Abre los Ojos

Director: Alejandro Amenabar Alejandro Amenabar

Overview

"Artisan Entertainment's release of Alejandro Amenabar's surreal thriller Abre Los Ojos offers a passable presentation of this masterful psychological thriller, even if it does fall slightly short in terms of extras and a more insightful view into a film that certainly invites the closer inspection that the DVD format offers. Presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio (and enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions), the image is sharp and detailed, offering solid blacks, realistic skin tones, and no notable edge enhancement or artifacting. The rich greens of the park sequences, the darker images of Cesar's increasingly disturbing voyage, and the beautifully filmed dream sequences all shine on this format, offering a rich visual presentation that serves to draw the viewer into the increasingly bizarre story. Large, white subtitles are translated well, not overly intrusive, and easy to read with bold outlines. The audio presentation, unfortunately, leaves a little more to be desired in terms of effectiveness and creativity. The low and undistinguished Dolby Surround mix only makes one wonder what could have been accomplished with a more involving Dolby Digital or DTS audio scheme. With voices, music, and sound effects not fully utilizing directional effects and the full capabilities of the format, viewers are not as drawn into Cesar's disturbing experience as they may be if more attention had been focused on creating a more involving audio mix. Also sadly lacking is a director's audio commentary track. Amenabar has crafted a complex story of reality versus fantasy with many twists that also deals with many sensitive subjects such as personal perception and loss of identity. It's a shame that viewers are not offered the insight that would no doubt lay the grounds for a fascinating peek inside the director's motivations in regards to story and presentation. Production notes and a brief insert only serve to whet ones appetite for such insight, and though they are well presented, they only provide an exclamation to the disc's few shortcomings. The menu screen is a beautiful and easily navigable combination of the film's more seductive imagery and offers easy access to the disc's all-too-few special features. Though Artisan's disc's shortcomings are sometimes frustrating in light of what could have been, Abre Los Ojos was, at the time of the DVD's release, only a small foreign release by a relatively unknown talent. With the director gaining prominence and Hollywood momentum with The Others, and a big-budget remake starring Tom Cruise hitting theaters in late 2001, maybe Abre Los Ojos will get a more suitable DVD presentation somewhere down the road."

Product Details

Release Date:	08/21/2001
UPC:	0012236121596
Original Release:	1997
Rating:	R
Source:	Lions Gate
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:57:00

Special Features

16:9 widescreen version; Spanish Dolby 2.0 Surround; English subtitles; Cast and crew information; Production notes; Digitally mastered; Scene access; Interactive menus

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Eduardo Noriega	Cesar
Penélope Cruz	Sofia
Chete Lera	Antonio
Fele Martínez	Pelayo,Actor
Najwa Nimri	Nuria
Gérard Barray	Man on TV
Jorge de Juan	Actor
Miguel Palenzuela	Actor
Fele Martinez	Actor
Alejandro Amenábar	Composer
Mariano Marín	Composer

Technical Credits

Mateo Gil

Alejandro Amenábar

Alejandro Amenabar	Director
Mateo Gil	Screenwriter
Alejandro Amenábar	Screenwriter
Fernando Bovaira	Executive Producer
Jose Luis Cuerda	Executive Producer,Producer
Goldstein & Steinberg	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Open Your Eyes opened doors in Hollywood for its Spanish director, Alejandro Amenabar. Amenabar and screenwriter Mateo Gil created an odd and compelling film that is by turns unsettling and somewhat silly. The film is at its strongest when dramatizing how the narcissistic womanizer Cesar (Eduardo Noriega, who also starred in Amenabar's first film, Thesis) deals with his disfigurement. His obsession with his appearance is so severe that he even stops to look in the mirror while fleeing the scene of a brutal murder. Certainly, the makeup job makes the once handsome Cesar look somewhat monstrous, but no one is nearly as repulsed by his looks as he is. The audience is in a position to recognize that Cesar's hideous disfigurement is an accurate reflection of the ugliness inside of him, having seen the way he's treated his best friend, Pelayo (Fele Martinez), and his erstwhile girlfriend, Nuria (Najwa Nimri of Before Night Falls). The interchangeableness of Nuria and Sofia (Penelope Cruz) in his "dream" life (if it is a dream) suggests a clear analogy for Cesar's archaic view of women, and further intimates that Cesar is subconsciously aware of, and repulsed by, his inner self. It's clear that even if he is whole physically, that ugliness will find a way to manifest itself. The film works brilliantly on this metaphorical level, but its science fiction underpinnings are not quite convincing. The ending is entertaining in a roundabout way, but its fancifulness dampens some of the movie's intriguing power. The film was not widely distributed in the U.S., but it got the attention of actor Tom Cruise, who in turn showed it to writer/director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous), and the two collaborated on a Hollywood remake, Vanilla Sky. Cruise also produced Amenabar's first Hollywood production, The Others.