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The Player (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Tim Robbins (Actor), Greta Scacchi (Actor), Robert Altman (Director) Rated:
R
Format: Blu-ray
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 688 ratings
IMDb7.5/10.0
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Genre Drama, Comedy
Format Blu-ray
Contributor Whoopi Goldberg, Fred Ward, Dean Stockwell, Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Peter Gallagher, Robert Altman See more
Language English
Runtime 2 hours and 4 minutes
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Product Description

A Hollywood studio executive with a shaky moral compass (The Shawshank Redemption s Tim Robbins) finds himself caught up in a criminal situation that would fit right into one of his movie projects, in this biting industry satire from Robert Altman (Short Cuts). Mixing elements of film noir with sly insider comedy, The Player, based on a novel by Michael Tolkin, functions as both a nifty stylish murder story and a commentary on its own making, and it is stocked with a heroic supporting cast (Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg, Greta Scacchi, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward) and a lineup of star cameos that make for an astonishing Hollywood who s who. This complexly woven grand entertainment (which kicks off with one of American cinema s most audacious and acclaimed opening shots) was the film that marked Altman s triumphant commercial comeback in the early 1990s.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 
- New 4K digital restoration, with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround soundtrack
- Audio commentary from 1992 featuring director Robert Altman, writer Michael Tolkin, and cinematographer Jean Lépine
- Interview with Altman from 1992
- New interviews with Tolkin and production designer Stephen Altman
- Cannes Film Festival press conference from 1992 with cast and crew
- The Player at LACMA, a short documentary about the shooting of the film s fund-raiser scene
- Map to the Stars, a gallery dedicated to the cameo appearances in the film
- Deleted scenes and outtakes
- The film s opening shot, with alternate commentaries by Altman, Lépine, and Tolkin
- Trailers
- More
- PLUS: An essay by author Sam Wasson

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Audio Description: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 2621
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Robert Altman
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 4 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ May 24, 2016
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Criterion Collection
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01BUX7YJU
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 688 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
688 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Only-A-Child
5.0 out of 5 stars For Viewers Who Like to Be Challenged
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2006
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"The Player" could be considered Altman's "Big Lebowski" in that it withholds much of its pleasure from the first viewing and then begins to grow on you after you have seen it a couple times. This is because it is basically a huge inside joke on mainstream Hollywood film-making, with too many obscure references for a Hollywood outsider to effectively process the first time around.

Also like "The Big Lebowski, the satire and sardonic wit is packaged around what appears to be a crime drama, with the straight drama itself engaging enough to entertain most viewers the first time around.

Tim Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a high level studio executive whose job is listening to the countless pitches that come his way from aspiring writers wanting to get their screen play into production. The studio only produces a dozen features a year so Griffin mostly hands out rejections. He has made at least one major enemy during the process, an unknown writer who begins sending him threatening postcards.

Griffin thinks he has a line on the identity of his enemy, an unpublished writer named David Kahane (Vincent D'Onofrio-Private Pyle in "Full Metal Jacket) who lives in the valley with his artist girlfriend (Greta Scacchi). But their confrontation goes bad and Griffin accidentally kills him. Things get worse for Griffin; he becomes the main suspect for the murder, he gets a post-murder postcard revealing that he murdered the wrong guy, and he is in danger of being replaced by a newly hired hotshot Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher).

"The Player" is most famous for an eight-minute tracking shot at the very beginning of the film, self-reflexively compared to Hitchcock's "Rope" and to Welles' "Touch of Evil"; and full of Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue. Also notable are the 50 or so actors who make cameo appearances throughout the feature; most just play themselves (it is after all set in Hollywood) and it is entertaining just trying to identify everyone.

The DVD has a commentary by Altman and writer Michael Tolkin. Unfortunately Altman's film-making style does not lend itself to organized reflection so he mostly just rambles on about everything but the film; and Tolkin has major issues with the whole Hollywood scene so his commentary is just a continuous rant and whine about the system.

It is important to remember that Altman is essentially a Hollywood black sheep who has been at war with Hollywood his whole career. The Hollywood establishment is uncomfortable with him because he won't make their standard pre-sold product and yet he manages to crank out enough commercial successes on his own terms to keep them off balance.

"The Player" is kind of his revenge picture, he knew that its production would cause a wave of paranoia to sweep the industry and he made paranoia the defining characteristic of the film. He views Hollywood as a marketing machine that both drives and is driven by the lowest common denominator of audience demographics.

During the opening tracking shot look for Griffin's meeting with Buck Henry, who pitches a sequel to "The Graduate" (Elaine and Benjamin have a daughter and he suggests "The Postgraduate" for the sequel's title). Henry improvised this pitch which is funnier with each viewing, and appropriately also had a cameo in "The Graduate".

These film allusions are everywhere as Hollywood's past seems to be passing judgment on its pathetic present. Watch for the bungled meeting at the hotel, the scene ends with the camera centered on a picture of Hitchcock on the hotel wall-a shot of about the same duration as a typical Hitchcock cameo (in his own films).

For sheer comedy watch for Griffin's visit to police headquarters where the Pasadena detective (Whoopi Goldberg), interviews him in the busy squad room. Another detective (Lyle Lovett) is a movie buff who keeps chanting "One of us! One of us!" from "Freaks".

Griffin plots to derail the threat inside the studio by setting up Levy with a script pitched by self-styled auteur Tom Oakley (Richard E. Grant). It's a Susan Hayward vehicle with the heroine going to the gas chamber because "it's reality, and that's what happens." Oakley wants real which means no stars and a non-Hollywood ending. Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis are mentioned as exactly type of casting Oakley does not want; which foreshadows his pending commercial corruption and artistic compromise.

This is a film that is meant to be watched closely (the beginning tracking shot is Altman's way of getting our attention and warning us that we will need to pay attention). Audience involvement is very important to him and he is counting on a motivated audience who brings considerable prior knowledge to the viewing.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
18 people found this helpful
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Emily
5.0 out of 5 stars If you're not a Hollywood insider, watch it twice - first ignorant, then after reading analysis
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2021
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I have absolutely nothing to do with Hollywood. Not connected to the industry at all. But I do understand self-indulgence .... boy, this movie was made by Hollywood for everyone who knows Hollywood.
I really like Tim Robbins, but didn't fully appreciate this movie first time I watched it. Sure, there's a lot of meta-meta stuff in it that you'll get just for being somewhat intelligent, but you won't appreciate all of it.

Then, after I watched it, I read some of the analysis that helped me get some of the "in-jokes" - and then went to watch parts of it again.
It's much more fun when you get the in jokes.

Look, lots of cultures have their in-culture stuff. I know tech, so I probably appreciated stuff like 'the social network" more than people who don't know tech. It's ok to not be in on every culture and subculture out there.

My main point is that I first watched this movie because I like Tim Robbins and hadn't see this. Then I read up on some of the history and in-stuff and satire involved. And then I went back and watched parts of it again (or at least replayed parts of it in my head to see them from a different angle) and it was so much more fun. I recommend you do it in that same order. There's a joy in being able to see things that were invisible to you the first time you looked.
5 people found this helpful
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Delta D.
4.0 out of 5 stars 5* film held back by a 2* element
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2020
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The ultimate in Hollywood self-indulgence. There are other Hollywood movies about Hollywood movie-making - Sunset Boulevard, Inside Daisy Clover and The Oscar spring immediately to mind - but this indulges itself so much more than those.

Almost everything is 5*. The opening scene is an uncut 8 minute synopsis of the chaos of a movie studio, which makes specific reference to lengthy uncut scenes from other movies. The plot development, including the pitch and final production of a meta-movie, is first rate. The meta-movie writers insist on no stars and a tragic ending. When produced the meta-movie has Bruce Willis saving Julia Roberts's life at the very last second.

The plot in the The Player plays out similarly.

Vast numbers of A-list Hollywood stars make cameo appearances.

The only factor holding me back from a 5* rating is the relationship between Tim Robbins and Greta Scacchi. Right from the first encounter, when she reveals extraordinary information over the telephone to a complete stranger through the romantic development, it lacks all credibility. The Panglossian conclusion is conspicuously ironic, but it would have sat so much better if the relationship development in the early stages had been more credible.
2 people found this helpful
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David Rubenstein
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant movie
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
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One of the most engaging films in years.
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Learned user
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films about the movie industry. Some of the content seemed cut.
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2023
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This is a suspense film. The actors are gorgeous because they are playing people in the industry that they know. Everyone is stunning. I've watched the film several times. This was my most recent viewing and unlike the other viewings, I know another huge element to the film and that one of the characters had a hidden past. All of Altmans films are amazing weavings of human stories one into another, without sharp cut aways -except for "Short Cuts". Most of the actors in this film have aged, but it's wonderful to see them when they were fresh and young and pretty or pretty/handsome. It is one of the best of modern film noir though in full color there is.
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Ray
5.0 out of 5 stars Der Hollywoodproduzent...
Reviewed in Germany on May 1, 2024
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"The Player" von Robert Altman ist ein Verwandter von "Stadt der Illusionen" (Vincente Minelly), "Maps of the Stars" (David Cronenberg), "Hollywood Story" (Robert Aldrich), "Boulevard der Dämmerung" (Billy Wilder), "Babylon" (Damien Chazalle), "Tag der Heuschrecke" (John Schlesinger). "Barton Fink" (Coen Brothers) oder "Du sollst mein Glückstern sein" (Stanley Donen), um nur einige zu nennen. Meistens tanzen die Protagonisten aber nicht vergnügt und verliebt im Regen, eher entsteht dabei eine bittere Abrechnung über die Traumfabrik. So auch in Robert Altmans 1992 entstandener Bestandsaufnahme. Der Regisseur handhabt dabei sattsam bekannte Hollywood Rezepturen und entlarvt sie gleichzeitig in einer turbulenten und treffsicheren Satire. In einem Interview meinte Altman "Sobald es um Hollywood geht sind Übertreibungen kaum noch möglich". So muss man denken, dass "The Player" eher noch subtil das gesamte Irrenhaus der Traumfabrik beschreibt. Hollywood steht hier auch als Metapher für die allgemeine Gier, die immer mehr den Menschen beherrscht. Eine brilliante dunkle Komödie über einen phantasielosen Karrieristen - Tim Robbins spielt diesen Hollywood Producer.

Er ist der Mann, der sich Drehbuchentwürfe von Autoren anhört und darüber entscheidet, ob daraus ein Film entstehen soll oder nicht. Da der Konzern nur zwölf Filme im Jahr drehen kann und er sich in dieser Zeit tausende Entwürfe anhören muss, bedeutet dies in den meisten Fällen eine Absage. Schon aufgrund dessen, aber auch wegen seiner arroganten Art, wie er die Autoren behandelt, macht er sich zwangsläufig Feinde.
Sein Job ist bedroht, als der aufstrebende Drehbuchautor Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher) im Studio zu arbeiten beginnt. Mill hat außerdem Postkarten mit Morddrohungen erhalten, die vermutlich von einem Drehbuchautor stammten, dessen Angebot er abgelehnt hatte. Mill vermutet, dass der verärgerte Schriftsteller David Kahane (Vincent D'Onofrio) dahintersteckt. Er versucht ihn zu kontaktieren und telefoniert mit dessen Freundin June Gudmundsdottir (Greta Scacchi), die ihm erzählt, dass Kahane im Rialto Theater in Pasadena den Klassiker „"Fahrraddiebe“ anschaut. Mill gibt vor, Kahane in der Lobby zu erkennen und bietet ihm einen Drehbuchvertrag an, in der Hoffnung, dass dadurch die Drohungen gestoppt werden. Die beiden gehen in eine nahegelegene Bar, wo Kahane betrunken ist und Mills Angebot ablehnt, indem er ihn einen Lügner nennt und ihn weiterhin über seinen nicht mehr so ganz sicheren Arbeitsplatz im Studio aufhetzt. Auf dem Parkplatz der Bar kommt es zu einem Streit zwischen den beiden Männern. Mill geht zu weit und ertränkt Kahane in einem flachen Wasserbecken. Anschließend inszeniert Mill das Verbrechen, um es wie einen verpatzten Raubüberfall aussehen zu lassen. Als Mill am nächsten Tag zu spät zu einem Treffen kommt und abgelenkt ist, stellt ihn der Sicherheitschef des Studios, Walter Stückel (Fred Ward), wegen des Mordes zur Rede und sagt, dass die Polizei weiß, dass er der letzte war, der Kahane lebend gesehen hat. Am Ende ihres Gesprächs erhält Mill ein Fax von seinem Stalker. Mill hat also den falschen Mann getötet, und der Stalker weiß das offenbar. Mill nimmt an Kahanes Beerdigung teil und kommt mit Gudmundsdottir ins Gespräch. Die Detectives Avery (Whoopi Goldberg) und DeLongpre (Lyle Lovett) vermuten, dass Mill des Mordes schuldig ist. Mill erhält vom Stalker eine Postkarte mit dem Vorschlag, dass sie sich in einer Hotelbar treffen sollen. Während Mill wartet, wird er von zwei Drehbuchautoren, Tom Oakley (Richard E. Grant) und Andy Sivella (Dean Stockwell), in die Enge getrieben, die "Habeas Corpus" vorstellen, ein juristisches Drama ohne große Stars und mit einem deprimierenden Ende. Da Mill nicht allein ist, erscheint sein Stalker nicht. Nachdem er die Bar verlassen hat, erhält Mill in seinem Auto ein Fax, in dem er aufgefordert wird, unter seinen Regenmantel zu schauen. Er entdeckt eine lebende Klapperschlange in einer Kiste und schlägt sie voller Angst mit seinem Regenschirm nieder. Mill erzählt Gudmundsdottir, dass ihm durch seine Nahtoderfahrung bewusst geworden sei, dass er Gefühle für sie hege. Mill ist besorgt darüber, dass Levy sich weiterhin in seine Arbeit einmischt, und lädt die beiden Autoren ein, ihm Habeas Corpus vorzustellen. Damit überzeugt er Levy davon, dass der Film ein Oscar-Anwärter sein wird. Mills Plan besteht darin, Levy den Film durch die Produktion leiten zu lassen und ihn zum Flop zu bringen. Mill wird im letzten Moment eingreifen und einige Änderungen vorschlagen, um die Kinokassen des Films zu retten und ihm seine Position im Studio zurückzugewinnen...

"The Player" ist einer dieser Filme, in dem der Schurke ungeschoren davon kommt und sogar weiter auf der Erfolgsleiter hoch klettern darf. Natürlich muss es ein Opfer geben, in diesem Falle ist es Bonnie Sherow, gespielt von Cynthia Stevenson, die als einzige empört ist, was aus dem guten Skript "Habeas Corpus" vom Studio gemacht wurde. Wie so oft sind sehr viele Cameo Auftritte dabei, viele Stars spielen sich selbst. Als Lohn für das geglückte Werk bekam Tim Robbins einen Golden Globe und auch der Film selbst wurde mit diesem Preis honoriert. Ausserdem gab es 3 Oscarnominierungen (Beste Regie, Bestes Drehbuch, bester Schnitt) für diesen Film, der 29 Millionen Dollar Umsatz erreichte.
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guy v.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood un univers impitoyable et sans profondeur
Reviewed in France on June 26, 2017
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The Player est un des grands films de Robert Altman. Le titre du film est déjà par lui-même une interrogation. En effet en anglais player désigne tout aussi bien un acteur qu'un joueur. Ce titre équivoque annonce le piège dans lequel le spectateur va tomber. Et en effet il s'y précipite aidé en cela par une réalisation au cordeau, un scénario astucieux et parfaitement construit signé Michael Tolkin d'après son roman éponyme et la remarquable interprétation de Tim Robbins, lequel reçu le prix d'interprétation masculine à Cannes en 1992, récompense largement méritée. A aucun moment on ne parvient à savoir s'il est une victime ou un bourreau.
Robert Altman analyse ses personnages au scalpel avec une dramaturgie semblable à celle d'Hitchcock ou de Welles. Son film est une mise en abime intelligente, cynique, impitoyable et passionnante du monde d'Hollywood où l'ambition personnelle et la rentabilité priment sur la qualité des œuvres. Peu importe que le scénario d'un film soit totalement invraisemblable à partir du moment où le public va y retrouver les ingrédients qu'il préfère à savoir de la violence, du sexe et un happy-end.
Le personnage interprété par Tim Robbins peut aussi bien passer pour un génie que pour un monstre dénué de tout scrupule et de profondeur.
C'est un ambitieux prêt à tout pour conserver sa place quand bien même il devrait pour cela écraser les personnes qu'il donne l'illusion d'aimer.
Le seul rayon de lumière est incarné par la belle et talentueuse Greta Scacchi, laquelle est en dehors du système hollywoodien.
La fin du film est à l'image de la réalisation de Robert Altman à savoir grandiose.
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riccardo chelli
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastico
Reviewed in Italy on May 3, 2018
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Qualità dell'immagina altissima, idem per l'audio che però è in inglese o tedesco (sottotitoli solo in tedesco) il film lo conoscevo bene ma grazie al 16:9 ho scoperto particolari che col 2:35 del dvd non coglievo. Tim Robbins straordinario come sempre, un'affascinante Greta Scacchi e una sfilza di cameo che, assieme alla struttura a matrioska della diegesi, rende il film una chicca imperdibile per gli amanti della settima arte. Consegna del pacchetto puntuale come sempre e imballaggio perfetto.
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James Chambers
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent film transfer and extras with Tim Robbins
Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2016
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Excellent film transfer and extras with Tim Robbins. I loved this movie when it came out - the opening tracking shot, the fantastic ending, the superficial and insecure characters always worried about their jobs or getting their next role, the dialogue and cameos of Hollywood stars and celebrities. I had forgotten some of the film, but seeing it again, I very much enjoyed it and recommend it.
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Elleppi
5.0 out of 5 stars A genius film that is far more complex and richer than it looks
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2015
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Although being one of the best and most acclaimed films by Altman, the Players is still a partially misunderstood and underrated film (as some of the masterpieces of such a complex and unusual director). Presented on a pretty good blu ray (where the main feature is good sound quality, which has always been the real added and distinctive value of his cinema) the Players is not just a film with a story and a plot, but a real cinematographic experience. Not in the Avatar way (a sensorial/mind trip in a totally different world) but because everything in this film is manipulated, is brilliantly adopted and used to play with the viewer, from the amazing opening one-shot sequence that talks about one-shots sequence in the movies, to the presence of posters and advertising in the scenes that seem to talk to te viewer, from the manipulation of genre and cliche to talk about hollywood cliche, from the unsettling use of audio during conversations and the bizarre behaviour of some characters that seem to act, everything in this film is cinema about cinema, but Altman does not mean just to talk about Hollywood, but about American way-of-life in general, that has become as cliche as its films. It is a cynical and mockering film, where you do not know to what extent you can trust what you see and sympathize with characters, because they do not look like real people. The Players is truly a film way ahead of mainstream way of film viewing, although it feeds itself of that kind of world, while it is criticizing it. A genius film
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