Beautiful Mind [WS Awards Edition] [2 Discs] DVD

A Beautiful Mind
The true story of prominent mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. is the subject of this Biographical drama from director Ron Howard. Russell Crowe stars as the brilliant but arrogant and conceited professor Nash. The prof seems guaranteed a rosy future in the early '50s after he marries beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and makes a remarkable advancement in the foundations of "game theory," which carries him to the brink of international acclaim. Soon after, John is visited by Agent William Parcher (Ed Harris), from the CIA, who wants to recruit him for code-breaking activities. But evidence suggests that Nash's perceptions of reality are cloudy at best; he is struggling to maintain his tenuous hold on sanity, and Alicia suspects a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Battling decades of illness with the loyal Alicia by his side, Nash is ultimately able to gain some control over his mental state, and eventually goes on to triumphantly win the Nobel Prize. Based loosely on the book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind (2001) co-stars Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast Russell Crowe as John Forbes Nash, Jr. Jennifer Connelly as Alicia Nash Ed Harris as William Parcher Paul Bettany as Charles Herman Adam Goldberg as Sol Judd Hirsch as Helinger Josh Lucas as Hansen Anthony Rapp as Bender Christopher Plummer as Dr. Rosen Austin Pendleton as Thomas King Jason Gray-Stanford as Ainsley Vivien Cardone as Marcee

Crew Robert Guerra - Art Director Kathleen McGill - Associate Producer Louisa Velis - Associate Producer Aldric La'Auli Porter - Associate Producer Jane Jenkins - Casting Janet Hirshenson - Casting Maureen Peyrot - Co-producer Rita Ryack - Costume Designer Aldric La'Auli Porter - First Assistant Director Ron Howard - Director Todd Hallowell - Second Unit Director Daniel Hanley - Editor Mike Hill - Editor Karen Kehela - Executive Producer Todd Hallowell - Executive Producer James Horner - Composer (Music Score) Greg Cannom - Makeup Special Effects Wynn P. Thomas - Production Designer Roger Deakins - Cinematographer Ron Howard - Producer Brian Grazer - Producer Leslie Rollins - Set Designer Allan Byer - Sound/Sound Designer Akiva Goldsman - Screenwriter David M. Dunlap - Additional Cinematography Chic Ciccolini III - Supervising Sound Editor Sylvia Nasar - Book Author

A Beautiful Mind
A skillful adaptation of a real-life story by director Ron Howard, who matures beyond the facile emotions and obviousness inherent to most of his previous work, embracing a new level of maturity that is a welcome compliment to his clear, if workmanlike visual style. Howard has always been a reliable film craftsman, efficiently translating words into pictures even if his compositions have remained more functional than creative. It's a curse endemic to those who made their bones in television, including Howard's contemporaries Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall. Despite two successful decades on the A-list, they have few major-league peers with such a lack of distinguishable artistic signatures. Without skipping a beat, Howard has moved effortlessly from the rapid-fire compactness of Apollo 13 (1995) to the bloated, sugary, over-the-top razzle-dazzle of the almost unforgivably heinous How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). So equated is he with a glossy, marketable broadness that the sheer elegance and subtlety of his approach to this largely internal story is astonishing. It's a quantum leap forward that would be comparable to the achievement of Steven Spielberg with Schindler's List (1995), if not for the difference in emotional, physical, and historical scale. Always a demanding, exacting actor, Russell Crowe continues a winning streak by delivering the latest in a series of knockout performances, adroitly handled by a director who seems simpatico with his every choice. The film's structural gimmick turns in on itself halfway through, challenging the viewer to observe every previous and subsequent event through the eyes of paranoia, a brilliant twist that works beautifully, even better so because it is never hammered indelicately home by the filmmaker. A Beautiful Mind (2001) is a serious, fully realized story gracefully handled by Howard, proving that an artist never stops evolving no matter how accomplished his resumé. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
 

Akiva Goldsman: Academy, Best Adapted Screenplay (winner) Akiva Goldsman: American Film Institute, Best Screenplay (nominated) Akiva Goldsman: British Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated) Akiva Goldsman: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Screenplay (nominated) Akiva Goldsman: Golden Globe, Best Screenplay (winner) Akiva Goldsman: Writers Guild of America, Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated) Brian Grazer: Academy, Best Picture (winner) Brian Grazer: British Academy Awards, Best Picture (nominated) Colleen Callaghan: Academy, Best Makeup (nominated) Daniel Hanley: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Greg Cannom: Academy, Best Makeup (nominated) James Horner: Academy, Best Score (nominated) Jennifer Connelly: Academy, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Jennifer Connelly: American Film Institute, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Jennifer Connelly: British Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Jennifer Connelly: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Jennifer Connelly: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Jennifer Connelly: Screen Actors Guild, Best Actress (nominated) Mike Hill: Academy, Best Editing (nominated) Ron Howard: Academy, Best Director (winner) Ron Howard: Academy, Best Picture (winner) Ron Howard: British Academy Awards, Best Director (nominated) Ron Howard: British Academy Awards, Best Picture (nominated) Ron Howard: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Director (winner) Ron Howard: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (winner) Ron Howard: Golden Globe, Best Director (nominated) Russell Crowe: Academy, Best Actor (nominated) Russell Crowe: American Film Institute, Best Actor (nominated) Russell Crowe: British Academy Awards, Best Actor (winner) Russell Crowe: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Actor (winner) Russell Crowe: Golden Globe, Best Actor - Drama (winner) Russell Crowe: Screen Actors Guild, Best Actor (winner)

American Film Institute, Best Picture (nominated) Broadcast Film Critics Association, Best Picture (winner) Golden Globe, Best Picture - Drama (winner) Screen Actors Guild, Best Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel Additional Features: Feature commentary with director Ron Howard Feature commentary with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman Deleted scenes with director's commentary DVD-ROM features including Total Axess Production notes Cast and filmmakers "A Beautiful Partnership: Ron Howard and Brian Grazer" Development of the screenplay Meeting John Nash Accepting the Nobel Prize in Economics Casting Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly The Process of Age Progression Storyboard comparisons Creation of the special effects Scoring the film "Inside A Beautiful Mind: Making Of" Academy Awards reactions from winners: Best Picture - producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard; Best Director - Ron Howard; Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Connelly; Best Adapted Screenplay - Akiva Goldsman Theatrical trailer "A Beautiful Mind" soundtrack DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG13 DVD Discs Included: 2 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 136 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Disc 1 1. Main Titles 2. Mathematicians 3. A Challenge 4. The Need to Focus 5. Governing Dynamics 6. The Pentagon 7. Teacher and Student 8. Code Breaker 9. Alicia 10. The Prodigal Roommate 11. A Wedding 12. Trouble 13. Dr. Rosen 14. Mental Illness 15. Treatment 16. Delusions 17. Princeton 18. Goodbye, Old Friends 19. A Nobel Prize 20. End Titles