Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

UPC: 715515013222

Studio: Criterion

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Profanity, Substance Abuse]

Summary: Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King) directed this colorful, stylized, pseudo-psychedelic $21-million adaptation of the 1971 Hunter S. Thompson classic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey into the Heart of the American Dream, about stoned sportswriter Raoul Duke, Thompson's alter ego, on a wild drug-crazed road trip, a paranoid plummet into the belly of the beast, with his pal, lawyer Oscar Zeta Acosta. Originally serialized in Rolling Stone (November 1971), the book catapulted Thompson headfirst toward the Kerouac-Mailer-Capote pantheon and jump-started the entire movement of "gonzo journalism." Carrying a suitcase of drugs, Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp with shaved pate) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) drive a red convertible across the Mojave from L.A. to Vegas, where Duke has an assignment to cover the Mint 400 desert motorcycle race. As the drugs kick in, Duke ventures into voiceover, filling in the blank spots and narrative gaps. "This is not a good town for psychedelic drugs," says Duke, but even so, they consume vast quantities, eventually escalating to ether. Duke notes that with ether "you can actually watch yourself behaving this terrible way, but you can't control it." The two trash their hotel room, and Gonzo goes back to L.A. Thinking the hotel room holocaust will lead to an arrest, Duke begins a drive back to L.A., but after an odd encounter with a highway patrolman (Gary Busey) and a telephone conversation with Gonzo, he returns to Vegas to cover the District Attorney Convention on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the glitzy Flamingo Hotel. This time the drugged-out duo trash their Flamingo room. The crazed carnival atmosphere segues into a carney casino, Bazooko's Circus, where a barker (Penn Jillette) spiels amid aerialists, clowns, and a rotating carousel bar. Gonzo worries over runaway teen Lucy (Christina Ricci), who paints portraits of Barbra Streisand. Soon the hallucinations begin: Duke sees Gonzo transmogrify into a demon with breasts on its back, and an acid vision of a Vegas bar features large legit lounge lizards (courtesy of monster makeup man Rob Bottin). Flashbacks depicting Duke's intro to the drug scene jump back to love-Haight relationships in San Francisco's Summer of Love. Cameos and guest stars include Mark Harmon, Cameron Diaz, Flea, Lyle Lovett, Harry Dean Stanton, Ellen Barkin, Tobey Maguire, and Hunter S. Thompson himself. The film features a Geffen Records soundtrack mixing rock of the period with Vegas lounge tunes. Over the years, various script adaptations came and went as did numerous talents; people connected with past efforts to film Thompson's book include Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and writer-director Alex Cox. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Features: ccDigital transfer supervised by director Terry Gilliam and enhanced for 16x9 televisions
New Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound mixes
Three audio commentary tracks: director Terry Gilliam; stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, and producer Laila Nabulsi; and author Hunter S. Thompson
Deleted scenes with commentary by Terry Gilliam
English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
Optimal image quality RSDL dual-layer edition
Collection of storyboards and production designs
Stills gallery
Selection of Hunter S. Thompson correspondence read on-camera by Johnny Depp
Hunter Goes to Hollywood, a short documentary video by filmmaker Wayne Ewing
A look at the controversy over the screenwriting credit
Original trailer and TV spots
Rare materials on Oscar Zeta Acosta, the inspiration for Dr. Gonzo
Collection of original artwork by illustrator Ralph Steadman
Excerpt from 1996 Fear and Loathing audio CD with Maury Chaykin, Jim Jarmusch, and Harry Dean Stanton
Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, a 1978 BBC documentary with Thompson and Steadman
Booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and two pieces by Thompson

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/18/2003

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Theater Systems, DDS Dolby Digital Surround, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 119 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- The Movie
1. "Somewhere Around Barstow" [6:01]
2. 24 Hours Ago [8:27]
3. "Name, Rank, and Press Affiliation" [8:17]
4. The Mint 400 [4:43]
5. "Stoned, Ripped, Twisted" [3:58]
6. Bazooko Circus [7:33]
7. "Extemely Menacing Vibrations" [5:43]
8. "Humping the American Dream" [1:14]
9. "White Rabbit" [6:30]
10. "A High and Beautiful Wave" [4:38]
11. "Slipping the Noose" [4:20]
12. Leaving Las Vegas [6:46]
13. The Great Magnet [4:19]
14. A Preternatural Courtship [7:07]
15. "Know Your Dope Fiend" [4:07]
16. The Last of Lucy [5:02]
17. "You Took Too Much, Too Much" [4:16]
18. "Signs of Violence" [4:57]
19. "Welcome to the Happy Place" [3:09]
20. "Back Door Beauty?" [5:51]
21. "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die" [3:14]
22. "Grim Meathook Realities" [8:02]
1. A Great Roar [6:01]
2. Garden of Eden [8:27]
3. Lizards [8:17]
4. Dust Storm [4:43]
5. Greed and Madness [3:58]
6. The Edge of Your Psyche [7:33]
7. Versions of Hell [5:43]
8. Limbo [1:14]
9. A Trip of the Spirit [6:30]
10. Perverse Images [4:38]
11. Time to Let Go [4:20]
12. Waiting Demons [6:46]
13. Editing [4:19]
14. Turkish Nightmare [7:07]
15. Alice in Wonderland [4:07]
16. No Shame [5:02]
17. Sacrifice [4:16]
18. Physical Presence [4:57]
19. Objects of Worship [3:09]
20. Too Far [5:51]
21. Passion Is Everything [3:14]
22. A Moral Tale [8:02]
1. "Intelligence Behind the Madness" [6:01]
2. Background [8:27]
3. Internal Thoughts [8:17]
4. Terry Gilliam [4:43]
5. Counterculture Heroes [3:58]
6. Midgets [7:33]
7. Angry Characters [5:43]
8. Vision of Vegas [1:14]
9. "Guts and Imagination" [6:30]
10. "We Didn't Win" [4:38]
11. Johnny and Hunter [4:20]
12. Dangerous Blonde [6:46]
13. "A Magical Idea" [4:19]
14. Casting [7:07]
15. "A Great Southern Gentleman" [4:07]
16. Hunter on the Set [5:02]
17. "The Really Nasty One" [4:16]
18. Out of Control [4:57]
19. The Play and the Movie [3:09]
20. Crossing the Line [5:51]
21. Unspoken Feelings [3:14]
22. "A Big Piece of Art" [8:02]
1. "A Torturous Road" [6:01]
2. Difficult Project [8:27]
3. Bad Karma [8:17]
4. Vietnam [4:43]
5. A Journalistic Assignment [3:58]
6. Oscar [7:33]
7. Call From Doug Brinkley [5:43]
8. Interpretations [1:14]
9. "Appeal of the Outlaw" [6:30]
10. "A Horrible Experience" [4:38]
11. Rejection and Revenge [4:20]
12. Marketing the Movie [6:46]
13. One God? [4:19]
14. "A Romantic Tale" [7:07]
15. Crank Calls [4:07]
16. Illegal Drugs [5:02]
17. Tim Leary [4:16]
18. False Prophet [4:57]
19. "Is There Any Hope?" [3:09]
20. "The End of the World" [5:51]
21. "A Proper Ending" [3:14]
22. "The Last of the Innocent Years" [8:02]
Side #2 -- The Supplements
1. Hunter and Ralph [7:01]
2. Thompson and Duke [7:32]
3. Revisiting the Past [9:58]
4. "To the Dream Factory" [2:47]
5. Hollywood [15:38]
6. In Memoriam [7:15]

Matthew Tobey

Just as it seemed impossible to make a cinematic adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's words from the classic 1971 account of post-1960s America, it's quite a task describing such a visual film in text. It simply has to be seen to be believed and understood. And that is one of the film's biggest successes, turning the words into images -- original, vivid, unforgettable images that pull the viewer into the movie whether they get it or not, whether it's a dream, a drug trip, or a warped recollection of the past. But Terry Gilliam's brilliant visual style would be wasted if not for the incredible performances of Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. Both play their characters with the eyes of strangers in a strange land, despite the fact that they are in their home country. Judged by many to be pointless and even boring, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is, as the original book was, a reflection of an unsettling, unpredictable time. It's lack of a concrete traditional story arc may turn some off, but for those who can look beyond that, it is hilarious, scary, manic, and poignant, a film that is pure anarchic entertainment as much as it is compelling insight. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Richard Riehle  Actor 
Patrick Cassavetti  Producer 
Alex Cox  Screenwriter 
Terry Gilliam  Director 
Terry Gilliam  Screenwriter 
Tony Grisoni  Screenwriter 
Stephen Nemeth  Producer 
Harold Bronson  Executive Producer 
Tod Davies  Screenwriter 
Richard Foos  Executive Producer 
Laila Nabulsi  Producer 
Johnny Depp  Actor 
Benicio Del Toro  Actor 
Craig Bierko  Actor 
Ellen Barkin  Actor 
Gary Busey  Actor 
Cameron Diaz  Actor 
Flea  Actor 
Mark Harmon  Actor 
Katherine Helmond  Actor 
Michael Jeter  Actor 
Penn Jillette  Actor 
Lyle Lovett  Actor 
Tobey Maguire  Actor 
Christina Ricci  Actor 
Harry Dean Stanton  Actor 
Tim Thomerson  Actor 

Country: USA