ending
14 Cast and Crew Bios
Original Storyboard Artwork

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 English

Subtitle Tracks:
Hebrew
Icelandic
Polish
Czech
Swedish
Finnish
English
Portuguese
Hungarian
Danish
Norwegian

Directed By:
Danny Boyle

Written By:


Starring:
Paterson Joseph
Robert Carlyle
Guillaume Canet
Virginie Ledoyen
Tilda Swinton
Leonardo DiCaprio

Casting By:
Gail Stevens
Kate Dowd

Soundtrack By:
Angelo Badalamenti

Director of Photography:
Darius Khondji

Editor:
Masahiro Hirakubo

Costume Designer:
Rachael Fleming

Production Designer:
Andrew McAlpine

Producer:
Callum McDougall
Andrew Macdonald

Your Opinions and Comments

7 / 10
After all the hype i don`t think the beach lived up to it`s expectations, the first hour and twenty minutes keep
you intrigued but the last half hour gets a bit silly `apocalypse now` style! But overall its a film worth watching and i enjoyed it. The video looks great, in widescreen, and shows great colours, the scene when Richard & Co are about to swim to the island looks superb, as does the first love scene involving Richard & Francoise in the sea, in fact all the scenes around the island are pretty breathtaking and the shark attack shows the full extent of the colour. The sound is good too, nothing outstanding, but decent use of the surround sound with some pretty cool music. The features are well above average with plenty deleted scenes with or without commentary, an alternative beginning which i found enjoyable, and ending which is good, but i prefer the ending which has been used, the standard scene select, the All Saints video, bio`s etc... And although i did not listen to the directors commentary first time round, I will be going back to it very soon, and look forward to it! Overall i would say the beach DVD is not a rush out and get it now! but more of a cert to add to your collection, if you are going to get this dvd do it now! in winter, it certainly warms you up, and makes you think about your next holiday in the summer.
posted by Andy Hall on 29/1/2001 15:31
2 / 10
This is actually pathetically laughable drivel, that is actually dementedly enjoyable at times, but it`s not the new `Apocalypse Now`
posted by Richard73 on 7/2/2001 19:40
5 / 10
I think I`m unusual in that I approached the movie having read the book (which I was studying for my english course) and therefore I wanted to see which aspects of the book Doyle thought were important.
My first impressions when watching the movie were that it was a slickly-made production. I especially loved the beginning and the direction in that sequence was something I felt the book could have done with. It really gives that opening 15 minutes some atmosphere.
I expected Di Caprio to be poor in his role but he shocked me by putting in a stunning performance - possibly the only performance he`s given in recent years where the character was real and well thought-out. Di Caprio has mastered the character of the book`s "hero", Richard.
The performances from the supporting cast are fine but on the whole unremarkable. However, the scriptwriter made some *really* un-necessary changes to Garland`s original novel and this means that the stronger characters from the book (Jed) are replaced or abandoned.
The film itself is merely a glossy version of the book without the drugs-taking or the satirical take on stereotyping and travelling. The extras are of a fairly high level (including an All Saints music video) and the director`s commentary is of particular note.
My suggestion therefore would be to read the book and if you enjoy that tackle the movie. The book`s much better anyway.
posted by Aidan on 27/7/2001 04:16