As teenagers, Allie
(Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls) and
Noah (Ryan
Gosling, The United
States of Leland) begin a whirlwind courtship that soon blossoms into
tender intimacy. The young couple is
quickly
separated by Allie's upper class parents (Joan Allen plays her
mother) who insist that Noah
isn't right
for her. Several years pass, and, when they meet again, their
passion is
rekindled, forcing Allie to choose between her soul mate and
class order.
This beautiful tale has a particularly special meaning
to an older
gentleman (James Garner) who regularly reads the
timeless love story
to his aging
companion (Gena Rowlands).
CRITIQUE
I never thought I
would see The Notebook, let alone like it, but two weeks
into the film's theatrical release I went to see the film with my
mother while my brother and father checked out The Terminal,
which I'd already seen. The film's trailer had been playing in
theaters for a while and every time it would screen I just about
had seen it enough. It reveals certain plot elements and overall
gives away the entire film in bits and pieces in just two and a
half minutes. But as I sat and watched the film in the theater, I
was surprised to find myself very involved with the two main
characters and story.
The Notebook
is based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks (A Walk To Remember,
Message in a Bottle) and directed elegantly by Nick
Cassavetes (John Q). The script was adapted by Jan Sardi (Shine),
although I'm unsure what that means since the screenplay credit
lists Jeremy Leven (Don Juan DeMarco). In terms of story
and character development, the script is determined and focused,
balancing the two stories quite well, first introducing the James
Garner/Gena Rowlands story and then through flashbacks telling the
story of how Noah and Allie fell in love.
The story is largely
predictable but the narrative structure makes up for it. Also,
Cassavetes makes the story involving while the performances by
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams really pull in the viewer's
emotions. In fact, I believe if it were for any other actors there
would not be such intense and realistic chemistry as between these
two, not to mention McAdams is incredibly attractive. The
supporting cast here is also strong, including James Marsden, Sam
Shepard, Joan Allen, and Kevin Connolly. Furthermore, The
Notebook looks incredibly beautiful in its visual composition,
thanks in large part to terrific and meticulous production design,
locations, and costumes, as well as great cinematography by Robert
Fraisse (Ronin).
THE VIDEO
New Line Cinema presents
The Notebook in 2.35:1
anamorphic widescreen. Colors look vibrant, crisp and well
saturated. Sharpness and detail look great, definition is clear,
and there aren't any flaws in the presentation. Some grain
exists in dark scenes, but no noticeable scratches or dirt were
spotted. Overall a very fine presentation. Optional subtitles include English,
Spanish and French.
THE AUDIO
New Line Cinema presents
The Notebook
in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 6.1 EX. Dialogue is
very clear and easy to understand, as is the music and the sound effects.
Surround usage is evident in a few scenes but isn't
overwhelming. The presentation is free of noise and overall this
DVD offers a fine auditory experience.
THE EXTRAS
The Notebook
arrives on DVD in a dark blue Amaray case with an insert that
lists scene selections.
First are two
commentary tracks, one by director Nick Cassavetes, who
discusses various elements regarding the making of the film,
tells stories from the set, shares experiences, and overall
engages in a pretty good discussion, and the second by
novelist Nicholas Sparks, who discusses the changes made for
the film adaptation, shares some interesting stories, and gives
insight into the background of the book's setting, and more.
The next offering
is a collection of 12 deleted scenes that run about
twenty minutes in length with optional commentary by film editor
Alan Heim, who discusses the reasons for cutting the scenes
(there was a three-hour cut at one point) mostly for pacing
issues, and there is also some interesting discussion about the
censoring of some sex scenes.
The first of three
well produced featurettes (complete with narration and
anamorphic widescreen presentation) is All in the Family:
Nick Cassavetes (11:37) profiles the director through
interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Nicholas Sparks: A
Simple Story Well Told (6:36) informs about the writer's
background with his first novel and offers plenty of praise,
although that's as far as this author profile goes. Lastly,
Southern Exposure: Locating The Notebook (11:13) is
an interesting look at the film's many beautiful locations with
a bit of a history lesson but also reveals what went into
transforming a modern town to look like the 40s. The interviews
and footage are edited together nicely.
Also on hand is
Casting Rachel & Ryan (4:06), offering interviews with
Gosling, McAdams and Cassavetes while touching on the importance
of casting the right actors for the two lead characters; Gosling
was cast first and then the search for Allie began, with McAdams
testing late in the process and ultimately winning everybody
over - her screen test is included here.
Rounding out the
extras is the theatrical trailer, the Script-to-Screen
feature on DVD-ROM, and a photo gallery.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Notebook
tells an emotional and involving love story that is anchored by great
lead performances and very good direction. The DVD provides good
extras and video/audio quality, and therefore I'm highly recommending
it.
