Uncompressed mono audio sounds phenomenal in 4K.
The Real Life (1979)
The film will be available from The Criterion Collection from August 27, 2024 in several editions: 4K+Blu-ray (2 discs) and Blu-ray only (1 disc).
In 1975, Albert Brooks was introduced to a young US audience with his short films about Saturday Night Live. I can confirm that as a teenager I found the short films incredibly funny and they made me want to see more.
Brooks was born into a show business family in Los Angeles and attended high school with the likes of Rob Reiner, who became a lifelong friend and recently directed Albert Brooks: I defend my lifea very good documentary about his early life and his developing career as a comedian, which began in the late 1960s with appearances on variety and talk shows.
Brooks made his first short film for PBS in 1972, made a few comedy albums and then began making short films for Saturday Night LiveAs he explains in a new special feature included with the new Criterion editions, David Geffen, then head of Warner Bros.’ music and film divisions, was impressed by Brooks’ comedy albums and asked him if he had a film suggestion. Brooks’ idea for Real Life was born at this moment.
Inspired by Craig Gilbert’s groundbreaking documentary series An American familywhich aired on PBS in 1973, Real Life begins with a scroll that declares to be “the next step” in cinema by showing not only a typical family, but also what happens to the filmmakers during the course of filming.
Brooks plays a fictionalized version of himself, a character he portrayed in several of his short films and a variation of the character he developed in his variety and talk show appearances. Charles Grodin, who had built a solid career as a droll comedian, plays Warren Yeager, opposite Frances Lee McCain, a lesser-known actress who shone in dramas and comedies, as Jeanette Yeager, wife, mother and a woman whose patience is constantly tested by the men in her life.
The idea is that Brooks and his crew, equipped with handheld digital cameras that they pull over their heads and make them look like astronauts, will film Warren, Jeanette and their two children for a year, watched by two doctors (JA Preston and Matthew Tobin). The resulting footage will then be edited into a film and released to theaters.
The idea goes hilariously wrong from the start, and Brooks and company take full advantage. Written by Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson, who would later become a frequent collaborator, and Harry Shearer, a friend and fellow comedian, the 98-minute film works best in its individual segments. It becomes uneven in the second half, but still delivers big laughs. The individual segments are often very, very funny, thanks in part to Grodin and McCain, who are both great actors and deliver their lines masterfully.
The supporting cast is also talented, especially JA Preston as a doctor who quickly loses his composure with the show and the filmmaker. James L. Brooks, who later played Albert Brooks in one of his signature roles in News broadcastshas a cameo appearance as a driving instructor.
After decades of reality shows, it’s quite refreshing to relive a time before the explosion of shows I personally can’t stand. Everyone on a reality show today is a performer, and most of them aren’t particularly good at it; otherwise they would have become professional actors playing someone other than just a variation of themselves.
In contrast, Albert Brooks shows anyone how to play a variation of themselves without overexerting themselves. He has been doing this for more than 50 years. Real Life is the birth of his legendary career as a feature filmmaker.
Produced by Penelope Spheeris, who produced Brooks’ short films and whose great documentary The decline of Western civilization was published in the same year, Real Life was made independently. (The Warner Bros deal never materialized.) Eric Saarinen served as cinematographer and began a collaboration that extended beyond Brooks’ Modern Romance (1981) and Lost in America (1985).
The film was given a distribution deal by Paramount Pictures, who didn’t really know what to do with it and gave it a sparing theatrical release, which is my excuse for not seeing it when it was first released. I saw it later, in late 1981 or 1982, in a double bill with Modern Romance at a repertory theater in Los Angeles, and it made me a fan for life.
Watch out Real Life in 4K on the new Criterion Collection edition, I initially thought that 4K was overkill. The higher resolution reinforces the limitations of the 35mm print. On the other hand, it looks greatAnd the mono soundtrack really sounds phenomenal.
When watching 4K, I’m usually so blown away by the higher resolution, spectacular colors, greater accuracy of skin tones, and total absence of light in pitch-black scenes that I don’t even notice the sound. Here, however, I was blown away by the soundtrack, as quiet as it is.
The Blu-ray contains three special features:
— New interview with Albert Brooks. (30 minutes) He talks about his life and career, names the inspirations for the film and provides many of the details you would expect from a feature-length audio commentary. In the postscript he also points out that his film five years in front of his friend Rob Reiner This is Spinal Tap was declared the first “mockumentary.” Just by the way.
– New interview with Frances Lee McCain. (15 minutes) She talks about her career before the film and names the role that probably got her to Brooks’ attention. She remains absolutely thrilled to have had the opportunity and speaks very warmly about her experience working with Brooks and Grodin. She also highlights her favorite moments in the film and explains why they stand out for her. They’re pretty subtle moments and honestly I didn’t really appreciate them until she mentioned them.
— Brooks’ 3D trailer, only shown in theaters, which I had never seen before. It’s fantastic.
Also included in the package is a printed booklet with a great essay by film critic AS Hamrah that is insightful and personal. The cover is based on the original theatrical poster.
Summary: A great package for a film that I didn’t fully appreciate until the second viewing.
