Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [2 Discs] [Special Edition] [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King) directed this colorful, stylized, pseudo-psychedelic $21-million adaptation of the 1971 Hunter S. Thompson classic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey into the Heart of the American Dream, about stoned sportswriter Raoul Duke, Thompson's alter ego, on a wild drug-crazed road trip, a paranoid plummet into the belly of the beast, with his pal, lawyer Oscar Zeta Acosta. Originally serialized in Rolling Stone (November 1971), the book catapulted Thompson headfirst toward the Kerouac-Mailer-Capote pantheon and jump-started the entire movement of "gonzo journalism." Carrying a suitcase of drugs, Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp with shaved pate) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) drive a red convertible across the Mojave from L.A. to Vegas, where Duke has an assignment to cover the Mint 400 desert motorcycle race. As the drugs kick in, Duke ventures into voiceover, filling in the blank spots and narrative gaps. "This is not a good town for psychedelic drugs," says Duke, but even so, they consume vast quantities, eventually escalating to ether. Duke notes that with ether "you can actually watch yourself behaving this terrible way, but you can't control it." The two trash their hotel room, and Gonzo goes back to L.A. Thinking the hotel room holocaust will lead to an arrest, Duke begins a drive back to L.A., but after an odd encounter with a highway patrolman (Gary Busey) and a telephone conversation with Gonzo, he returns to Vegas to cover the District Attorney Convention on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the glitzy Flamingo Hotel. This time the drugged-out duo trash their Flamingo room. The crazed carnival atmosphere segues into a carney casino, Bazooko's Circus, where a barker (Penn Jillette) spiels amid aerialists, clowns, and a rotating carousel bar. Gonzo worries over runaway teen Lucy (Christina Ricci), who paints portraits of Barbra Streisand. Soon the hallucinations begin: Duke sees Gonzo transmogrify into a demon with breasts on its back, and an acid vision of a Vegas bar features large legit lounge lizards (courtesy of monster makeup man Rob Bottin). Flashbacks depicting Duke's intro to the drug scene jump back to love-Haight relationships in San Francisco's Summer of Love. Cameos and guest stars include Mark Harmon, Cameron Diaz, Flea, Lyle Lovett, Harry Dean Stanton, Ellen Barkin, Tobey Maguire, and Hunter S. Thompson himself. The film features a Geffen Records soundtrack mixing rock of the period with Vegas lounge tunes. Over the years, various script adaptations came and went as did numerous talents; people connected with past efforts to film Thompson's book include Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and writer-director Alex Cox. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: DTS, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Digital transfer supervised by director Terry Gilliam and enhanced for 16x9 televisions
  • New Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound mixes
  • Three audio commentary tracks: director Terry Gilliam; stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, and producer Laila Nabulsi; and author Hunter S. Thompson
  • Deleted scenes with commentary by Terry Gilliam
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality RSDL dual-layer edition
  • Collection of storyboards and production designs
  • Stills gallery
  • Selection of Hunter S. Thompson correspondence read on-camera by Johnny Depp
  • Hunter Goes to Hollywood, a short documentary video by filmmaker Wayne Ewing
  • A look at the controversy over the screenwriting credit
  • Original trailer and TV spots
  • Rare materials on Oscar Zeta Acosta, the inspiration for Dr. Gonzo
  • Collection of original artwork by illustrator Ralph Steadman
  • Excerpt from 1996 Fear and Loathing audio CD with Maury Chaykin, Jim Jarmusch, and Harry Dean Stanton
  • Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, a 1978 BBC documentary with Thompson and Steadman
  • Booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and two pieces by Thompson

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Terry Gilliam

• Producer:

  Patrick Cassavetti, Stephen Nemeth, Laila Nabulsi

• Screenwriter:

  Alex Cox, Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni

• Book Author:

  Hunter S. Thompson

• Screenwriter:

  Tod Davies

• Cinematographer:

  Nicola Pecorini

• Editor:

  Lesley Walker

• Production Designer:

  Alex McDowell

• Art Director:

  Steve Arnold, Chris Gorak

• Co-producer:

  Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt

• Associate Producer:

  John Jergens

• Executive Producer:

  Harold Bronson, Richard Foos

• Set Designer:

  Lynn Christopher, Nancy Haigh

• Costume Designer:

  Julie Weiss

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Jay Meagher

• Special Effects:

  Rob Bottin

• First Assistant Director:

  Philip A. Patterson

• Casting:

  Margery Simkin

• Second Unit Director:

  Bruce Logan

• Special Effects Supervisor:

  Kent Houston

REVIEW:

• Just as it seemed impossible to make a cinematic adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's words from the classic 1971 account of post-1960s America, it's quite a task describing such a visual film in text. It simply has to be seen to be believed and understood. And that is one of the film's biggest successes, turning the words into images -- original, vivid, unforgettable images that pull the viewer into the movie whether they get it or not, whether it's a dream, a drug trip, or a warped recollection of the past. But Terry Gilliam's brilliant visual style would be wasted if not for the incredible performances of Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Both play their characters with the eyes of strangers in a strange land, despite the fact that they are in their home country. Judged by many to be pointless and even boring, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is, as the original book was, a reflection of an unsettling, unpredictable time. It's lack of a concrete traditional story arc may turn some off, but for those who can look beyond that, it is hilarious, scary, manic, and poignant, a film that is pure anarchic entertainment as much as it is compelling insight. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi