Former musician Jonathan Parker makes his feature film directorial debut with a modern retelling of the Herman Melville classic, BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER. The off-kilter comedy follows the boss of a public records company (played by David Paymer), whose life slowly begins to unravel when he hires a new employee. The quiet and reserved clerk, Bartleby (Crispin Glover), is at first a welcome addition to the office, especially when compared to the distracting presences of sultry secretary Vivian (Glenne Headly), macho Rocky (Joe Piscopo), and whiny Ernie (Maury Chaykin). But when the boss's requests for Bartleby to perform any tasks other than filing, his enigmatic replies of, "I would prefer not to," begin to test everyone's patience. The situation becomes more troubling when the boss learns that Bartleby has, in fact, begun to sleep in the office. Fed up with his inability to perform the simplest of tasks, he fires Bartleby, who remains in the office nonetheless. Finally, the boss moves locations in order to break free from the mysterious void of a man, who has formed a strange attachment to the building. This doesn't provide a refuge from Bartleby's presence, however, which continues to haunt him at every waking moment. A colorful and quirky tale, BARTLEBY features another bizarre performance from the always-eccentric Glover.
Theatrical release: May 24, 2002 (NY)
This film screened as part of the 2001 New Directors/New Films series organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.
DVD Features:
Region 0
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Jonathan Parker - Director
Featurette - 1. About the Theremin
Trailers
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Filmographies
Director of Photography
Wah Ho Chan: Director of Photography, BARTLEBY (2000)
Music
Seth Asarnow: Film Composer, BARTLEBY (2000)
Story
Herman Melville: Famous Novelist - "Moby Dick", "Billy Budd", etc...
Music
Jonathan Parker: Director, BARTLEBY (2000)
Review 1:
"...Mr. Parker has brilliantly updated his source and grasped its essence....Mr. Parker has done his job beautifully, using the literature of the past to make the present look as strange as it really is..."
Source: New York Times
p.E24 05/24/2002
Review 2:
""...It has the right cast and the right look....The sharp-featured, angular Glover is a master at expressing disconcerting weirdness in an amusing manner..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C15 05/31/2002
Review 3:
"...Human quirk Crispin Glover is cannily cast as Bartleby..."
Source: Box Office
p.63 08/01/2002
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