Product Description

Now, the most requested episode of Inside the Actors Studio ever, the featuring Robin Williams, makes its DVD debut, its running time doubled with deleted scenes showing Williams at his most outrageous and insightful.

Bonus Features:

* All-new intro by James Lipton.

* 10 never-before-seen scenes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14554 in DVD
• Brand: Universal Studios
• Released on: 2008-09-16
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Amazon.com
"Are you thinking faster than the rest of us?" host James Lipton asks Robin Williams, who proceeds to improvise for four breakneck minutes with a pink shawl donated by an audience member. Williams brings it "on" throughout this exhilarating and exhausting 2001 interview (it's about five minutes before Lipton can even get in a question), the first two-hour episode in Inside the Actor's Studio's august history. In the "thrilling pandemonium" of this master class, the Oscar and Golden Globe award-winning actor and comedian not only crosses the line, but also hurtles himself off the cliff, and he takes his wildly appreciative audience with him. Lipton makes no attempts to reign in Williams, sticking to his signature blue cards that take Williams through his life and phenomenal career, while Williams heads into the ether with digressionary riffs, embodying a dizzying array of characters. Along the way, there are fun biographical bits (Williams was voted least most likely to succeed in high school) and nuggets of comedy wisdom (stand up comedy, he says, makes one fearless and tough as an actor). One wishes Williams dug a little deeper, especially in discussing his addiction battle (Lipton elicits no dramatic revelations or breakdown moments), but this essential episode is a tour de force that is a marvel to behold for any Williams fan or aspiring actor or comedian. A highlight of the disc are deleted interview segments from the five-hour taping, which reveal a more thoughtful side of Williams as he discusses lifting a paralyzed Christopher Reeve's spirits with a hospital room visit, the classic play Waiting for Godot, in which he costarred on Broadway opposite Steve Martin, and calling Steven Spielberg to give him much-needed comic relief during the filming of Schindler's List. As Lipton notes in his introduction, Williams here is unleashed, uncut, and uncensored. He is also, in accordance with broadcast standards, very heavily bleeped, especially when discussing his favorite profanity. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

99 Minutes? MUCH Better Than 50! Funnier, Too!
I had originally given this product a single star because the technical data showed a run time of only 50 minutes. However, it looks like Amazon goofed (thankfully, not me!), and it now shows double that time (well, almost!) which look like it gives the full two-hour interview showed on Bravo. Also, there are two hidden bonus tracks - "James Lipton: Flashbacks" and "Great Moments That Didn't Make The Cut". I'm hoping the latter shows the poor shmoe who laughed himself right into an ambulance (hernia, don'tchaknow). And no, it's not the fat lady in the front row - the hernia victim was male.

When you watch, feel deep pity for poor James Lipton. I mean, he's a serious guy, and he's pitted against the Fastest Comedy Brain in the West. He shows his frustration only once, to the delight of both Mr. Williams and the audience. Williams DOES occasionally give a straight answer (and not a straight line), otherwise you'd think he needs a straight jacket. When he's serious, you can still see the twinkle in his eye. When he's NOT serious (which is most of the time), you'll swear you can see smoke curling out of his ears as the gears in his head grind at warp speed.

The only way this could have five stars is if they showed all four hours of his antics, completely uncut. That said, I'm still pre-ordering it!

I've been waiting for this
I love the entire series but I think that this may be one of the crowning moments. There are a lot of great interviews but Robin Williams steals the show and really lets us know why he's one of the greatest comedic performers today. If you don't like to laugh don't watch this. I was laughing out loud the entire time since Robin Williams took the stage. If you don't like this episode it's a simple fact that you don't like Robin Williams' comedy. This is a must see for anyone that loves hilarious improv. I'm definitely getting this.

Amazing footage, needs to be 3 hours longer
This was an amazing interview, and the small amount of extras they showed were fantastic. However, they admit that they took 5 hours of Robin Williams, and condensed it into 2.5 hours for this dvd. I want my other 2.5-3 hours of Robin. Amazingly, they also cut out the part I remember seeing on tv, where Robin talks about his friendship with Christopher Reeve. This was very strange.

Overall, it was excellent, hence 4 out of 5 stars. If they come out with an extended version, buy that one instead.