In April, HBO Home Entertainment will bring Cinema Verite to Blu-ray. Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption), Diane Lane (Unfaithful), and James Gandolfini (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) star in this telefilm about what happened behind-the-scenes of America's first reality television program, An American Family.
From HBO's official synopsis:
"Believing that the lives of an everyday family would be relatable to Americans in a way that existing TV shows were not, filmmakers set out to chronicle the life of the Louds, a seemingly "perfect family." Once filming began though, the strain in the Loud's marriage, the ups and downs of raising five children, as well as the criticism Pat Loud received for asking for a divorce and openly supporting her gay son, came sharply into focus. A complete departure from television shows of the time, An American Family gripped the nation, making the Louds a television sensation while leaving them unprepared for the consequences."
HBO's Blu-ray presents the film in its 1.78:1 broadcast aspect ratio. Further technical specifications are still unknown, though the disc will have the following supplements:
The Making of Cinema Verite behind-the-scenes featurette
Audio commentary from directors Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini and star Diane Lane
Cinema Verite is expected to street on April 24th.
Remarkable film about American viewers' fascination with reality television -- and, more importantly, such programs' producers and networks obsession with ratings and the lengths they will go to lure audiences by making a show as sensational as possible. Worth watching at least once. The three lead actors all turn in strong performances here.
(Actually, this would make a compelling double-feature with the film Network.)
