Hopscotch [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Walter Matthau plays a CIA agent who's been confined by office politics to a desk job. The disgruntled Matthau quits the service and heads to Europe, where he links up with former lover (an fellow ex-agent) Glenda Jackson. All goes smoothly until Matthau acts on the advice of yet another retired agent, Russian Herbert Lom, who suggests that Matthau write a tell-all autobiography. Spitefully, Matthau sends out copies of his first chapter to the heads of the CIA agencies throughout the world--and from that point on, he and Jackson don't have a moment's peace. This delights Matthau: now that all of his former colleagues are chasing after him, he has a reason to get up in the morning. As written by Brian Garfield, Hopscotch was a conventionally serious espionage novel. As adapted for the big screen by Garfield and Bryan Forbes, Hopscotch is a lively exercise in cloak-and-dagger comedy, even when the pursuit of Matthau turns deadly towards the end. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • High definition digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen tvs
  • Video introduction featuring interviews with director Ronald Neame and writer Brian Garfield
  • Optional broadcast tv audio track for family viewing
  • Original theatrical trailer and teaser
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality:
  • RSDL dual-layer edition

AWARDS

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1980 (Walter Matthau)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Ronald Neame

• Producer:

  Ely Landau, Edie Landau, Otto Plaschkes

• Screenwriter:

  Bryan Forbes, Brian Garfield

• Book Author:

  Brian Garfield

• Cinematographer:

  Arthur Ibbetson

• Featured Music:

  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ian Fraser

• Editor:

  Carl Kress

• Production Designer:

  William J. Creber

• Executive Producer:

  Otto Plaschkes

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Derek Ball, Oliver Moss

• First Assistant Director:

  Patrick Clayton, William Hassell

• Production Executive:

  Mort Abrahams

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Jesse Wayne

REVIEW:

• Hopscotch re-teams Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson, who had surprisingly demonstrated quite a bit of chemistry in 1978's House Calls, but despite excellent work from Jackson, Hopscotch is clearly Matthau's film all the way. And with good reason -- there are few actors who could pull off the demands of a screenplay which calls for an actor with superb comic timing, a powerful presence that can be expressed both overtly and subtly, an ability to project both guilelessness and intelligence, and an ease in finding reality in artificial circumstances. Matthau shows -- as he did so often -- that "the Matthau type" encompassed much more than Oscar Madison. He is ably supported by a witty and engaging script, and by deft, relaxed direction by Ronald Neame that isn't afraid to dawdle -- or even just pretend that it's dawdling -- as a means of creating suspense. Jackson and the rest of the supporting cast are quite good, and Arthur Ibbetson's cinematography gives the film a sleek feel. Light and breezy, Hopscotch is a pleasant diversion for adults. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi