Michael Winterbottom, one of the most prolific and versatile directors working today, has taken Laurence Sterne's famously “unfilmable” 18th-century novel—a glorious farrago of digressions, self-referential turns, and observations on human foibles and frailties, all in the form of a rambling autobiography by a minor aristocrat—and found a way to reflect its amazingly flamboyant character on film. Though the movie recreates some of the “story”—not only particular scenes but even a few of its wild flights of fancy, such as the notorious “black page” that suddenly intrudes on the narrative—it's less an adaptation than a translation of Sterne's spirit into cinematic terms. The actors don't just play characters from the book but also versions of themselves making a film of it, and the slapdash “reality” of fashioning the “adaptation,” itself filled with sidetracks and non-sequiturs, becomes a reflection of Sterne's outlandishly digressive mode of writing, with the filmmakers becoming, in their personal oddities and self-absorbed obsessions, modern counterparts to the novel's characters. Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy is a bold and imaginative work that also happens to be delightfully droll—a grand, goofy entertainment in the true Sterne mold. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by costars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, 19 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, four scene extensions (17 min.), an extended interview with Coogan conducted by Tony Wilson (13 min.), three deleted scenes (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an outstanding film.] (F. Swietek)
Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story
HBO, 94 min., R, DVD: $27.99, July 11 Volume 21, Issue 2
Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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