One Hour Photo (Full Screen Edition)

I had watched this movie years ago and it has always stuck with me. Giving it a second viewing I was able to pay more attention to brilliant film shots and other aspects of the film. The seen of Sy scratching out the face of the husband in the photos shot from below as slowly the flakes of the paper fall to the floor is amazing. The of use of color to set mood and enhance the emotional world the different characters live in is also very well done. I feel this is one of the best performances Robin Williams has done. The first time watching it the creepy factor was much grater. The second time around I just felt so much for Sy and his longing so great to be loved in context of having a family, even just as the loved uncle, hurt my heart. It makes me think of all the millions of people, just in the US, that are so isolated, lonely and not respected in their workplace. Just another cog in the corporate machine, where profit margins are all and someone like Sy who is passionate about his work doesn't have a place. Some people seem confused by his actions in the hotel. I feel he did what he did to SHAME them for taking for granted what he wants more than anything. The isolation, loneliness and (it is hinted at the end of the film that he was abuse as child) never having that kind of interaction still does not make his intrusion and stalking okay. The man is ill. Back to William's portrayal of Sy the look in his eyes in the closing shot of such utter sadness and hopelessness is amazing. I think it takes an actor to know that feeling to be able to bring that look to the eye so convincingly.

I believe this is the weirdest character Robin Williams ever played in a movie and man does he do a great job pulling it off ! I knew a long time ago this man was a very good actor and have many of his movies to prove it. But this part is so not typical of what we are used to seeing Robin play and is the reason why i bought this dvd because it is so unusual and hey could actually see this being a true story of some one considering what happens out there in the "real" world these days. If you are a Robin Williams fan considering he left us not that long ago I would check this movie out I recommend it because it is well acted a good story line and another Williams movie to add to your movie collection.

Pay no attention to that 6.8 rating at IMDb; this is a psychological drama which demands more than one viewing. It's hard to even imagine anyone other than Robin Williams being considered for the lead role of Sy Parrish, the guy who prints your photos while you shop at the gargantuan SavMart. That he is the most developed -- pun intended, I guess -- character in the movie is a frustration, but not a fatal flaw. The store, his apartment, his car and his uniform may be blindingly white, but Sy's is a dark, obsessive soul. Nina Yorkin (Connie Nielsen) and her young son, Jake (Dylan Smith) are regulars at the photo counter, and it doesn't take too long to realize that Sy knows far more about them than he should. There are a couple of very effective voiceovers in the movie, and in one of them Sy explains why we take pictures: "Someone looking through our photo album would conclude that we had led a joyous, leisurely existence free of tragedy. No one ever takes a photograph of something they want to forget." It sounds pat and trite, but as Sy says about operating his photo processing machine, there's more to it than meets the eye.The life the Yorkins seem to lead, with all of its colors and smiles, is the one they capture on film, naturally. Sy wants to believe their entire lives are like this, and that he is actually a member of the family. He carries around the copies he has made for himself of the latest photos of the Yorkins as if they depict his own family. In his mind they do. The depth of his obsession is almost revealed in the trailer. Thankfully it isn't, for it shows that if Sy hasn't been unhinged before, he's getting there fast.Jake Yorkin is only nine, but senses that Sy is sad and lonely behind the wan smile. Very perceptive kid. Several sequences unfold that make it clear Sy is not just lonely and overly friendly, but is becoming manipulative, vindictive and malicious. None of this felt manipulative to me as a viewer, nor did it feel forced, until the finale. This was Mark Romanek's first feature film as a director, and he worked from his own script. His story is well-paced, and he builds the suspense in an almost Hitchcockian fashion. He throws a number of curves, and most of them are fair, not cheats. In a movie that is effective at almost every technical level, the spare, eerie score by Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek is a standout.Because Sy has studied the Yorkins for years, he knows when there is trouble in paradise, and he soon has photographic evidence of his suspicions. What he does with this information initially is hurtful, but Sy isn't through with his manipulations yet. When they come, they are in the form of a violent confrontation, which is, unfortunately, awkward, uncomfortable and forced. "One Hour Photo" ends as it began, with Sy dressed in white, in a bright white police interrogation room. He has been arrested with two rolls of film, one of which indicates that he is capable of the rage that is the end product of seething. Sy has mastered the art of concealing that anger, but it had to find an outlet eventually. Sy is far more interested in the only set of photos the police will let him see, those depicting the mundane, the ordinary, the everyday -- qualities Sy wants others to believe he embodies. Evidently, Francis Ford Coppola recommended to director Romanek that the movie open with the first part of the interrogation, but I think that choice robs the story of some suspense. Romanek's original cut may one day be made available. It is allegedly quite different than the theatrical version, but with the movie's growing cult status, there is certainly an audience for it."One Hour Photo" provides Robin Williams with a tailor-made role, and it's one of his best dramatic performances. Williams rarely acted as though he were seeking the audience's approval in dramatic roles, but that did happen in his comedic and unscripted appearances. The more restrained the character, the more honest his acting became. He sank himself into serious roles, yet you're always aware you're watching Robin Williams. The chance to do that again for the first time is lost, but at least "One Hour Photo," his many other good movies, stand-up performances, and a thousand YouTube clips are here to enjoy over and over. They're all we have and will have to do.

Please be aware this review is on the movie itself so much as the transfer. To be completely blunt the transfer is lackluster which is the reason this isn't a 5 star release for this 5 star movie.Alot of people are surprised when they ask my favorite movie and I bring up a little gem called "One hour Photo". Half the people I speak to haven't a clue what the movie is while the other half simply say the movie was "good". I dont know what it was about this movie that had me ever since my first viewing (Im at about 4th now). There is no big twist ending, no explosions, no romantic love plots, no seeing dead people. The movie is rather simple at first glance. A enjoyable suspenseful thriller. It wasnt until subsequent viewings that I treated this movie like an onion (not in a bad way!) with numerous layers and noticing things I didn't notice any other times. Even my most recent time watching it I noticed more little things that helped me understand Sy more and it was because of these things it has made me grow to love and appreciate this movie.The plot is simple for anyone who hasn't heard of the movies before. Robin Williams portrays "Sy the photo guy". A lonely man whos only family is one who he has only gotten to know through the pictures he develops for them, keeping a set for himself in the process. When the husband is caught by Williams committing adultery, Sy is heartbroken that this man could ruin his perfect fantasy life and take that image away from him. The movie just gets better at this point on.I would recommend subsequent viewings in order to pick up on more little things that could possibly be missed during the first showing.Thank you for reading this review I hope you enjoyed!

The great tragedy of Robin Williams career is that he got so few chances to play truly serious parts.Along with his performance in insomnia this is his best acting part in his illustrious careerThe Blu-ray picture quality is outstandingWhat’s this movie about?For me it’s about loneliness the profound effects it has on peopleOne hour photo is uncomfortably stark.Everything comes together right at the end when the sensitive detective finally understands what’s happened and what has made Cy so broken, alone and ill.How can such a movie be beautifulThis is down to the direction and Robins amazing acting.One hour photo is seriously disturbing and above all its unforgettable.Few movies have this level of impact.

This really shows another sound of Robin Williams acting skills. This film is a far cry from Hook & Mrs Doubtfire. Even Good Morning Vietnam wasn't as dark with such multiple layers in one character. From the beginning you see the ending, but that makes you want, all the more, to see how such a quiet, unassuming character, on the surface, could have come to be in such a predicament. A truly unnerving film with excellent actors, not least the great, & sadly departed, Robin Williams.

Though provoking.A family have relationship problems (Dad starts affair) and a lonely man who develops their ‘perfect’ family phots is sacked. The lonely man who already has a small obsession with the family begins to stalk them the result is creepy to say the least.Well made and kept me watching till the end.

The written details about the film on back of box is in German, not ideal if like myself can't speak German. This is now the second blu ray from Amazon thats not written in English, should have stated this on Amazon with the product.

An unusually subdued role for the late, incredibly talented Robin Williams, but no less powerful for it.Slow but gripping, understated yet immensely powerful. A tragic tale of "ordinary" life.My kinda gig.