Beginning in 1989, theater director Andre Gregory and actor Wallace Shawn undertook a unique theatrical experiment: gathering together a group of actors, they started performing Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in and around New York City, in any available space they could find.  The troupe didn’t worry about costumes and sets; the drama of the words was what mattered. The group performed the show on-and-off for four years, when actors Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn contacted Louis Malle about making a film of the play.

Vanya on 42nd StreetAdapted by David Mamet, the treatment of Chekhov’s work is precise and modern. Shot at the crumbling New Amsterdam Theatre before it was renovated by Disney, appropriately the rundown locale meshes well with a major theme of the play, which centers around a Russian family around the turn of the century dealing with lost possibilities. The drab surroundings add realness to the melancholy feel that pervades the story.

Wallace Shawn plays Uncle Vanya, an aging intellectual who declares, “I’ve squandered my past on nonsense.”  He could have been the next Dostoevsky if fate hadn’t conspired against him. He spends his days tending to the estate owned by his brother-in-law Serebryakov (George Gaynes), a retired professor and writer in the shadow of whose fading fame the rest of the family clings to. Serebryakov is an old man, but he has a new, young wife Yelena (Julianne Moore) who captures the heart of both Vanya and the visiting Dr. Astrov (Larry Pine). Meanwhile, Sonya (Brooke Smith), Serybryakov’s daughter from a previous marriage, wants to get the attention of Dr. Astrov. This is a family full of unrequited loves.

Tensions reach a breaking point when Serebryakov announces he wants to sell the estate. Outraged, Uncle Vanya immediately confronts him. Vanya is soon forced to accept that the rest of his life is destined to be as difficult as the years before. In one of dramas most heartbreaking monologues, Sonya comforts her uncle as he imagines an idyllic eternity earned through their suffering: “[W]e’ll look back on this life of our unhappiness with tenderness, and we’ll smile—and in that new life we shall rest, uncle.” At once compassionate and dejected, Sonya’s words are hopeful in a time of utter despair. Chekhov doesn’t guarantee a better afterlife, but his characters really have no choice but to believe in something better in the beyond.

While my personal interest in the film was minimal, I respect the idea. Watching these talented artists at work is a treat; anyone who wants to be an actor should watch Vanya on 42nd Street at least once. In what turned out to be Louis Malle’s last film (he would pass away in 1995), Vanya captures stage acting at its most personal.

Presented in 1.66:1, this 1080p transfer is surprisingly good despite the stripped down look of the production. Vivid looking, flesh tones look natural and the color palette bright. Criterion has done a nice job here.

The LPCM 2.0 soundtrack serves the material well, providing clear dialogue throughout.

English subtitles are provided.

The following special features are included:

  • Like Life: The Making of Vanya on 42nd Street (36 min, 1080p) produced by Criterion in 2011, this documentary features stage director Andre Gregory, producer Fred Berner, and actors Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore, Brooke Smith, Lynn Cohen, Larry Pine, and George Gaynes discussing how Vanya on 42nd Street came to be, its evolution into a film, etc.
  • Trailer (3 min, 1080i)
  •  Booklet a 22-page illustrated booklet featuring Steven Vineberg’s essay “An American Vanya” and Amy Taubin’s essay “The Discreet Charm of Vanya”.