White Oleander

Alison Lohman Director: Peter Kosminsky Peter Kosminsky

Overview

Expected to bring in both big box office and Oscar nominations (it did neither), White Oleander is the kind of film that generally goes further on home video than in the theaters. The DVD is a mix, though, as the image, framed at 1.85:1 and anamorphic (there is a full-frame version also available) lacks good detail. It's soft, but not a horrible distraction, since the actual transfer is nearly perfect. Colors are somewhat muted, though possibly intentional for effect. As for the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, it's nothing to get to excited about. Surrounds are basically nonexistent, though dialogue is clear and distinguishable. Fortunately, giving it some life, the bass does go into effect at very appropriate times, creating a deep sonic result. Though far from a special edition, Warner has included a number of extras. First off is a scene-specific commentary track from director Peter Kosminsky, producer John Wells, and author Janet Fitch. Next is a standard Hollywood PR piece, entitled "The Journey of White Oleander," which means you get as many scenes from the film as actual interviews. It doesn't amount to a whole lot. In addition to this is another brief featurette, called (excitingly enough) "The Making of White Oleander." There's little variation between these two though, and seems odd to need both. Also included are six deleted scenes, along with some cast and crew information, and the theatrical trailer.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/11/2003
UPC:	0085392341429
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	9,257

Special Features

Closed Caption; Feature-length commentary by director Peter Kosminsky, producer John Wells and original novel author Janet Fitch.; Enthralling additional scenes; 2 behind-the-scenes visits with the cast & creators: The Journey of White Oleander and The Making of White Oleander; Interactive menus; Theatrical trailer; Cast/director/writer film highlights; Scene access; Languages: English & Français; Subtitles: English, Français & Español

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Alison Lohman	Astrid Magnussen
Michelle Pfeiffer	Ingrid Magnussen
Robin Wright	Starr
Renée Zellweger	Claire Richards
Billy Connolly	Barry Kolker
Svetlana Efremova	Rena
Patrick Fugit	Paul Trout
Cole Hauser	Ray
Noah Wyle	Ron Richards
Amy Aquino	Miss Martinez
Marc Donato	Davey
James Lashly	Reverend Daniels
Taryn Manning	Nikki
Kali Rocha	Susan Valeris
Stephen Root	Michael
Liz Stauber	Carolee
John Billingsley	Paramedic
Elisa Bocanegra	Girl in Fight
Darlene Bohorquez	Prisoner
Solomon Burke	Guard
Scott Allan Campbell	Bill Greenway
Sam Catlin	Teacher
Debra Christofferson	Marlena
Vernon Haas	Guard
Sean Happy	Dirt Bike Boyfriend
Leila Kenzle	Ann Greenway
Cathy Ladman	Swap Meet Mother
Drinda La Lumia	Patty
Myra Lamar	Detective
James W. Lee	Prison Visitor
Daniel Mandehr	Dad at Induction Area
DeVonda Manghane	Guard at X-ray Machine
Melissa Marsala	Julie
Melissa McCarthy	Paramedic
Roger McIntyre	Police Officer
Dallas McKinney	Owen
Brian Mulligan	Bailiff
Allison Munn	Hannah
Jennifer Saxon	Swap Meet Daughter
Samantha Shelton	Yvonne
Mark Soper	Patrick
Carl Sundstrom	Police Officer
Kimo Wills	Comic Book Store Clerk
Biff Yeager	Judge

Technical Credits

Mary Agnes Donoghue

Peter Kosminsky	Director
Debra Baum	Musical Direction/Supervision
Thomas Betts	Set Decoration/Design
Steve Bowerman	Sound/Sound Designer
Donald Graham Burt	Production Designer
Stacy Cohen	Executive Producer
Elliot Davis	Cinematographer
Susie de Santo	Costumes/Costume Designer
Mary Agnes Donoghue	Screenwriter
Bryony Foster	Set Decoration/Design
E.K. Gaylord	Executive Producer
Kristin Harms	Executive Producer
Ann Kline	Musical Direction/Supervision
Ellen Lewis	Casting
Hunt Lowry	Producer
Patrick Markey	Executive Producer
Thomas Newman	Score Composer
Kaaren F. Ochoa	Asst. Director
Ilyse A. Reutlinger	Associate Producer
Chris Ridsdale	Editor
Earl Rose	Score Composer
Tony Stabley	Art Director
Tracy Underwood	Associate Producer
John Wells	Producer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Working Back (Credits) [2:34]
2. Feeling the Wind [3:03]
3. Barry [5:18]
4. Arrested [1:57]
5. Starr and Ray [3:52]
6. Both in Prison [3:44]
7. Knowing Things [3:57]
8. The Enemy [5:17]
9. Hard Getting Older [4:32]
10. Breaking Point [6:08]
11. Mutual Threats [2:24]
12. Not Interested in Paul [3:57]
13. Runaway Artists [5:05]
14. Question of Happiness [3:00]
15. Claire [1:28]
16. How's She Doing? [3:05]
17. Love Humiliates You [5:37]
18. Broken People [5:57]
19. Poisoned With Words [4:09]
20. Two Choices [3:13]
21. Rena [2:54]
22. Their Project [2:35]
23. Propositions [2:30]
24. Trade for the Truth [4:10]
25. Price of Belonging [3:56]
26. Held Close and Left Alone [5:15]
27. Secret Wanting [3:56]
28. End Credits (Safe and Sound) [2:00]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play Movie
   Scene Selections
   Special Features
      Cast & Crew
         Alison Lohman...Astrid Magnussen
         Robin Wright Penn...Starr
         Michelle Pfieffer...Ingrid Magnussen
         Reneé Zellweger...Claire Richards
      Crew
         Mary Agnus Donoghue (Screenplay)
         Peter Kosminsky (Director)
      Commentary
      Additional Scenes
      The Journey of White Oleander
      The Making of White Oleander
      Theatrical Trailer
   Languages
      Spoken Languages
         English
         Français
      Subtitles
         English
         Français
         Español
         Off

Editorial Reviews

Janet Fitch’s memorable novel reaches the screen in a meticulously crafted adaptation that provides Michelle Pfeiffer with her best role in nearly a decade. As Ingrid, a smart, free-spirited, and somewhat narcissistic artist who kills her deceitful lover in a crime of passion, Pfeiffer positively radiates intelligent malevolence: this character isn’t just self-absorbed, she’s willfully manipulative. Even while serving a prison sentence, she exerts control over her adoring teenage daughter, Astrid (Alison Lohman), who’s forced to spend her teenage years in a series of foster homes before becoming her own person. Veteran TV director Peter Kosminsky, having undertaken a very ambitious project, acquits himself with distinction. He fully explores the strange relationship of Ingrid and Astrid, but he also takes pain to develop supporting characters -- particularly the kindly but insecure foster parent played by Renée Zellweger and the pious trailer-trash mom played by Robin Wright Penn. Pfeiffer’s intensely strong character is omnipresent, even in scenes in which she doesn’t appear, but Lohman’s Astrid experiences the most growth. At first merely an appendage of her mother, the girl develops character as a result of her peripatetic adolescence. Though Pfeiffer dominates White Oleander’s early scenes, it’s Lohman who brings the film to such a positive, enormously satisfying conclusion.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Adapting Janet Fitch's florid, overwrought, Oprah-endorsed melodrama to the big screen poses a challenge to any director: Stay true to the source novel and make a laughable, pretentious soap opera, or break away from the book and its legions of fans and make a low-key, introspective character study. The result lies somewhere in-between, as British director Peter Kosminsky manages to do away with most of the novel's over-cooked metaphors and ham-fisted soliloquies in an attempt to get at the crux of the material, all the while retaining the ten-hanky grandstanding that made White Oleander such a big hit. The compromise mostly works, and even when it doesn't, the results are still compelling in a home-sick-watching-daytime-television sort of way. Much of the credit belongs to the two leads: newcomer Alison Lohman, who manages to keep audience sympathy admirably at bay as she tangles horns with Michelle Pfeiffer, who in turn is clearly relishing the chance to break free of her earnest-mom roles to play a venomous "Viking" of a woman again (no matter how overwritten the part may be). Melodramas like this go through Shocking Revelations and Big Speeches with all the unpredictability of a precision marksman at target practice, but Kosminsky, thanks in no small part to some judicious editing, manages to keep the film's mood pitched at a languid, ambient hum -- the emphasis here is on the "mellow" more than the drama.

All Movie Guide - Michael Hastings

Superbly acted from top to bottom. Stephen Holden

New York Times

Graced by several splendid performances and clean direction by Peter Kosminsky that shrewdly chooses to ignore most melodramatic impulses. Michael Rechtshaffen

Hollywood Reporter

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