One Hour Photo

 

Picture: B     Sound: B+     Extras: B+     Film: B+

 

Without a doubt One Hour Photo is one of 2002’s best films as well as the most underrated film in ages even with Robin Williams delivering his best dramatic screen performance.  One Hour Photo is in many ways similar to Martin Scorsese’s classic 1974 film Taxi Driver, which likewise went rather unnoticed except to the keen eyes of certain critics, which hailed it as an instant masterpiece and eventually would end up on AFI’s Top 100 List. 

 

Both Taxi Driver and One Hour Photo are about unusual men.  Two individuals who do not really fit into the world that they inhabit and must endure into a world that is slightly out of balance. They see the world slightly different.  Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver and the character of Cy in One Hour Photo share many qualities, which keep them from being normal.  Both characters were isolated and really only want one thing and that is to fit in.  They try to fit in, but the more they try the more they are disillusioned at the fact that they cannot fit into a world that is fake.

 

Cy takes pictures and what he sees are the moments of people’s lives that they want to remember.  The good times are what we take pictures of.  No one takes a picture of something that they want to forget.  Pictures are important.  They are what remind of us who we once were.  If a picture could say anything it would be that I was young once and someone cared enough about me to take my photo.  Cy understands and loves photos.  He cares about them as he does his loyal customers.   Nina Yorkin, his best customer, has been developing her photos with Cy since her child was born and now he is nine years old.  Cy knows just about everything about this family by the photos that are taken.  He is obsessed in a way about the photos that he takes, especially the Yorkin’s. 

 

It’s hard to say much about this film without really spoiling too much, but lets just say that Cy discovers some very interesting pictures that result in him finding every way to end the marriage of Mr. And Mrs. Yorkin.  When the film is over you might be conflicted on whether or not Cy is a bad man or a good man.  Is he just and fair?  Did he do what anyone would have done in that position?  Sometimes the line between hero and villain can be oddly blurred.  What makes Hitler different from Napoleon?  What is the different between a genius and a madman?  For Cy, it might only be the shutter speed of a camera.

 

Directed by Mark Romanek, who has shot some amazing videos for Madonna and David Bowie, this is Romanek’s best full-length film.  It was also a wise choice to shoot the film in Panavision with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.  Jeff Cronenweth who typically works with David Fincher as the case with Se7en, The Game, and Fight Club brings a very washed out, yet beautiful look to One Hour Photo.  Keeping in mind a very sterile look the film has its moments of darkness.  The important thing is that the film knows when to be light and when to be dark. 

 

Being a director who has worked on music videos Romanek put together this film with an excellent music score and soundtrack to truly capture the ‘haunting’ nature of the film.  The other important element in the film (even more important than usual since it’s a film about photography) is the lighting.  A lot of the scenes contain a very washed out look, which was similar to the look of the film K-PAX starring Kevin Spacey. 

 

Fox’s DVD of One Hour Photo is an all around exceptional release containing a very adequate transfer that captures the look and feel of the picture.  It is presented on the DVD in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer with good color balance and good detail.  The scenes within the Savmart store where Cy works are intentionally soft looking and that is not a problem with the disc.  The 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track is pleasing, but DTS 5.1 would have been the preferred way to go. 

 

There are quite a few supplements on the disc and unlike a lot of the DVD’s that flood the market they are surprisingly good.  Romanek provided audio commentary for the film that is very interesting as well as insightful.  There is a featurette that originally aired on the Sundance Channel entitled “Anatomy of a Scene”, and then there is a Charlie Rose Show interview with Romanek and Williams.  There is a short ‘making of’ as well, so with all these extras added up that certainly makes for a rather lengthy amount of bonus material.  The film already speaks volumes and sometimes extras tend to ruin or wear out the idea that the film had already captured, but these supplements hold their own without becoming harmful to the reputation of a very good film.

 

Its hard to say what people will say when the watch this film because so many will be expected the typical performance from Williams.  His portrayal of Cy is mesmerizing and surreal.  He is totally into that character, which is scary in its own right.  Williams broke out early in 2002 with another dramatic performance as a deranged man in the remake film Insomnia co-starring Al Pacino and directed by Memento director Christopher Nolan.  Both Insomnia and One Hour Photo show off the range of Williams, but One Hour Photo is miles above most of the films released in 2002 and with a superb DVD from Fox it makes this great film a great to own film.

 

 

-   Nate Goss