Death Becomes Her

Meryl Streep Director: Robert Zemeckis Robert Zemeckis

Overview

Robert Zemeckis' special effects laden black comedy Death Becomes Her comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that fails to preserve the original theatrical aspect ratio of the film. English, Spanish, and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. Spanish subtitles are accessible, and the English soundtrack is closed-captioned. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence. This is a sub-par release from Universal.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/20/1998
UPC:	0025192014321
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround]
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	1,376

Special Features

Behind the scenes featurette; Production notes; Filmographies

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Meryl Streep	Madeline Ashton
Bruce Willis	Ernest Menville
Goldie Hawn	Helen Sharp
Isabella Rossellini	Lisle Von Rhumans
Ian Ogilvy	Chagall
Adam Storke	Dakota
Nancy Fish	Rose
Alaina Reed Hall	Psychologist
Michelle Johnson	Anna
Mary Ellen Trainor	Vivian Adams
William Frankfather	Mr. Franklin
John Ingle	Eulogist
Dan Lee Clark	Lisle's Body Guard
Fabio	Lisle's Body Guard
Edward J. Forsyth	Dancer
Louise Rapport	Older Woman at Party
Karen Rea	Actor
Carol-Ann Susi	Psychiatric Patient
Bob Swaim	Andy Warhol
Clement Von Franckenstein	Opening Man
Petrea Burchard	Opening Woman
Jim Jansen	Second Man
Mimi Kennedy	Second Woman
Paolo Tocha	Landlord
Mark Davenport	Eviction Cop
Thomas Murphy	Eviction Cop
Michael Mills	Police Officer
Sonia Jackson	Psychiatric Patient
Jill C. Klein	Psychiatric Patient
Jean Pflieger	Psychiatric Patient
Debra Jo Rupp	Psychiatric Patient
Kay Yamamoto	Psychiatric Patient
Jacquelyn K. Koch	Messenger Girl
Anya Longwell	Chagall Receptionist
Stuart Mabray	Chagall Security
Colleen Morris	Starlet
Jonathan Silverman	Jay Norman
Meg Wittner	Woman at Book Party
Carrie Yazel	Girl at Dakota's
Michael A. Nickles	Lisle's Body Guard
John Enos	Lisle's Body Guard
Joel Beeson	Lisle's Body Guard
Ron Stein	Elvis
Bonnie Cahoon	Greta Garbo
Stephanie Anderson	Marilyn Monroe
Eric Clark	James Dean
Dave Brock	Jim Morrison
Lydia Peterkoch	Blonde with Jim Morrison
Phillip Irwin Cooper	Coroner
Ernest Harada	Coroner
Kevin Caldwell	Medical Technician
Alex P. Hernandez	Medical Technician
Donna Ekholdt	Sobbing Nun
Tammy Gantz	Sobbing Nun
Melissa Martin	Sobbing Nun
Jeff Adkins	Dancer
Cheryl Baxter	Dancer
Cameron English	Dancer
Bob Gaynor	Dancer
Don Hesser	Dancer
Michael Higgins	Dancer
Kenneth Hughes	Dancer
Kenneth Knaff	Dancer
Glean Lewis	Dancer
Keith McDaniel	Dancer
Charles McGowan	Dancer
Regan Patno	Dancer
Lacy Darryl Phillips	Dancer
Matt Sergott	Dancer
Paul Thorpe	Dancer
Sergio Trujillo	Dancer
Randy Crenshaw	Singer
Jon Joyce	Singer
Jerry Whitman	Singer
Sydney Pollack	Doctor

Technical Credits

Martin Donovan

David Koepp

Robert Zemeckis	Director,Producer
Arthur Schmidt	Editor
John Berger	Set Decoration/Design
Joan Bradshaw	Co-producer
Jackie Carr	Set Decoration/Design
Rick Carter	Production Designer
Dean Cundey	Cinematographer
Dick Smith	Makeup
Martin Donovan	Screenwriter
Alec Gillis	Special Effects
Joanna Johnston	Costumes/Costume Designer
William B. Kaplan	Sound/Sound Designer
David Koepp	Screenwriter
Elizabeth Lapp	Set Decoration/Design
Masako Masuda	Set Decoration/Design
Lauren Polizzi	Set Decoration/Design
Ken Ralston	Special Effects
Karen Rea	Casting
Alan Silvestri	Score Composer
Steve Starkey	Producer
Raymond Stella	Camera Operator
Jim Teegarden	Art Director
Tom Woodruff	Special Effects

Scene Index

Side #1
0. Chapter List
1. Main Titles: Broadway 1978 [:24]
2. Mad and Hel [4:40]
3. 7 Years Later [3:56]
4. Another 7 Years Later [3:33]
5. Helen's Party [8:04]
6. Secret Plots and Second Thoughts [6:05]
7. Lisle [3:33]
8. The Fall and Rise of Madeline Ashton [8:37]
9. A Medical Miracle [8:10]
10. Helen Has a Blast [8:45]
11. Gut Reactions [3:11]
12. Touch-Ups [6:43]
13. The Party [4:04]
14. 37 Years Later [5:44]
15. Going to Pieces [9:20]
16. End Titles [7:52]

Menu

Side #1
   Bonus Materials
      Production Notes
      Cast and Filmmakers
         Goldie Hawn as Helen Sharp
         Bruce Willis as Earnest Menville
         Meryl Streep as Madeline Ashton
         Isabella Rossellini as Lisle
         Directed by Robert Zemeckis
      Behind-the-Scenes
   Language Selection
      Spoken Language
      Captions and Subtitles
   Play

Editorial Reviews

Robert Zemeckis' morbid comedy offers some good laughs with a satirical bent. Borrowing a page from the pitch-black comedic style of Tim Burton, Zemeckis uses a variety of prosthetic special effects and sight gags as the comedic impetus for the film, poking fun at image-conscious Hollywood in the process. Although Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rosselini turn in good performances and most of their bits tend to be funny, the film relies almost exclusively on make-up and special effects for its laughs. Also, the attempts at satirizing a culture obsessed with youth and beauty are half-hearted at best, considering the willingness of the high-profile cast. When Death Becomes Her veers towards horror in its last act, there's some surprisingly spine-tingling creepiness to it as well. When not overextending itself with its alternately scathing and harmless satirical moments, this non-enduring low-comedy film works well.

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