The Comedy That
Proves People
Are Still
The Funniest
Animals!
Reunitedfor theonly time after their triumphin Mel Brooks' The Producers, Gene
Wilder and
Zero Mostel catapult their shared geniusfor elegant slapstick, wit andsly satiretoa level of fearless absurdity that virtually
no other comedy team would dare approach. Director Tom O'Horgan, originator of
the
Broadway smash hit Hair, transforms playwright
Eugene Ionesco's Theatre of theAbsurd curio Rhinoceros intoa fluid, character-rich comedy that The
Hollywood Reporter dubbed, "an excellent film."
In the
face ofa modern urban life devoid of anything but
an uninterrupted parade of dehumanizing compromise anddisappointment, Stanley (Wilder) tenuously
guards his fragile individualityin between gulps of booze. The only solace
he enjoys is
commiseration with his self-consciously sophisticated
neighbor John (Mostel), andhis unspoken adoration ofa warmly sympathetic co-worker Daisy (70s
cult object Karen Black). But asa surreal comic apocalypse beginsto transform, one byone, everyone intoa rhinoceros, thenon-conformism that seemed like Stanley's
downfall may be his only salvation.
Re-creating the
role he originated onstage, Mostel delivers themost jaw-droppingly bravura performance of
his career, playing off both Wilder's andhis own incredulous terroras thefussy, prissy John metamorphoses (entirely
without make-up or camera tricks) intoa bellowing rhinoceros. Mostel, Wilder andBlack's generous characterizations andpitch-perfect comic timing streamline
Rhinoceros' convulsive outrageousness into an ardent valentineto both knockabout screen comedy andlonesco's experimental andtimely satire.
Format:
Widescreen (1.85:1) (Enhanced for 16x9)
Special Features:
An Interview With Director Tom O'Horgan, Theatrical
Trailer, Eugene Ionesco and Rhinoceros,
The AFT Cinebill For Rhinoceros, Still Gallery,
An Interview With Edie Landau, Ely Landau: In
Front of the Camera, The American Film Theatre Trailer
Gallery, Interactive Menus, Scene Selections
Languages: English (Dolby
Digital Stereo)
Subtitles: English
Sides: 1
Layers: Dual
Running Time: 104 minutes
Rated: Not
Rated
Company: Kino
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