The Movie:

Playwrights/actors/directors Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory have been reconstructing the meaning of the "filmed play" for the last three decades. 1981's Louis Malle-directed My Dinner With Andre is famous for being a feature entirely about the conversation between two friends during a dinner at a restaurant. The friends, Shawn and Gregory playing themselves, talk about pretty much everything, their personal and professional lives, their fears, joys, as well as the existential quandaries of their very existence. You know, light conversation stuff.

The team of Malle/Shawn/Gregory got back together for Vanya on 42^nd Street, where Malle filmed a rehearsal of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya that took place in an empty building on New York City's 42^nd street. The result was a minimalist filmed play where the audience was able to focus completely on the performances and not much else. Since Malle has been dead for 20 years (In fact, Vanya was his last film), Jonathan Demme takes over directing duties for the team's triumphant return to minimalist theater recreations. Coming from features that rely heavily on the performances, as well as a solid background in documentary filmmaking, Demme is a perfect replacement for Malle's sensibilities.

The play this time around is Henrik Ibsen's A Master Builder, about a narcissistic architect named Halvard (Shawn) who made everyone's life around him miserable thanks to his selfish and dictatorial ways. When Hilde (Lisa Joyce), a suspiciously bubbly young woman whom Halvard might have sexually abused when she was 12, returns to town and shows an interest in getting back into Halvard's life, Halvard's forced to reevaluate the errors of his past during a time when he might in fact be living the end of his days.

Like Vanya, A master Builder has a very minimalist approach that enables the viewer to focus entirely on the performances. It's not specified that we're watching a rehearsal, but the film takes place in a modern house with minimal production design, and the actors wear contemporary casual clothing even though there isn't any mention in the text that the story is adapted to take place in modern times. The oppressive and abusive Halvard seems like a character who should be portrayed by a larger than life theatrical presence, someone whose physicality can sell the idea of a man who can effortlessly hold so many people under his thumb. That's why the casting of the mousy Shawn is a touch of genius. Through sheer will and a bountiful energy in his performance, Shawn manages to prove that even a human weasel can go far with genuine talent and empty charisma.

Even though we get the feeling that Hilde might be representative of an angelic figure, there to have Halvard face the sins of his past, the material is not a straight redemption story. Demme shoots the first 40 minutes with a drab hand-held style in 1:78:1 aspect ratio, and switches to a more stylized and film-like 2:35:1 ratio as soon as Hilde shows up. The fact that Hilde's arrival causes the sick Halvard to immediately spring back to health supports a the fantasy angle, one about a man coming to terms with whatever's left with his humanity. Of course the ending gives a more definitive answer to that question, but it's not up to me to spoil that. That being said, even with a cryptic angelic presence at hand, sometimes it's very hard to change one's established character, no matter how despicable it might be.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

Criterion's 1080p presentation stays true to the film's digital cinematography roots. The first 40 minutes in 16:9 ratio looks like it might have been shot on a GoPro, which supports the raw and lifeless existence of Halvard before Hilde shows up. Criterion thankfully doesn't attempt to correct this segment's rough look and keeps it as is, with the many blemishes and motion blur problems intact. Once we get to the 2:35:1 segments, the colors pop and we get more depth in an excellent digital transfer. My Dinner With Andre and Vanya were shot on film, and A Master Builder's digital look will obviously be jarring after sitting through those two films, but Demme manages to squeeze visual gold out of such a meager production, and the Blu-ray transfer does it justice.

Audio:

I don't know why a 5.1 mix was necessary for such a dialogue-driven project, but that's what we get in this DTS-HD transfer. The dialogue can be heard very clearly, and this is a very impressive audio presentation, but of course not much, if any, surround presence should be expected.

Extras:

The Ibsen Project: In this 30-minute featurette, film critic David Edelstein interviews Gregory, Shawn, and Demme about the thematic connections between the three films and the working relationship between the actor/directors. A very honest and insightful interview.

Hilde and Aline: Lisa Joyce and Julie Hagerty, who portrays Halvard's downtrodden wife in the film, talk about their experiences working for Demme and the Shawn/Gregory duo. Very highly recommended for those who want to dig into the female perspective within the play and the production.

Over Time: Fran Lebowitz interviews Gregory and Shawn in this almost hour-long interview, where they dig into their decades-long professional and personal relationship. I have a feeling that if you watch this interview after watching all three films, it'll have even more of an impact.

We also get a Trailer.

Final Thoughs:

Along with the release of A Master Builder, Criterion released a three-film box set that also includes My Dinner With Andre and Vanya on 42^nd Street. If you were not familiar with Shawn and Gregory's (Who has a minor role in this film but was involved in directing the play for the last ten years) films, I'd recommend getting that set and watching their works in chronological order. If you already know the previous two films and like them, then A Master Builder comes automatically highly recommended.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com