Customer Reviews

Being Human [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I think "Being Human" is one of the most underrated pictures of the last ten years. Robin Williams plays five different men through successively more modern time periods - the first segment being in prehistoric times, the second in ancient Rome, the third during the time of the Crusades, the fourth in the Renaissance, and the fifth in modern-day Manhattan. Each man is on a quest which relates to his family, as he first loses them and then, through the individual scenes, must find and develop relationships with them. Along the way, the human condition is analyzed in dramatic and funny ways, such as what are common threads among human existence - fresh food, good shoes, companionship, safety, honesty. Williams is joined by a stellar cast, including Hector Elizando, Lorraine Bracco, John Turturro, Vincent D'Onofrio, and several others. Bill Forsyth, the writer and director of "Local Hero," also made this film. One of my all-time favorite films.

Being Human is easily the most well crafted and intelligent film that I have ever seen as it truly does capture the unfathomable human experience.

Robin Williams transcends time as he is continuously "reborn" throughout the expanse of human history--beginning with an early European civilization and ending in what is the modern age. In each era, he depicts an average human being experiencing the trials of life particular to that time period. As a proto-neolithic, European man he witnesses the destruction of his way of life and the capture of his family by a marauding band from perhaps another clan or tribe. In this he experiences loss and pain, and likewise he drifts from life to life, immersed in the sorrows and joys of the human condition. From a slave to a shipwrecked noble, he spans time in order to bring us a vignette of humanity.

The movie is powerful and is one that leaves the viewer with that profound sense of depth that all universal, surreal movie experiences seem to convey. It is truly ashame that some critics claim that this movie was a good idea gone bad. I concur that most people more comfortable with exploding buildings and glittery special effects probably just didn't get this one.

"Being Human" is one of those movies you either hate or you love. For some it is slow and the historical vignettes uninteresting. I, personally, find the storytelling thread does an excellent job of interconnecting the five time periods covered (pre-history, ancient Rome, Middle Ages, Age of Discovery and modern America). Robin Williams is a good actor who brings depth to each man he plays Frankly I would have preferred more time in Ancient Rome and seeing the Middle Ages man return to his family but those aren't a slam on the movie. No, there are no heroic battles or monsters; this is the story of the average guy who is actually what most students in history course would love to learn more about.

This is an engaging and haunting film that lingers with you. Do not believe what the negative critics say about this film. Williams delivers a thoughtful and melancholy performance. The beautiful score by Michael Gibbs is the perfect accompaniment. See this film!

I found this to be an easy movie to watch and yet quite enlightening. I particularly enjoyed Robin Williams and his antics. He blendes his comic talents with a very interesting subject matter of past lives and what that might represent to a person living today. The movie runs a little slow at times, but there is depth of meaning in this simple story that can only be explored with a light hearted fun and spiritual overtones. Robin Williams is a master of our time in this unique way of comedy acting while telling a story.

I have found there are movies that are absolutely great but only if you see them when you are really bored. This movie could easily fall in to this category. Don't build an evening around it, but when you fall in to this movie, it can rock your world.

A fine, haunting film that has managed to slip through the cracks. Like most of Forsyth's films, it moves at it's own slow pace, carefully accumulating magical little moments of beauty and power, while steadfastly refusing to raise the volume and propagandize.

If you are looking for a typical Robin Williams film, like Dead Poets Society or Patch Adams or What Dreams May Come, look elsewhere. That is, if you are looking for an easy two-hours of feel-good banality spoon-fed to you, look elsewhere. If you want a quiet, off-beat film that might actually require you to think, go no further.

See also Forsyth's Local Hero, and his masterpiece, Housekeeping.

This delightful film is a thoughtful study of the incarnations in our lives which bring us to where we are right now. It is comprised of four past lessons and a current incarnation of the Robin William's character. In each of these we see strands which make up the fiber of the modern man. Insecurities, a lack of his sense of "place", inability to communicate emotions and a real talent for regret are the studies here. The story is sometimes choppy and muddied, but it is one of William's best performances.

I saw this on Cinemax a few years ago and loved it. Incredibly artistic, which I wasn't expecting, but was very delighted to find. I want this movie, but I no longer have a VCR! Put it on DVD!

What did he expect -- critics wanted another _Local Hero_ (or at least a _Comfort and Joy_), and instead he gave them a picture even more somber than _Housekeeping_. They couldn't dismiss with faint praise like "quirky", or find the words or courage to explain that they didn't understand it (guys, that's the point -- _nobody_ understands about being human....), so they just panned it.

I firmly believe this is Forsyth's best movie. And I really do believe it ruined his career. Somebody in the Hollywood food chain had this killed (it was pulled from theatrical release and didn't even come out on video for over a year), and the film system has taken out the loss on Forsyth ever since.

I was surprized to see this movie playing on HBO several years ago, as I had never heard of it before, and it seemed fairly recent. Nonetheless, I wasn't able to watch it until just recently.

I was at first drawn to the film through my interest in European history, although I did not know what to expect substance-wise. I find that the movie begins with a rough start. First, the narration. It was fine at the very beginning, but the style of the writing got a little bit annoying as the film progressed. It would have been nice to have the little introduction at the beginning, and then let the "story" tell itself.

To me, the first two-segments, though creative and interesting, seemed to be done rather unartfully. While the themes and ideas floating around in them were quite sound and poignant, the actual execution was very unrealistic, especially in the first segment. I know that historical accuracy (or believability, at any rate) is by no means the focus of this film, but it, for me, detracted from the overall experience. The second segment, in Ancient Rome, suffered from the same affliction as I found in the first, though to a lesser extent. I don't know if it was the script, the directing, or the acting, but I was not pleased with John Turturro's performance. It looked like the authors of the film wanted to portray a foolish, cowardly man, and they did accomplish this, but he came out looking like a cartoon character in many instances. One of the points of the movie is to sort of tie together all of human experience as being identical, and that to say that human experience has ultimately changed over the years is a mistake. However, the beginning of the movie is riddled with "chronistic" cliche and seems to fall short of the film's ultimate goal, though these scenes are interesting and enjoyable in the same strain as the rest of the movie.

The third through fifth segments were much more balanced, although the child performances at the end, which are always shaky, were not pulled off perfectly.

Except for what I have mentioned, this is a very excellent film that tries to pull together the human condition. This might sound ambitious to most ears, but I think that it was actually pulled off quite nicely. You really do see a broad range of events and happenings in different men's lives, but the authors very skillfully weave them together into one story. I think they are trying to suggest that we do the same, that is, visualize our own lives in a greater perspective.

This movie is honest and innocent: no big special effects, no trite storylines or fashionable comedy routines. That, and it gives a worthwhile message. Combine that with much better than average cinematography and decent, minimalist-esque music, and you have a movie very much worth seeing, despite its artistic imperfections.