Product Details

• Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, Robert Carlyle, Tilda Swinton
• Directors: Danny Boyle
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: January 3, 2005
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (261 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CWM3
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,176 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Beach" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Leonardo DiCaprio is electrifying (David Sheehan, CBS-TV) in this adrenaline-drenched, tantalizingly seductive thriller from the director of Trainspotting. Richard (DiCaprio), a young American backpacker, is willing to risk his life for just one thing

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good movie to discover July 19, 2000

By Ackermans

Format:DVD

I've read Garland's novel and I must say that it's a difficult exercise to adapt this novel for the screen. But in general, I think that the adaptation Boyle and his team made was rather good. The movie reviewers have tried to kill this film, I don't know why... Maybe because they didn't really understand it.... Cause The Beach goes in many directions, it's a movie on which it's not easy to stick a label... It's not an adventure movie, nor an action movie... neither a love story, nor an "art et essai" film, it's maybe all those categories... and probably the reason why this movie "failed" with large audiences...

The Beach is a sort of metaphor... It tells the story of a quest... a quest for humanity and above all a discovery of how human beeings can become when they want to protect their selfish "little universe"... and how they react when they are confronted with the reality... Different themes are broached : utopia of a better world, death, honesty, betrayal, madness, sectarianism, violence, drugs... It's also a bitter critic of our way of life, of our western culture and of our incompetence to escape from it... A critic also of the american hegemony...

Well... technically, The Beach is a wonder... The french Darius Khonji has, as usual, put all his talents in the cinematography and captured all the beauties of Thailand... The soundtrack is completely adapted with Danny Boyle's way of filming; dynamic, going from one scene to another, abrupt, rough... Actors-wise, the british actors Paterson Joseph (Keatty) and Tilda Swinton (Sals) deserved longer roles, the french Guillaume Canet as well... But their characters in the novel are not very developed either so... The rest of the cast (Swedish, danish, spanish actors) are good...... and the brief scenes with the extraordinary Robert Carlyle (playing Daffy) are pure pleasure to watch (certainly a pleasure for him too)...

Well, and DiCaprio ? He proves, once more in this film, if needed, what a talented actor he is. Maybe the young girls who felt in love with his Jack Dawson in Titanic or with Romeo will be disappointed here... His character is not a romantic but rather an envious, lying, selfish young man... a complex character like DiCaprio loves them... (see his wonderful performance in BaskeytBall Diaries, Total Eclipse or This Boy's Life among others...). I wish him other interesting parts like this one.

In conclusion : The Beach, even if it's not a masterpiece is a really good movie to discover... if you're not allergic to the films that are a little different than the ususal ones.

Bye... and excuse my hesitating english... my mother tongue is french ! Read more ›

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Food for thoughts.... July 14, 2000

By Kirsten Langer

Format:VHS Tape

Taken for it's face value "The Beach" is an entertaining, lavish and exiting movie working on 2 levels: The humoristic, superficial contemporary picture of a backpacker in beautiful surroundings, which becomes second nature to the moviegoer and vanishing just as quickly as the coke and popcorn enjoyed, if this is what one is looking for - or leaving the committed moviegoer with a nagging point of a knife constantly rousing the consciousness making it wonder: What was that all about? Why? - and following a further dive into the inner deep likewise little by little brings up to mind questions and replies. The message is clear - it does, however, require efforts of the moviegoer her/himself to put words to it. And exactly that situation has been the wish of Danny Boyle, I believe!

If one has expectations about experiencing a "Trainspotting 2", a successor to "Titanic" with a Jack Dawson risen from the dead - or a true copy of Alex Garland's book by the same name - well, then you will most likely return home in disappointment - as it meets with none of these. "The Beach" has been scripted freely after the book, and going to the theater with an open mind and wide open eyes - well, then you will be awarded with 2 hrs. of entertainment with an incredibly well-playing Leonardo DiCaprio, beautiful footage by Darius Khondji, exciting and surprising sound-, picture- and light effects and not the least a lot to think about following in respect to our modern society and materialistic based happiness!

With this role Leonardo DiCaprio has returned pretty close to his earliest and very highly acknowledged performances of misfit characters as i.e. Arnie (What's Eating Gilbert Grape), Arthur Rimbaud (Total Eclipse), Jim (Basket Ball Diaries) and Hank (Marvin's Room).... His acting appears amazingly effortless - but each single facial expression and body movement is thoroughly considered and communicates an altered state of mind and/or messages in split seconds. He is capable of looking pure lily-white, make true madness shine from his eyes, with a single sharp view belch out icy coldness but not the least have the audience shed a tear with him when he expresses deep emotions. His acting is beyond compare - strong, charismatic and seducing. Shame only that he does still have to suffer from the "Jack Dawson-syndrome" - people who knows the actor are fully aware of the fact that "Titanic" was the outsider and a solitary experience among his choices of roles and that exactly "Richard" is so much closer to the type of characters he wishes to work with and likewise is portraying so extremely well - but apparently the media won't spare him a chance to put that image behind...

The movie is obviously dominated by DiCaprio in his capacity of presenting the main character "Richard" and as - in similarity with the book - the other characters are generally only faintly defined you are left with less remembrance of their parts and performances. The choice of Robert Carlyle as the crazy drug-addict "Daffy" is, however, perfect casting. He is trustworthy and plays well against DiCaprio. Tilda Swinton is likewise exactly the right choice for the character of the community's cold, self-appointed leader "Sal". She expresses just the perfect arrogance, cynicism, distance and not the least lack of sex appeal as the role requires of this fanatic character. Scandinavian actors are likewise to be found among the cast - and although appearing in just a small part - Norwegian Lars Arentz-Hansen gives us a fine performance as the very little symphatic character "Bugs". With his few lines he succeeds to draw a picture of a self-satisfied, I-know-better type, who does suddenly feel a threat against his "status" in the group due to Richard's rising popularity.

Less successfully does it succeed the two French actors to fill in their roles. Guillaume Canet finds himself in a difficult situation as his role is a fusion of 2 characters, namely: "Etienne", the male part of the French lovers and the character "Jed" in the book, who represented the only islander with just some reasonable sense left. This cloning makes the character "Etienne" appear as a weak, soft and almost sugar-sweet person, which I doubt very much has been the original intention. Somehow he has ended up somewhere "between 2 chairs". Virginie Ledoyen is surely pretty looking as well as a sweet and very French girl - but maybe too French! What ever the reason there seems to be no real "spark" between her and DiCaprio in the love scenes. Maybe the chemistry between these 2 actors hasn't been a perfect one - for this part an actress with same kind of on screen charisma and cheerfulness as Kate Winslet and Claire Danes seems lacking.

The weakest parts of the movie relates primarily to a missing time indication and a triangle drama that does never really turn into any drama. Those having read the book are aware of the fact that the situation at the beach doesn't really start to get out of hand untill some 250 pages into the book and some 6-8 months following "Richard's" arrival on the island. Hence Richard's altered mentally state is slowly built up in the book. In the movie though one does get the impression that everything happens within a time frame of few weeks only. Therefore I do understand those movie-goers who doesn't immediately grasp the idea of the meaning with his sudden change of mind and what the scenes in "the jungle" are all about. In the book one does likewise have constant expectations of a triangle love-drama which, however, never comes about - in the movie this triangle scenario is further developed but, unfortunately, it takes place totally without any drama and hence leaves you without the expected tension and intrigues, which is really a pity.

As stipulated in the beginning "The Beach" should be experienced as a movie of it's own and shouldn't be the subject to any comparisons what-so-ever. By accepting it as it is I can promise the moviegoer a really great film experience with a fresh sense of humor, heavy satire, lavish footage, food for thoughts meeting the individual need and not the least a happy return to the screen of a tremendously well acting DiCaprio! I'll give it 4 out of 5 possible stars.

Kirsten Langer, Denmark Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Paradise Lost...Again April 12, 2004

By The JuRK

Format:DVD

The reason I'm taking a star off is because I've read the novel by Alex Garland. The novel is more intense and I was stunned by the hippie meltdown Armageddon at the end. If you liked the movie, definitely check out the book.

Like FIGHT CLUB and DONNIE DARKO, THE BEACH is a challenging film, and what makes it different is that you're watching a movie from the point of view of character who cracks up. You're drifting into dangerous new waters when you can't trust the star of the movie.
I also loved how paradise was, again, defiled by human beings--no matter how noble their efforts were.
If you're looking for Leonardo in a lame BLUE LAGOON-ish bit of tropical fluff, forget it: THE BEACH has something deeper and darker to say about this world's "paradise."

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Meal For the Mind: A Journey in Philosophical Thought June 12, 2005

By Lady Loreleii

Format:DVD

If you know anything about philosophy, even the basics, you are probably familiar with Plato's allegory of the cave or the concept of "real" and "ideal" contrasts in everyday life. This book, made into a film, is an excellent example of the real and ideal contrasts. Ideal things are those that are divinely inspired: good, beauty and love. The real are things that are striving for ideals but are tainted by the human perception and emotions. These things are good, beauty and love mixed in with jealousy, hate, regret, envy, fear and control. Ideal or "platonic" love is much different that real love.
In THE BEACH, Richard, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is striving for the ideal. His whole life is spent travelling and searching for something better. When he finds it in The Beach, a little piece of divinity, he knows immediately that humans can't possible experience something so perfect without tainting it. Strangely, what happens is that everything that he felt before, he feels with increasing intensity. He feels love, sex, violence, everything more strongly (and more acceptable), and uses drugs as an escape or to intensify his experience. But, and here's the warning to us all, everything blows up in his face, driving him to breakdown.
To me, this film is a warning of the dangers of striving for something that we can't understand nevertheless control. the "Ideal" is not something for humans to experience in a tainted environment. This film also causes us to question the nature of humans: Good, Evil or just Misunderstood?
So, if you have been looking for something a little creepy, a little extreme, a little emotional, a love story, a murderstory, a comedy, a tragedy, or just something that will be a feast for your philosophical mind, this is the film for you.... Or, if you just want to see a cool movie, there's lots of drugs, lots of sex, lots of violence (fighting, guns and the like)... this is the movie for you too! Read more ›