KRAMER VS KRAMER (DVD/WS 1.85/MONO/ENG-SP-PO-CH-KO-TH-SUB/FR-BOTH) DVD

Kramer vs. Kramer
Robert Benton's Oscar-winning adaptation of Avery Corman's bestseller takes on contemporary problems of divorce and shifting gender roles, as a jilted husband learns how to be a nurturing father. Manhattan housewife Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) walks out on her workaholic ad man husband Ted (Dustin Hoffman), leaving their young son Billy (Justin Henry) in Ted's less than capable hands. Through trial and error, Ted learns how to take care of Billy, devoting more energy to his family than to his work, and finally losing his high-powered job because of his new priorities. When Joanna returns with her own lucrative job and the intent to take custody of Billy, Ted finds employment that won't interfere with his paternal duties. Even though he proves that he can do it all, Joanna still wins in court. Joanna, however, rethinks her desires when she finally grasps how close father and son have become. Addressing the male side of the self-actualization question, previously explored from the female perspective in such 1970s movies as An Unmarried Woman (1978), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), and The Turning Point (1977), Kramer focuses on Ted's evolution from absent parent to ideal father, as he learns to balance domestic and professional lives in the shifting late-1970s social landscape. Joanna's attempt to achieve the same, however, gets buried; only Streep's sensitive performance prevents Joanna from seeming an unsympathetic harridan. Critics praised the film's realistic depiction of Ted's travails, as well as the three lead actors' work; and audiences, perhaps facing the same questions of divorce and self-realization, turned it into a box-office smash. It went on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Cast Dustin Hoffman as Ted Kramer Meryl Streep as Joanna Kramer Justin Henry as Billy Kramer Jane Alexander as Margaret Phelps Howard Duff as John Shaunessy JoBeth Williams as Phyllis Bernard George Coe as Jim O'Connor Bill Moor as Gressen Howland Chamberlain as Judge Atkins Jack Ramage as Spencer Jess Osuna as Ackerman

Crew Shirley Rich - Casting Ruth Morley - Costume Designer Robert Benton - Director Jerry Greenberg - Editor John Kander - Composer (Music Score) Allen Weisinger - Makeup Paul Sylbert - Production Designer Néstor Almendros - Cinematographer David Golden - Production Manager Stanley Jaffe - Producer Alan Hicks - Set Designer Robert Benton - Screenwriter Antonio Vivaldi - Featured Music Henry Purcell - Featured Music Avery Corman - Book Author

Kramer vs. Kramer
Quite a portrait of modern family dysfunction, Robert Benton's adaptation of the Avery Corman novel hit a nerve with audiences for its frank take on a condition affecting them in increasing numbers: divorce. Nonetheless, it's an uneven film, not in terms of quality, but balance; the film truly belongs to Dustin Hoffman's Ted Kramer, whose travails take center stage as Meryl Streep's Joanna Kramer disappears for large portions of the film. Only a few instances of Ted's short temper fuel any sort of backlash against an otherwise endearing paternal figure, while the audience is given far less cause to sympathize with Joanna, whose reasons for leaving Ted (and more importantly, son Billy) are never explored. It's the strange transfigurations of Ted's life that make Kramer vs. Kramer such an interesting study, such as when a court-ordered deadline forces him into the office of an executive, in the waning hours before the Christmas holiday, to practically beg for a job for which he is overqualified. While there's no reason Ted's story alone should not be the focus, the film's title suggests a war waged with equal ammunition by two wronged parties, and Kramer vs. Kramer is not such a film. The dismissal of Streep's character makes the overly pat ending less forgivable as well. But the actors' note-perfect performances -- and the way the script lays bare the desperate machinations of an increasingly common and normalized legal process -- make this an enduring work. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
 

Dustin Hoffman: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actor (winner) Dustin Hoffman: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (winner) Dustin Hoffman: Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Actor (winner) Dustin Hoffman: New York Film Critics Circle, Best Actor (winner) Jane Alexander: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Jane Alexander: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Jerry Greenberg: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Editing (nominated) Justin Henry: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Justin Henry: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Justin Henry: Golden Globe, New Star of the Year - Male (nominated) Meryl Streep: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Meryl Streep: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Meryl Streep: Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Meryl Streep: National Board of Review, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Meryl Streep: New York Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress (winner) Néstor Almendros: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Cinematography (nominated) Robert Benton: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted Screenplay (winner) Robert Benton: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (winner) Robert Benton: Golden Globe, Best Director (nominated) Robert Benton: Golden Globe, Best Screenplay (winner) Robert Benton: Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Director (winner) Robert Benton: Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Screenplay (winner)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (winner) Golden Globe, Best Picture - Drama (winner) Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Picture (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated) New York Film Critics Circle, Best Picture (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish, Por, KO, TH Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 1: PCM mono Additional Features: Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video Widescreen presentaion Audio: English [mono] and French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai Exclusive documentary: "Finding the Truth: The Making of Kramer vs. Kramer" Theatrical trailers Filmographies Interactive menus Production notes Scene selections DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 105 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Selections 1. Start [4:48] 2. "Ted, I'm Leaving You." [6:25] 3. "Where's Mommy?" [5:44] 4. Jim [3:16] 5. Spilt juice [1:59] 6. Letter from Mommy [2:48] 7. Only 20 minutes late [1:43] 8. Dinner conversation [9:07] 9. Steak & ice cream [3:10] 10. Why Mommy left [3:53] 11. Phyllis [3:44] 12. Playground accident [3:35] 13. Asking a big favor [1:59] 14. "I want my son." [3:27] 15. Mr. Shaunessy [2:06] 16. Fired [5:47] 17. One-day-only offer [3:39] 18. His new office [4:10] 19. Mother & child reunion [:43] 20. Joanna testifies [7:00] 21. Cross-examination [5:25] 22. Margaret's testimony [2:15] 23. Ted takes the stand [5:23] 24. Joanna's apology [1:52] 25. Judge Atkins' decision [2:06] 26. Explaining to Billy [1:56] 27. Show on the road [2:20] 28. In the lobby [4:08]