Of Mice and Men
(Special Edition, 1992)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Horton Foote, based on the novel by John Steinbeck
Original Songs & Music by Mark Isham
Directed by Gary Sinise
Starring Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Casey Siemaszko, Sherilyn Fenn, Ray Walston, John Terry, and Richard Riehle

Features:

• Running audio commentary with director/actor Sinise
  
• Featurette: In Conversation - Gary Sinise and Horton Foote
  
• Deleted Scenes with Director's Commentary
  
• Screen and Makeup Tests
  
• Making-of Featurette
  

My Advice: Own it

George Milton (Sinise) is a man just trying to make his way in life during the Great Depression. He wanders from farm to farm looking for work as a hired hand. He's an honest, hard working man who would have probably been a man with more position had he been born during a different time...and if he hadn't decided to be Lenny's guardian. Lenny (Malkovich) is also a migrant worker, but he is quite a simple man. He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's a helluva worker. He also keeps George on the run because he always seems to wind up in trouble at their worksites. Their time at the Tyler Ranch is no different.

It is a simple, elegant, and moving film. Each and every one of the characters are strong and sympathetic. The story itself is quite strong, obviously, but Sinise has an amazingly truthful vision of this story. He is equally as strong as an actor, playing George so fully that it is sometimes scary. My readers may or may not know that I'm not a Malkovich fan. There are very few roles that I can point to and say, "I believed him in that role." (I didn't really even believe him in Being John Malkovich.) This is one of those roles. He seemed to be made for the part. He finds a place in the skin of this character that fits him like a glove. The rest of the cast is up to the challenge that these actors and their director have put before them. None of them get ahead of the story, but they live each moment honestly and fully and let the power of the story drive the movie forward.

The DVD is simple, but elegant. The commentary track with Sinise is wonderful; not just in the information that he presents, but also in the simple tone of his voice. He has a very powerful and commanding voice and it certainly helps to draw you into his discussion of the movie. Even better than his vocal style, he doesn't waste time or get bogged down in telling you boring stuff like how wonderful it was to work with the other members of the cast, instead he talks about his passion for bringing his vision of Steinbeck's novel to the screen. He also talks about how it really helped him break into Hollywood, which he was having trouble doing, surprisingly enough. It's weird that this disc is a "flipper". There doesn't seem to be enough material to justify it being in this format, but there it is.

So, on the other side of the disc, you have the remainder of the bonus features. In Conversation is exactly what the back cover's description would lead you to believe: a taped conversation between Sinise and Foote. What's interesting about it is that, for the most part, Sinise acts as a kind of interviewer, but there are some times where these roles seem to shift back and forth. It's good that it's added to the DVD, because, unfortunately, Foote is not getting any younger and his insight is invaluable.

There are quite a few deleted scenes on the disc and it is much more interesting to watch them with Sinise's commentary running. Without the commentary, they look pretty much like any other set of deleted scenes, but with his commentary, they seem to take on a kind of documentary feel, which is, in my opinion, appropriate. His insight into the Steinbeck's world is outstanding. Continuing down the list, we get to watch Sherilyn Fenn's screen test, and it instantly becomes obvious why the cast her in the role. She brought a sense of honest, genuine and innocent sensuality to the role that was perfect.

Then there are the makeup tests they shot for some of the actors. They are shot without sound, so Sinise actually recorded a commentary track for some of it. They are neat to look at, but they aren't really all that exciting, mostly because his commentary doesn't last all the way through these silent shots. It's like watching a silent movie that has no point. The "making of" featurette feels like the simple type of featurette that is prevalent on the cable movie networks, but it's nice to have it on the disc. The best part about it is that there are little snippets of an interview with Elaine Steinbeck, John Steinbeck's widow.

Even if you've never seen this movie, go out and buy this one right now. The film would be good enough to warrant a purchase, but the features are the proverbial icing. You won't regret it.