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Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (The) SE
R1 - America - Criterion Collection Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (7th August 2005). |
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The Film
 I’ve been a fan of director Wes Anderson since his first feature 1996’s Bottle Rocket, I never got a chance to see the short of the same name but the minute I popped the DVD into my machine I immediately dug the man’s style. He followed Bottle Rocket with the enormously hailed comic masterpiece Rushmore in 1998 and the sublime The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001. Anderson’s understated quirky style is often gigantic in scope, telling offbeat stories with a large ensemble cast or well written and developed characters with depth. His stories center around the characters as the plots progress, which allows the audience to relate to the characters amid the silliness of the scenarios they are placed in, or better, scenarios they themselves are responsible for. It’s one element that makes his films so entertaining, Anderson also has a unique vision aided by his brother’s (Eric Chase Anderson) art and designs. The world of Wes Anderson comes to life in an very fairly tale storybook like feel that’s grounded in a funny sort of reality, if that makes any sense - to put it mildly his films are very pretty to look at. Some have referred to Anderson’s style as over-the-top subtlety, it’s an odd term but those that are fans of the films or have seen his work will understand what is meant by that statement. For those reading this for the first time I’m sorry but it’s genuinely difficult to place his films into a category, the obvious choice is comedy, but the films are also very heartfelt and touching in an idiosyncratic kind of way. Upon its release The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou garnered mixed reviews, fans and critics alike where divided, some viewed the film as a masterpiece while other championed it as his weakest film. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou tells the story of internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his dedicated crew, ‘Team Zissou’, set sail on an expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive, possibly nonexistent Jaguar Shark that killed his partner and best friend Esteban (Seymour Cassel) during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. Over the last few years ‘Team Zissou’ have hit a rough spot and the current run of films just haven’t been popular. His competition Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) is the current favorite media darling that Zissou once was. On the expedition they are joined by a young airline co-pilot, who may or may not be Zissou’s son Ned (Owen Wilson), the beautiful journalist Jane (Cate Blanchett) assigned to write a profile of Zissou and his estranged wife and co-producer Eleanor (Anjelica Huston). They face overwhelming complications, including pirates, kidnapping and bankruptcy among other things. Unlike Anderson’s previous films this is more an adventure yarn, applying his comic sensibilities to a larger scale. Yes this film was made with a bigger budget than his previous, the cast is no less than A-list and his locations and set designs are gigantic and over-the-top, so does that mean this cult favorite has sold out? No because all the great elements that make a Wes Anderson film unique and enjoyable are still here primarily the wonderfully articulated characters that are the centerpiece to his films. As I mentioned before this film certainly divided people, all you have to do is read the comments in the forums under the film’s IMDB listing to see that. The simple fact is that Anderson does not make films for the mainstream audience, it takes an acquired taste to enjoy the man’s work and a surreal and off-center sense of humor. At the heart of the film is Zissou played to perfection by Murray, his character is emotionally complex that evokes sympathy. Murray adds a depth that not many leading men can, and that’s evident in Zissou’s quirks. Murray’s experiance and range as an actor adds another layer to his character that allows the audience to relate to his loss of his best friend and the discovery of his son as well his need to venture out and enact revenge on the shark that killed Esteban. The supporting cast have also done a superb job on this film but none more so than Willem Dafoe who plays the cool, calm and collected German team member Klaus. Dafoe simply steals the show with his jealous and protective sidekick to Zissou who feels his position is in jeopardy when Zissou’s long lost son (or is he?) Ned (Owen Wilson, who plays the role of the naive good hearted airline co-pilot to a pitch perfect degree), arrives on the scene to start a relationship with him. Each cast member is distinctively memorable, Anderson’s ability to cast the right people for the role is second to none it’s almost hard to imagine anyone else playing these characters. His comic timing and fresh style paved the way for some very funny scenes including the rescue of Zissou by Hennessey and Zissou’s first interview with Jane to name a couple. What review of this film wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the design and look of the underwater world, created in stop motion by animator Henry Selick, Anderson’s underwater world is like a wonderland of fun and crazy creatures. The stop motion effects used to bring them to life gives the undersea a different almost organic feeling, considering that rhinestone fish, rainbow seahorses and Jaguar sharks inhabit this world is a testament to the genius of Selick. Furthermore the film not only looks good thanks to cinematographer Robert Yeoman but also sounds good thanks to Devo front man Mark Mothersbaughwhose created a musical language for the film that fits well to enhance Anderson’s themes. Additional music was also used including an original piece by the great Ennio Morricone as well as the musical interludes of Bowie songs sung in Portuguese. The Life Aqautic with Steve Zissou can be a bit tedious for some people, it does run for nearly two hours and is a bit lengthy for what it is. It’s not a film for everyone, but dedicated Anderson fans shouldn’t be disappointed. For those that are not entirely familiar with his work a rental would be wise before purchase.
Video
Presented in the film’s original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio, this anamorphic transfer is very good. The film’s color palate is predominately warm and the transfer represents this very well, considering this skin tones are rendered well throughout, however at times do look a bit yellow-orange. Reds stand out quite a lot throughout this print and is in fact a predominant color in the film’s production design, and on occasion the reds tend to look a bit too hot. The overall image quality is fine without damage, spots, or scratches of any kind, which is what you’d expect for such a recent film. Although the colours aren't exactly balanced and I couldn’t help but notice that the image is reasonably softer than I’d expected there also appears to be problems related to compression such as haloing. Overall it’s a decent transfer that represents the film and the filmmaker’s vision very well indeed.
Audio
The film includes the option of two audio tracks, both of which are English. The first is a DTS 5.1 and the second a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. I’ve had the chance to view the film with both of these tracks. The DTS track comes across very clear and distortion free. The film includes many subtle directional effects as well as music and the occasional action scene. The direction effects are very well placed and never feel out of place, especially atmospheric sounds such as wind, rain, the ocean etc. Music is a key element to this film and I’m happy to say the track’s strength is in its music mix, it makes excellent use of the 5.1 sound space, finally the film also features some exciting action moments that include gunfire and explosions that will rock your speakers. Overall the DTS track is a solid effort that doesn’t appear to have any discernable flaws that I could detect. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the most part is near identical to the DTS, the dialogue is clear and can be heard without any distortion, directional effects and music are all rendered very well. The primary difference I noticed between these two tracks is that the DTS is considerably louder and seems to have more depth than the Dolby Digital track. The film also includes optional subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
DISC ONE: The first extra we come across on this disc is the feature-length audio commentary by writer/director Wes Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach. This screen specific commentary is a little different than most, recorded in a restaurant, one which the two supposedly frequented often writing the screenplay while having a meal. It’s a relatively enjoyable commentary that touches on the writing process, locations, interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes about many scenes in the film, they also talk about the wonderfully talented cast as well as the special effects including the bizarre array of sea life created by animator Henry Selick. Anderson fans will certainly get a lot from this commentary, for a track that moves a bit slowly at times (Attributed to Anderson’s soft spoken nature) there are very few silent gaps throughout. Overall it’s a solid commentary that provides an ample amount of information about the film and you certainly get the sense that working on this film was a fun experience. Following the commentary are 9 deleted scenes. You have the option to view the scenes individually or all at once with a ‘play all’ button. The scenes cut from the film include: - Eleanor’s Writing Shed runs for 57 seconds and is a scene where Eleanor warns Ned to be careful. - Albino Dolphin Cost-Breakdown runs for 24 seconds and is where Steve asks Anne-Marie to write a report regarding the cost of the dolphins, this is an extension to a scene where Steve asks Wolodarsky to use the dolphins to spy on Ned and Jane the reporter. - Additional Mutiny Scene runs for 19 seconds and is an extension to the scene where the crew discuss Steve’s behaviour and a possible mutiny, here Klaus informs Steve of what the crew is planning. - Hydronicus Inverticus (Rat-Tail Envelope Fish) runs for 20 seconds and is a scene that place after Hennessey negotiates the rescue cost with Steve, here he shows off his latest catch. A portion of this scene was included in the film’s trailer. - Let’s Just Keep It In The Moment runs for 32 seconds, this scene takes place after the Pirate attack, Ned tries to clear things up about the fight they had during the attack. - Swamp Leeches runs for 21 seconds and is an extension to the scene where the crew land on the Pirate’s island. Steve is covered in leeches and Wolodarsky picks off a specimen and bags it as it has curing properties. - You Lose Track Of Me runs for 23 seconds and features the crew saving the bond company stooge. - Klaus On Fire runs for 14 seconds, after the Hotel Citroen has blown up the crew escape, Klaus is the last to leave and is on fire. - Mai Tais / Blue Hawaiians runs for 58 seconds and is more an outtake than anything else, here Steve and Ned have a discussion on the deck of the Belefonte, while Klaus and some crew are having drinks a level below. Up next is a featurette entitled Starz on the Set and runs for 14 minutes 35 seconds. This is a EPK ]featurette created by the marketing department and would have aired on TV. Here they cover what the film is about, it’s colorful characters and includes interviews with key cast and crew as well as behind-the-scenes footage shot during the making of the film. The final extra on the first disc is the film’s original theatrical trailer, which runs for 2 minutes 27 seconds. DISC TWO: The first item we have on Disc Two is a brief introduction to the DVD in Italian with English subtitles. Then we have a series of photos taken during filming and include behind-the-scenes photos, publicity snaps and continuity / costume / make-up Polaroid’s. There are 168 photos in the gallery. Next up is a featurette entitled The Look Aquatic and runs for 5 minutes 28 seconds. This piece features production designer Mark Friedberg and producer Barry Mendel as they discuss Wes’ unique vision, about shooting in Italy and making it appear as though the crew traveled far distances in the film, finding the right boat to use as The Belefonte, using an intricate cross-section set of the boat, the use of distinctly European locations, and mixing of elements that make up the Zissou Compound as well as the stylized look of the underwater world. Following that is yet another featurette entitled Creating A Scene which runs for 4 minutes 40 seconds, Here we get to see Anderson as he directs a scene, along with behind-the-scenes footage we also have some of the cast talking about his influence and the way he approaches a scene with them. The next piece is an interview entitled Mark Mothersbaugh which runs for 19 minutes and 6 seconds. This piece focuses on Mothersbaugh and the music he composed for this film. The piece touches on the influence the director has on the music as well as the process taken to score a film. A part of an Italian TV show Mondo Monda this is essentially an interview with the director and co-writer. The piece runs for 16 minutes 24 seconds, this segment is a very amusing interview spoken in Italian with Anderson and Baumbach answering in English. It’s in the same vein as the interview clips on The Royal Tenenbaums Criterion DVD, which is very much tongue-in-cheek and not supposed to be taken seriously. Next we have the Seu Jorge Performs David Bowie which runs for 40 minutes, this is a selection of 10 David Bowie tunes, Jorge performs the song in his native language of Portuguese. The clips are taken from the production footage shot when making the film, they appear here in their entirety and not has highlights like in the film. You can choose to ‘play all’ or view each performance individually, the songs include: - Oh! You pretty Thing - Changes - Rebel Rebel - Lady Stardust - Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide - Five Years - Life on Mars? - Suffragette City Following that is the featurette entitled Aquatic Life that runs for 7 minutes 53 seconds. Here we get to learn about the weird and wonderful creatures that make up the underwater world of Steve Zissou. We also learn how they came to life with the use of stop-motion animation. Designs is up next and this is a gallery of conceptual art created for the film. 15 stills make up this gallery, the gallery includes character portraits as seen in the film, posters, schematics/boat floor plans and the seahorse creature design. Next up we have the short featurette Esteban which runs for 7 minutes 9 seconds. Seymour Cassel who plays the character drives around Italy talking about his work on the film and his character. Ned is the next featurette that runs for 2 minutes 52 seconds and is in the same vein as the Esteban piece before it. Here Owen Wilsontalks about his character, we also get an appearance from Bill Murray as he tells us what he thinks about Wilson. The documentary This is an Adventure runs for 51 minutes 20 seconds. This piece was shot during the film’s production, There is no narration it’s basically a video diary of the events that took place on the set and during filming. We follow the director and various members of the cast as they perform. This is a fly on the wall perspective and provides the viewer an inside look at what it would have been like to be on the set of a Wes Anderson film. While this is a very interesting piece, some form of narration would have been nice however. Next up is the Costumes featurette a brief 4 minute 37 second piece that looks at the costumes created for the film, it’s clear that the costumes help make the character and we get to hear from various cast about their duds. The Intern Video Journal comes next, this featurette runs for 15 minutes 20 seconds. This is a fun mock-video of what it’s like as an intern serving on The Belafonte. The video follows Intern Number 1 Matthew Gray Gubler. Rounding out the discs’ extras is Jane Winslett-Richardson a short featurette that runs 3 minutes 27 seconds and is also similar to the Ned and Esteban featurette, here actress Cate Blanchett talks about her character, her pregnancy and the connection she makes with Ned. A booklet is also included that features a conversation with the filmmaker, chapter listing, cast and crew list, a note about the transfer and special thanks notes.
Packaging
This 2-disc DVD set is packaged in a slim-line amaray case that comes housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a wonderfully quirky adventure film with heart. Filmmaker Wes Anderson has done it again, creating a film with unique and interestingly complex characters, over-the-top scenarios and fun all around. The Criterion Collection DVD is packed to the rim with a series of compelling extras that will occupy your time for quite a while. The transfer and sound quality also hold up very well although not entirely perfect.
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