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Before Night Falls (DVD)

4.4 out of 5 stars 752 ratings
IMDb7.1/10.0

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September 6, 2005
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Genre Documentary
Format Multiple Formats, NTSC, Dolby, Color, Widescreen, Subtitled, Closed-captioned
Contributor John Kilik, Johnny Depp, Julian Schnabel, Diego Luna, Javier Bardem, Jerzy Skolimowski, Ewa Piaskowska, Lazaro Gomez Carriles, Cuhhingham O'Keefe, Sean Penn, Olivier Martinez, Hector Babenco, Reynaldo Arenas See more
Initial release date 2005-09-06
Language English
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

A division of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together all of Warner Bros.’ businesses involved in the delivery of home entertainment content to consumers.

Based on the constantly changing ways by which consumers access entertainment, WBHE focuses on maximizing current and next-generation distribution scenarios to make the Studio’s content available to audiences through as many channels, platforms and devices as possible.

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Warner Home Video

With distribution in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video has one of the largest distribution infrastructures in the global video marketplace. In 2019, Warner Home Video had 20% marketshare for overall home entertainment WHV also had the library with “Harry Potter Complete 8-Film Collection” and the television franchise with “Game of Thrones.”

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Product Description

Before Night Falls (DVD)

Episodic look at the life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990), from his childhood in Oriente province to his death in New York City. He joins Castro's rebels. By 1964, he is in Havana. He meets the wealthy Pepe, an early lover; a love-hate relationship lasts for years. Openly gay behavior is a way to spite the government. His writing and homosexuality get him into trouble: he spends two years in prison, writing letters for other inmates and smuggling out a novel. He befriends Lázaro Gomes Garriles, with whom he lives stateless and in poverty in Manhattan after leaving Cuba in the Mariel boat-lift. When asked why he writes, he replies cheerfully, "Revenge".

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Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1984900455
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Julian Schnabel
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Dolby, Color, Widescreen, Subtitled, Closed-captioned
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 13 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ September 6, 2005
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Javier Bardem, Sean Penn, Olivier Martinez, Johnny Depp, Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ French, Spanish
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ John Kilik
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Studio Distribution Services
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00003CXRG
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Reynaldo Arenas, Cuhhingham O'Keefe, Lazaro Gomez Carriles, Julian Schnabel
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 752 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
752 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the movie's breathtaking cinematography and spectacular acting, particularly Johnny Depp's performance. The film offers a fascinating view of the Cuban revolution and features powerful performances, with one customer noting its gritty and brutal nature. While customers find the movie's story compelling, they express mixed feelings about its emotional impact, describing it as very sad at times.

57 customers mention "Movie quality"57 positive0 negative

Customers praise the movie's cinematography, describing it as breathtaking.

"...Another good reason to see this great movie is because the whole cast is wonderful and they all do an amazing job with their roles...." Read more

"Great movie!!!!" Read more

"A little bit in your face. Good movie but appeals to a more mature audience. Parental supervision is necessary ." Read more

"Sexy! Sexy! Sexy!..." Read more

33 customers mention "Story quality"29 positive4 negative

Customers find the movie's story compelling and memorable, with one customer noting its many universal truths.

"...It is a wonderful film with a very sad but true story that needed to be told . I felt it was good enough for me to have in my permanent library." Read more

"...The film is an inspirational and artful masterpiece of cinema and deserves all the acclaim and plaudits the film received...." Read more

"...This is an excellent film, visually compelling with a narrative flow that is not smooth or consistent, but totally engaging all the same...." Read more

"...There are so many universal truths in this film that one simple review cannot possibly elaborate 1/10 of them...." Read more

32 customers mention "Acting"32 positive0 negative

Customers praise the acting in the film, particularly Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem, with one customer highlighting Bardem's amazing performance as poet Reinaldo Arenas.

"...Watch for Johnny Depp's performance in two roles. He's a great actor." Read more

"...piece of art all the way around--casting, directing, cinematography, acting, etc...." Read more

"Good acting but weak storyline" Read more

"...Another good reason to see this great movie is because the whole cast is wonderful and they all do an amazing job with their roles...." Read more

6 customers mention "Grit"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the film's gritty nature, with one review describing it as simultaneously brutal and powerful, while another notes how it confronts the human forces that resist oppression.

"...achievement in the ability to depict repression and the human forces that resist it." Read more

"...of the film, is that the effeminate homosexual poet, is actually the bravest, the strongest and the most heroic man in the film...." Read more

"...pitch with the storytelling style of the book - which is simultaneously gritty to brutal...." Read more

"Confronting and powerful reading (and viewing) but felt it was a must. Quite extraordinary." Read more

5 customers mention "Educational value"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the movie educational, providing a fascinating view of the Cuban revolution.

"Definitely a piece of Cuban history that needed to be told. Those were such turbulent times...." Read more

"We liked the educational part of the movie. Very interesting to learn about Cuba and what went on...." Read more

"...good production values, good acting, and some insights of the Cuban revolution gone wrong. But too much gay stuff for my preference...." Read more

"A great movie. Fascinating view of the Cuban revolution. The boy's mom is incredibly hot. Seriously, you'd have to be gay or stupid to abandon her...." Read more

5 customers mention "Power"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the movie powerful, with one mentioning outstanding performances.

"...As powerful and brilliant as this movie is, it is also extremely tragic in regards to all the terrible pain and suffering that Cuban author Reynaldo..." Read more

"...For my money ~ equally important to his outstanding performances - I implicitly trust any of my most beloved books in his hands...." Read more

"Such a beautiful film. Fantastic poetry and so well written and performed. The score was so beautiful. The cinematography was breathtaking...." Read more

"This purchase was a birthday gift for a friend -- very powerful and moving DVD. A must have for Javier Bardem fans." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the DVD to be good value for money.

"...Well made movie, good production values, good acting, and some insights of the Cuban revolution gone wrong. But too much gay stuff for my preference...." Read more

"...It was surprisingly easy to find and affordable. The disc itself was very scratched, but the movie played without skips." Read more

"Like new DVD and the price was good, thanks!!! A++++" Read more

"Great movie at a great price!" Read more

11 customers mention "Sadness"6 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the movie's emotional content, with some finding it very sad, while one customer describes it as a heart-wrenching story.

"...by Johnny Depp and Sean Penn is living proof of the quality of this sad and joyous exploration of the great poet's life." Read more

"...It's a painful and heart-wrenching story, but the acting is superb and there are moments of true mirth along with those of care and tenderness...." Read more

"...It is a wonderful film with a very sad but true story that needed to be told . I felt it was good enough for me to have in my permanent library." Read more

"...All actors in this movie were great! This was a very good movie. So sad at times but a good one for a Saturday movie night!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2014
    Before Night Falls (2000; 133 min) — Javier Bardem, the Spanish actor (partly of Cuban descent) was an Oscar nominee for "Best Actor" for this universally acclaimed film of 2000. The movie is based on the life of the dissident Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, who was arrested and persecuted for engaging in a sex crime he did not commit. The source and inspiration for this movie are the poet's own memoirs published in 1994 under the same name as the film. Arenas was victimized in Kafkaesque fashion and persecuted really for being gay and then having the gumption of protesting against the dictatorship and censorship in communist Cuba. Arenas finally fled Cuba during the turbulent Mariel Boatlift exodus of 1980, reaching the U.S. In American freedom, he continued his writings and work, pleading for freedom and liberty of expression in Cuba. Incredibly, in New York, where he settled, he was not supported in his work by the powerful American gay lobby, which chose to ignore his work and not to offend the Castro brothers.

    The film is an inspirational and artful masterpiece of cinema and deserves all the acclaim and plaudits the film received. Javier Bardem is finally being recognized as one of the greatest actors of this age and his performance here is as unforgettable as those subsequently dramatized in his films "The Dancer Upstairs" (2003) and "Love in the Time of the Cholera" (2008). I cannot possibly recommend this film with more avidity and enthusiasm. Rent the movie or better buy the DVD, for as a discerning viewer you are more apt to watch it more than once!

    The reviewer Dr. Miguel Faria is a medical historian, and an Associate Editor in Chief and World Affairs Editor of Surgical Neurology International (SNI). He is the author of Cuba in Revolution -- Escape From a Lost Paradise (2002), and numerous articles on political history and communism, including "Stalin's Mysterious Death" (2011); "Stalin, Communists and Fatal Statistics" (2011); "the Political Spectrum -- From the Extreme Right and Anarchism to the Extreme Left and Communism" (2011); and
    Fidel Castro, Cuban Intelligence and the Assassination of JFK (2013)
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2025
    Great film.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2003
    I love this movie and I totally agree with the critics that it was the best movie of 2000. As powerful and brilliant as this movie is, it is also extremely tragic in regards to all the terrible pain and suffering that Cuban author Reynaldo Arenas had to endured only because he was gay and was dead set against the Cuban government. For his beliefs he was jailed,ridicule and tortured in the most inhume way. This film is not easy to sit thru simply because of everything that Mr.Arenas went thru in his life. Javier Bardem who I had never heard of before this movie does and an excellent job in capturing Arenas charecteristics and mannerisms as well. He gave a remarkable performance and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor but unfortunately did not win which I thought was very wrong but then again we all know how much politics and red tape are in the Oscars evey year and the actor or actress that you think deserves the award ends up not winning. It is also sad to see when Arenas becomes infected with HIV and in end dies in his New York aparment alongside his lover played by Olivier Martinez. One performance that I thought was wonderful although very short was that of actor Johnny Depp as the charamistic and flamboyant drag queen Bon Bon. He was also just as good playing a stern and cold Cuban government official who interrogates Reynaldo Arenas about his true feelings for the government. The scene where Johnny Depp's character is sitting down in a chair and looks at Arenas and starts touching his penis until he gets an erection is quite intense although too short to really notice but you really do see him touching himself. Overall this movie is amazing and I highly recommended to anyone who cares to know about what really goes on in Cuba when you are thrown in jail and tortured only because of your sexual orientation and your beliefs of free speech which ofcourse they are forbidden in Cuba. Another good reason to see this great movie is because the whole cast is wonderful and they all do an amazing job with their roles. If you care about excellence in acting this one is a MUST see.
    15 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2025
    Definitely a piece of Cuban history that needed to be told. Those were such turbulent times. 4 stars only because of mature content and underlying themes.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Leonard Clarke
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant film
    Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2019
    Brilliant film and he got Penelope Cruz. One of the truly greats of our time
  • Rodrigo Escudero
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great item and really fast shipping
    Reviewed in Spain on February 25, 2015
    The item was exactly as described and it was in great condition. Also the shipping was really fast. Great seller
  • APB- Girl
    5.0 out of 5 stars " Ich habe großes Glück? "
    Reviewed in Germany on July 9, 2017
    Kuba, Provinz Oriente, 1943:
    " Bäume haben ein geheimes Leben, es offenbart sich nur jenen, die bereit sind,
    sie zu erklimmen. Ich erinnere mich nicht, wann ich geboren wurde, aber als ich
    Drei Monate alt war, kehrte meine Mutter in das Haus meiner Großmutter zurück-
    mit mir als Beweis ihres Unglücks.
    Meine Kindheit war unvergleichlich schön,....aufgrund der absoluten Armut und der absoluten Freiheit.
    Ich verbrachte sie draußen, umgeben von Bäumen, Tieren und Menschen, die sich nicht für mich interessierten..........".
    Die Stimme aus dem Of- sie klingt so wunderbar, so melancholisch. Zieht durch den ganzen Film.
    Diese Erzählungen aus Reinaldos Leben, die Kindheitserinnerungen geben dem Film noch zusätzliche Tiefe.........-
    ich lausche der angenehmen Stimme, höre sehr gerne zu.
    " Reinaldo hat eine besondere Begabung, er hat ein starkes Gefühl für die Poesie. " Und er raucht schon mit Vierzehn
    dicke Zigarren und lässt sich von gewissen Damen verwöhnen.
    Und bald schon trifft er auf die Rebellen, die aus Velasco kommen,- da, wo Reinaldo hinwollte. Und sie ballern in die Luft,
    rufen: " Es lebe Kuba! "
    Havanna 1964: Reinaldo studiert Agrarwissenschaft. " Sag` mal, würdest du gern in der Nationalbibliothek arbeiten?
    Die Bezahlung ist nicht sehr gut, doch du könntest alle Bücher lesen, von denen du geträumt hast. " - " Das wäre wunderbar, vielen Dank. "
    Javier Bardem- für mich schon lange der Inbegriff sehr guter Filme. Sein Schauspiel fesselt mich immer wieder, egal, ob in
    " No Country for old men " , " Das Meer in mir " oder nun in BEFORE NIGHT FALLS.
    " Was hast du mit deiner Lippe gemacht? " - " Ach, ich bin einem begegnet, der keine französische Musik mag....." . - " Sei vorsichtig. "
    Ich mag Javier, ja. Sehr. Und auch diesen Film.

    ***************************************************************************************

    Geschichte:

    Havanna der sechziger Jahre: Autor Reinaldo Arenas kämpft
    gegen Zensur und Unterdrückung. Das Regime steckt den Freidenker
    in das berüchtigte El- Moro- Gefängnis- denn in Kuba schwul und Schriftsteller zu sein,
    ist eine verdammenswürdige Kombination.............................................

    **************************************************************************************************************************

    Mein etwas längeres Fazit:

    Basierend auf der posthum 1995 erschienenen Biographie des an AIDS erkrankten Arenas`
    und seinem literarischen Werk verfolgt Julian Schnabel die Lebensgeschichte eines eigenwilligen Künstlers-
    wobei er die Jugendjahre und die letzten Jahre in New York nur streift.
    BEFORE NIGHT FALLS- der Schwerpunkt liegt auf den Erlebnissen des erwachsenen Reinaldo und seinem Kampf
    zwischen politischen und gesellschaftlichen Restriktionen- und der Freiheit seiner Kunst.
    " Was können wir tun, um Ihnen zu helfen? " - " Mein letztes Manuskript wurde verboten. Nehmen Sie es mit. "
    Ein toller und überragender Bardem als schwuler Poet, in einer heiklen und tragischen Geschichte.
    Johnny Depp diesmal eher nebensächlich im Film, Sean Penn entpuppt sich als Suchspiel- gerade mal Vierzig Sekündchen
    ist er zu sehen,....wenn man gut aufpasst. Der klasse Score unterlegt die Stimmung der Szenen genau so dramatisch
    wie verspielt, da auch im Hintergrund von traurigen, brutalen Handlungen eine fröhliche spanische Musik läuft.
    " Sie sind festgenommen. " - " Wieso?! " - " Na, weil ich es sage. "
    BEFORE NIGHT FALLS ist ergrefend gut gespielt. Als Vergewaltiger, CIA- Agent eingesperrt- diese Anschuldigungen-
    an einem Ort, wo sich die wirklich Kriminellen und Mörder wegen der geringsten Kleinigkeit umbringen.
    Und inmitten von Geschrei und Lärm schreibt Reinaldo seinen Roman: BEFORE NIGHT FALLS- Bevor es Nacht wird.
    " Du hast viele Bewunderer,....aber was ist eigentlich mit deinen Freunden? Wo sind die jetzt? "
    Ein Film von Julian Schnabel. Mit der Musik u. a. von Lou Reed und Laurie Anderson.

    Lauflänge: 127.38 Minuten!

    Extras ( keine deutschen Untertitel ) :

    - Audiokommentare mit Darstellern und Regisseur!

    - Hinter den Kulissen= 7.22 Minuten!

    - " Little notes on painting " = 13.35 Minuten!

    - Arthaus Collection im Überblick, Trailer!

    " Tatsache ist: Einen Schwulen zu resozialisieren, das ist................unmöglich."
    Report
  • Ewa Filipowicz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2022
    I have become a fan of Julian Schnabel art after watching his Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Julian Schnabel's another film, Before Night Falls, inspired me to go through the Cuban literature from the period 1940s to 1980s. The film is magnificent in any aspect, based on the great book by Reindo Arenas. Immediately, after I finished watching the film, I went to Waterstone to buy Reindo Arenas ' avaliable books. Great discovery.
  • sheyla
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rapidez
    Reviewed in Spain on January 26, 2013
    El producto llego junto con otros pedidos que hice y estada todo correcto, cada uno empaquetado de forma individual y llego muy rapido