Product Details

• Actors: Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan, Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 14, 2004
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002JZT5A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,853 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Young Adam" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Few movies are as vividly tactile as "Young Adam". The way the cold blue light of Scotland envelopes everything--wooden bannisters, rippling water, rough fabric, coal soot caked in human skin, and flesh itself--makes you feel like you could reach out and touch it all. A failed writer named Joe (Ewan McGregor, "Big Fish"), slumming on a coal barge, finds himself drawn to barge's owner Ella (Tilda Swinton, "Orlando", "The Deep End"), despite the presence of her husband Les (Peter Mullan, "My Name is Joe"). But Joe's passion is haunted by the girl he's abandoned (Emily Mortimer, "Lovely & Amazing"), whose memory becomes more and more powerful as a murder trial unfolds. The acting in "Young Adam" is magnificent, without affectation yet completely affecting. It's a moody film, but its deep engagement with its characters and the world they inhabit will make a lasting impression. "--Bret Fetzer"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great performances, January 23, 2006

By 

Nunya Bizness - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young Adam (DVD)

First I want to say up front:
A lot of people are complaining about this being an edited, R-rated version instead of the original NC-17. But honestly I think these people are overreacting - as far as I know the only difference between this and the NC-17 version is a slightly extended sex scene that is INCLUDED AS A DELETED SCENE on the DVD. The exclusion of the scene doesn't hurt the story, and it's still there for you to see. If you're thinking of not getting the DVD simply because of this cut scene, I encourage you to reconsider.

As to what I think of the movie - my main reason for watching this movie in the first place is because I am a fan of Ewan McGregor's. And I'm not sure how I really feel about it overall. I do know that I think the sex scenes get repetitive - it almost seems they do so many of them because they want to prove to themselves or somebody else how daring they can be. And I also think the score is hit-and-miss - it is very lovely in some places but somewhat tiring at times. And, while I respect and usually appreciate movies that are subtle and not heavy-handed, I sometimes think this movie is a little too subtle for it's own good. It's point is not immediately apparent, though I'm sure some people like that about it.
On the good side, as everyone says, all of the performances are excellent. Despite the negative points of the movie, I find it a very compelling watch just for this reason. Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan, Emily Mortimer, and even some of the smaller parts: they're all riveting, and, for me, easily make this movie worth watching.

118 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unwanted Censorship, September 15, 2004

By 

Lou M. Aggetta (Walnut Creek,CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Young Adam (DVD)

What a travesty to offer this film with an R rating rather than the NC-17(totally outrageous) theatrical version. I ordered this film, not paying attention to the rating, but when I realized what Sony had done I immediately cancelled my purchase. When and if the original film is released I will purchase it.

50 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No thanks Sony!, September 9, 2004

By 

Matt Shiv (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young Adam (DVD)

In order to please the Blockbusters and Wal-Marts of the nation, Sony has decided (in their infinite wisdom) to only release an EDITED version of this film on home video. I really thought that we were past this type of censorship, but apparently not.

The film, which was released in theaters NC-17, is now trimmed by about three minutes and re-rated R. This is a shame because I personally felt that the NC-17 was unjustified. I have seen far more graphic footage in films that got away with an R.

If you want to support censorship of a genuine piece of art, go ahead and buy this dvd. Otherwise, invest in a region-free player and import the uncut version from the UK. Being region-free is the only way to be!