{"id":424,"date":"2013-03-07T22:36:36","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T03:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediafunhouse.com\/blog\/?page_id=424"},"modified":"2013-03-07T22:40:42","modified_gmt":"2013-03-08T03:40:42","slug":"bigger-than-life-3292010","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mediafunhouse.com\/?page_id=424","title":{"rendered":"Bigger Than Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
By Ed <\/a>\u2013 03\/29\/2010 <\/abbr>Find Others: <\/strong>DVD<\/a>, Movie<\/a>, Review <\/a>Get More:<\/strong> Criterion<\/a>, Drama<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

One of the most well-regarded films of Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause<\/em>) finally makes its home entertainment bow, after having been absent from Fox\u2019s DVD and VHS catalogs.<\/p>\n

The 1956 movie\"\"<\/a> Bigger Than Life<\/strong><\/em> stands as a lacerating critique of the \u201caverage\u201d middle-class family in 1950s America, as a typical husband and father (James Mason) is treated for a rare ailment with a \u201cmiracle drug\u201d that turns him into a Nietzschean madman. Ray\u2019s mastery of the Cinemascope image is fully apparent in this gorgeous restoration of the film, but diehard buffs will be just as interested in the package\u2019s extras.<\/p>\n

A commentary track on the DVD by critic Geoff Andrew historically situates the film and informs us that Marilyn Monroe shot a walk-on for Ray that Fox studio heads removed for contractual reasons.<\/p>\n

In an on-screen introduction to the picture, novelist Jonathan Lethem dissects its themes and symbols thoroughly, while offering an eloquent defense of the casting of ultra-Brit James Mason as an average American dad.<\/p>\n

An interview with Ray\u2019s widow Susan Ray finds her reflecting on the film\u2019s relation to her husband\u2019s work, and his brilliantly stylized use of color.<\/p>\n

The most welcome supplement is a 1977 TV interview with Ray that, while it focuses primarily on Rebel<\/em>, underscores Ray\u2019s fascination with the parent-child dynamic and finds him professing his devotion to two phenomena: moviemaking and youth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ed \u2013 03\/29\/2010 Find Others: DVD, Movie, Review Get More: Criterion, Drama One of the most well-regarded films of Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) finally makes its home entertainment bow, after having been absent from Fox\u2019s DVD and VHS catalogs. The 1956 movie Bigger Than Life stands as a lacerating critique of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":217,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-sidebar-none.php","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-424","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"kubio_ai_page_context":{"short_desc":"","purpose":"general"},"yoast_head":"\nBigger Than Life - Media Funhouse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mediafunhouse.com\/?page_id=424\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bigger Than Life - Media Funhouse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Ed \u2013 03\/29\/2010 Find Others: DVD, Movie, Review Get More: Criterion, Drama One of the most well-regarded films of Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) finally makes its home entertainment bow, after having been absent from Fox\u2019s DVD and VHS catalogs. 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