Product Details

• Actors: Shelley Winters, Peter Falk, Lee Grant, Peter Brocco, Joyce Jameson
• Directors: Joseph Strick
• Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: August 1, 2000
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305942978
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,563 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Balcony" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In a very special brothel known as "The Balcony," the customers live out their wildest dreams, oblivious to a revolution that is going on outside. Directed by the award-winning Joseph Strick and based on acclaimed French avant-garde dramatist Jean Genet's play, this star-packed film features Shelley Winters as the brothel's madam and Peter Falk as her occasional lover, who enlists her help in halting the revolution. A young Leonard Nimoy heads the rebels, and Lee Grant is the madam's executive assistant who longs to return to her former role as just "one of the girls." With its insightfulness and delightfully fresh sense of humor, "The Balcony" continues to provide a great view of the world's ironies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Piece of Theatre-TV, August 15, 2002

By	G. Jones (Berlin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an arty-entertainment film. If you like NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, THE WICKER MAN, POWELL & PRESSBURGER FILMS, DENNIS POTTER TV, THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES ON TV -- and anything else that is different with an arty dramatic drive, you'll love this unique piece. Probably the closest that the USA has come to getting a European piece of theatre right. I'm not into arty rubbish, but into entertainment. If you have nothing against a made for TV theatre piece that is very poetic, and at times surrealistic, then give this a try. It was shown on European TV several years ago, and I found it wonderful, and have longed for its release. The best performance I have seen from Peter Falk, and Leonard Nimoy was very virile and un-Vulkan. The women in the brothel are also INCREDIBLY sexy !!!!!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Falling off the balcony, July 12, 2000

By	j lerner (college park, md United States) - See all my reviews

The Balcony is a brilliant play emulating similar satirical methods of the better known "Crucible." The Balcony is at times sexy, witty, violent, gauche, and shocking. The movie does not succeed in relating the power of the tale. Nonetheless, Jean Genet's superb screenplay is not completely lost on the mature viewer. Younger or less analytical viewers may have problems with the nuances of the play, yet the advantage of the movie is the ease with which it can be watched again for further comprehension. Overall, while the movie is certainly good, it does not do the play nor playwright justice.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Under our clothes we are all naked., September 23, 2004

By	A. Gyurisin "good friend, damn fool" (Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Balcony is not just an ordinary extension to your house ... in this film it is a place where mortal men go to live out their fantasies. It is a modern day dream castle, where men can escape from the hardships of the real world and act out lives of important people that they may never have the opportunity of becoming. I use the word men for a reason in this review, because the "Balcony" is a brothel. It is a place where men go to fulfill not just their sexual fantasies, but also their dreams. If one wants to become the Bishop; he can go to the "Balcony" and demand that women tell him their sins. If one wants to become the strongest General in the English army with a trusty steed by his side all that he needs to do is go to the "Balcony" and a woman will become his sidekick. There is even a place for men to become Justices of the Supreme Court; carrying out sentences to the women that they hire. Rooted with deep political and sexual undertones, this black comedy digs deep into your soul and your mind. Adapted by the play by Jean Genet, we watch as three men live out their fantasies as their troubled country is rocked right outside the doors by a gang of rebels.

With the revolution happening outside, the business has been tough, but the ladies seem to be surviving. Everyone is happy, until Peter Falk enters the scene. He plays the police chief who is trying to bring the rebels outside to justice. He is also the man who is dating the owner of the brothel played by Shelly Winters. He does not know how to bring the rebels to justice and keep the moral of the people and troops together when the Bishop, General, and Justice have all been murdered. Then he finds his answer in the least of places. He gets the women of the brothel to ask the three men to become stand-ins for the actual leaders of the country. After much persuasion, they say "yes" and begin their voyage outside into the "real world" wearing the masks of their fantasies. At first they succeed, but soon the power reaches even these imposters as they begin to change the rules in their positions. As relations begin to heat up again, a surprise twist shows us that role-play can happen in the most common places.

Director Joseph Strick takes on quite a daunting task with his film adaptation. The Balcony is very racy at times and definitely pushes the envelope, but it is the film's subtle humor that keeps it from becoming all too serious. The wild fantasies played out inside the Balcony are turned into something that can put an end to the violent revolution. While the film is mainly comedic, there are metaphors abound. The brothel itself becomes the main symbol of an unruly, but acceptable, community where morals and standards are nowhere to be found.

The violence outside its doors mirrors the activity in the brothel. It seemingly tells us that without standards anything can happen and be accepted. The brothel may even come out on top, as the madam says, "We don't allow death in here." I felt as I watched it that I was watching a film that had been made this year. The dark themes, the powerful images, and even the switching ending are all issues that Hollywood uses in everyday film today. It is not something that you see in 1963 (when this film was made). I applaud this film for taking chances, and while it isn't the greatest film out there, it should gain respect with the deeply rooted symbolism that it carries. I especially loved the ending. Look to see an interesting "side" of Nimoy and Falk. This film also explores the issue that we may carry the clothes of power, but without them ... without anything on our backs ... we are just the same as the next man or woman. We are all human.

I also enjoyed the idea of throwing standards to the wayside. That is the major theme of this film. Without standards, you have the violence that happened outside of the "Balcony" ... without standards you have people imagining worlds that do not exist, living lives that they have not earned, and not caring about consequences just people's reaction to themselves. This is obvious when the three unknowns head out onto the city to bring peace, God, and justice to the unknowing people. They do not care that they do not have the training for this power, all they care about being able to feel like they have the power if only for just one moment.

Overall, this film was a scary and interesting when you begin to think about it on a different level than just a comedy. This movie will rank as one of the oddest films I have ever watched in my film career, but one that will remain in my mind forever.

Grade: **** out of *****