Product Description

A u.S. Businessman and his daughter-in-law search chile for his left-wing journalist son. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 11/23/2004 Starring: Jack Lemmon John Shea Run time: 122 minutes Rating: Pg Director: Costa-gavras

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12088 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2004-11-23
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
The peril facing a lone American amid Third World political turmoil is elegantly communicated in this important film from Costa-Gavras (Z), adapted by the director and Donald Stewart from Thomas Hauser's nonfiction book. The key to its power onscreen stems from the decision not to center the action merely on the disappearance of Charles Horman (John Shea), but also on the search for him by his father Ed (Jack Lemmon)--and on Ed's discovery of a son he never knew. The Oscar-winning script flows freely between that search and Charles's earlier experiences in the unnamed country (in the true account, Chile). Providing a link between those two stories is Charles's wife Beth (Sissy Spacek), who follows her father-in-law around a country in chaos, teeming with reckless authority and disinterested American diplomats (epitomized by ace character actor David Clennon). The film, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and won the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, is certainly manipulative, but it works because of its finely detailed human elements. Usually emotionally extroverted, Lemmon gives one of his finest performances playing against that type--here, he's a controlled, intellectual man who learns more about his son, and his country, than he ever dreamed he would. --Doug Thomas

DVD features
Debuting on DVD on Universal Studio's budget Studio Selections line, this award-winning film deserves a better home-video fate. With no extras (not even a menu), the budget feel is certainly there, but the DVD does deliver a crisp widescreen presentation (along with 2.0 mono sound). Sometimes fancier--and more expensive--DVDs don't even deliver that much, so the complaining has to be kept to a minimum at this price. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

A Powerful Critique of U.S. Foreign Policy
Costa-Gavras' Missing was part of an exciting trend in early 1980s cinema that included films like The Year of Living Dangerously, Under Fire, The Killing Fields, and Salvador (Special Edition) - powerful, politically-charged exposes of injustices happening all over the world.

The first disc includes a theatrical trailer.

The second disc starts off with two video interviews with Costa-Gavras - one done just after Missing's U.S. premiere and one done for the 2006 French DVD. In the first interview, he addresses the controversy surrounding the film - the U.S. administration did not like the parallels to the situation in El Salvador at the time. The second interview features the director talking about the origins of the project.

Charles' wife, Joyce Horman (played by Sissy Spacek in the film) is interviewed and talks about the accuracy of Missing. She feels that it was lenient on the portrayal of the U.S. government. Joyce talks about how and why she and Charles were in Chile. She also offers her impressions of what it was like there at the time.

"Producing Missing" features producers Edward and Mildred Lewis and Sean Daniel, and writer Thomas Hauser, author of the film's source book, discussing the making of the film. The Lewis' talk about how Hauser's book motivated them to get the film made. Hauser talks about what drew him to the Charles' story. This is an excellent look at how the film came together by the people who worked on it.

"1982 Cannes Film Festival" features Costa-Gavras, Jack Lemmon, Ed and Joyce Horman with family friend Terry Simon are interviewed at the festival. Lemmon talks about what drew him to the film while the Hormans talk about their experiences and what they think of the film.

"Pursuing the Truth" is an interview with Peter Kornbluh, director of the National Security Archive's Chile Documentation Project. He talks about declassified documents pertaining to the U.S.' involvement in the execution of Charles. Kornbluh provides fascinating background to the political background of the film. He also examines how the film is very critical of U.S. involvement in Chile and they helped bring about a coup d'etat.

Finally, there is "In Honor of Missing," an excerpt from a 2002 event by the Charles Horman Truth Project to support efforts to bring General Augusto Pinochet and others to justice for human rights violations. Actor Gabriel Byrne hosts the ceremony and talks about how the film changed him. Costa-Gavras and some of the stars from the film also speak.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY
Missing
The true, unsolved story of the disappearance of US journalist Charles Horman in Chile, gives Jack Lemmon the best role in his career. Lemmon plays Ed Horman whose son Charlie, was a somewhat radical writer living in Chile with his wife, Joyse, at the time of the 1973 coup when President Allende was butchered and his struggling government overthrown.
Young Horman was suspicious about the number of top-ranking American Military Officials staying in Chile at the time and could only assume the worst. Not long afterward Horman vanished, apparently another man who knew too much. This was COSTA GRAVAS FIRST AMERICAN MOVIE.

Brilliantly Acted
The first 2 reviews are excellent; so with regards to content and details I have nothing to add. So I thought I'd take a different approach. With regards to the performances in this film, they are simply stunning - this made for a powerful piece of cinema...

In this day of CGI-made films, focus groups choosing endings, studios picking people for roles based on revenue, movies with parts II, III, IV, etc, this is a throwback to real cinema. Similarly, No Country for Old Men qualifies as a modern day masterpiece - when the acting is brilliant, and there's a good story we have a recipe for a fantastic film.

Sadly this film is not just fiction: it is about a topic which is all too real. A sad comment on repressive regimes and the complexities and dangers of supporting regimes for political reasons. More than that, the personal story illustrates it more powerfully perhaps that a documentary ever could. And I am a huge fan of documentaries.

This review is not a detailed one, it is mostly my personal experience and thoughts on how this film affected me - it has no info with respect to the Criterion release - it is an appeal in support of one of my favorite films of all time.

My only quibble would be that Criterion has already announced pre-releases for their first Bluray discs in November - my impatient nature wants a Bluray release (especially because I like this film so much) but then again a fine piece of cinema like this would not NEED the added visual appeal to enhance the power of the film. I just want it anyway...because I want the experience of this film to be at it's possible best.