Directed by: Danny Boyle
Written by: John Hodge
From the novel by:  Alex Garland
Starring:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen, Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle
 

April 8, 2000

         I’ll be the first one to bash Leonardo DiCaprio.  His performance in Titanic was dreadful, and he proved with Romeo and Juliet that he couldn’t spew out Shakespeare if his life depended on it.  But we must not forget the small roles he did before he was known worldwide.  Both What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The Basketball Diaries show that indeed DiCaprio can act.
         In DiCaprio’s latest film The Beach, he neither makes nor breaks the integrity of the film.  It’s rather the directing of Danny Boyle and adaptation by John Hodge that makes their fourth collaboration together a visual joyride.
         The basic storyline is paradise gone awry.  After a map is given to him, Richard (DiCaprio) sets off, with a couple French tourists he meets, to a paradise island.  Everything is perfect there, to the point of having an unlimited supply of marijuana.  Richard realizes how much he has grown accustomed to this lifestyle when he returns to Bangkok for supplies, and despises the culture he has returned to.  The paradise though comes at a cost.
         Farmers on the island forbid the dwellers to let anyone else come there.  This causes problems when the people need medical attention.  Further complications also arise, which eventually lead Richard to descend into darkness.  The question of what it takes to protect their lifestyle is brought ashore.
         From the shark story, to the editing of a video game sequence, Boyle’s creativity shown in Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary is shown here too.  Sure, comparisons to Apocalypse Now have been made to this film.  Although
it is shown in a theater in the beginning of the film, really only one scene is a direct rip-off.  If anything, the latter part of The Beach is a lot like Shallow Grave.  In Shallow Grave, Boyle’s second film, money made three roommates mad.  Here, it’s a so-called paradise that does it.
 

Alternative Recommendations:  Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, A Life Less Ordinary (all d: Boyle, w: Hodge)

-(Reviewed In Theaters) On Video & DVD-
 

August 8, 2000

        There are plenty of deleted scenes, including an alternate beginning and ending, on The Beach DVD.  There are about 9 total and you have the option of turning on director Danny Boyle's commentary while you watch them.  The problem is, he's not all that interesting.  For most of the scenes, he explains what purpose they serve, but most of them were cut due to time constraints.  There are a couple interesting ones, which I'm glad they were cut, and those are both the alternate beginning and ending, and one titled "Stomp."
        What's interesting about these features is how much time they spent on the background of the menu screens.  It's a montage of pictures from the film, and when you go back and forth through sections, you span across them.  This really serves no purpose, but it's cool to look at.
        The Storyboard Gallery is exactly what it says, the film story boarded.  I assume it's the entire film, but I only got through the opening scene; it's just drawings.  This would be very useful though to new directors.
        There's about 15-20 trailers on here that range from theater trailers, to over seas, to TV spots.  It gets repetitive to watch them all, but it is interesting, and a lesson in marketing, on how each one represents something different about the film.
        The Beach DVD is probably worth the money.  The film is good and it looks great in widescreen.  It also comes with a music video by All Saints, who I haven't heard of, and cast and crew information, which is fun to read and learn about the actors and filmmakers.  The only complaint I have is that I wish Danny Boyle's commentary was more interesting, I wish he had more personality.  It would have been fascinating if they would have done another commentary track with Alex Garland, the author of the novel, so he could compare the film to his book and talk about the changes.

Nominated for
1 Fidelio Film Award

Check out these other Fidelio Film Reviews:
Apocalypse Now Redux
Catch Me If You Can
Gangs of New York