Product Details

• Actors: Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Joel Grey, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbé
• Directors: Steven Soderbergh
• Writers: Lem Dobbs
• Producers: Barry Levinson, Harry Benn, Mark Johnson, Paul Rassam, Stuart Cornfeld
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: April 3, 2001
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302622948
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,045 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The sophomore effort by Steven Soderbergh (sex, lies, and videotape) is an audacious and stylistically impressive experiment in a completely different direction from his debut. Working from a script by Lem Dobbs, Soderbergh follows the miserable day-to-day existence of Franz Kafka (Jeremy Irons), an insurance clerk in a large, impersonal company. Hiding out in his garret at night, he writes material he assumes no one will ever read. But then he happens upon clues that make him believe there is some plot afoot to suppress thought and he follows the trail into a hidden sanctuary, at which point the film abruptly shifts from shadowy black and white to jarring color. It doesn't all work, but it is never less than intriguing, with a cast that includes Alec Guinness, Ian Holm, and Joel Grey. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars paranoia deluxe, April 19, 2001

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kafka [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you like weird movies, this one ranks up there with "Eraserhead", although it's much more...this is one of the most underrated films made, in my opinion. Filmed beautifully on location in Prague, and for the most part in truly magnificent black and white by cinematographer Walt Lloyd, and with a stellar cast of some of the best character actors around, it fascinates me more with each viewing.

It's my favorite Jeremy Irons vehicle...he's absolutely perfect for the part, with his gaunt nervousness, his synchronized facial twitches, and his ability to express deep gloom. Joel Grey is the boss from hell, Armin Mueller-Stahl is great as the police inspector, and other tasty bits of acting come from Theresa Russell, Jeroen Krabbe, Alec Guinness, and Ian Holm.

Another reason for seeing this film is in the hearing of it...the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez using a zither solo is exceptional. Moody, melodic, and unique, it greatly enhances the on screen action.

The story hardly has anything to do with Kafka's actual life, but is inspired from his stories, and has the atmosphere portrayed in them...fear, persecution, distrust of authority, the bewilderment of life itself, and that horrible little scabby laughing man !

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars where is the DVD??, February 21, 2004

By 

Jorge Carnaxide (mafra, lisboa Portugal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kafka (DVD)

'Kafka' is one of the best Sonderbergh films, and i don't really understand why it has been so underrated. This movies manages brilliantly to convey the menacing atmosphere that we sense in Franz Kafka's books, introduncing elements from 'The Trial' and 'The Castle', mostly, in an original fiction work; the actors are fabulous, the cinematographie is faultless, Jeremy Irons is perfect. A wonderful film, and i'm waiting for years for the DVD. Is there any information about the release date?

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soderbergh's Kafkanian Nightmare, December 28, 2001

By 

Alysson Oliveira "Alysson Oliveira" (Sao Paulo-- Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kafka [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Steven Soderbergh is such a very peculiar moviemaker that he does not follow any pattern. Each one of his films is one of a kind. And "Kafka" is not an exception. More than a cinebiography of the writer, the movie is a mix of many kafkanian situations, that adds up situations from some of his published work and events of his life.

Jeremy Irons plays the title character, who woks in a insurance company and writes during his spare time. He is a very lonely soul, and he has no family or friends at all, but he doesn't seem to care about it very much. But his life takes a spin when he finds himself in a conspiracy after the disapeareance of a work mate. In order to investigate it he gets more and more involved with a group of rebels.

The film is brillantly phographed in Black & White by Walt Lloyd, but be ready for a surprised in a key sequence. The screenplay smartly mixes up many excerpts from Kafka's writings and thigs thac actually happened to the late writer.It is hard to classify because most of the time it is thiller but it has some philosophical and sci-fi inserts.

As I said, the film alludes to many Kafka's works, but you do not need to have read or even know Kafka in order to enjoy and appreciate the picture. If you know him, you will have much more pleausure when watching the movie and you will get most of the references. If you don't know Kafka, you will probably get excited about him and you will look for reading some of his work and watching the film again afterwards.