DVDs: Dustin Hoffman

Now, Charlie isn't the greatest communicator himself; at least as far as listening goes; he is used to talking people down, and if that alone doesn't do the trick, he starts to yell. This, however, just doesn't work with Raymond, who lives in a world of his own and, unable to express emotion in any other way, falls into a nervous tic when feeling threatened. So for the first time in his life Charlie has to learn to accept another human being for what he is, and work *with* his bewildering methods of communication rather than against them. And subtly, very subtly, Charlie begins to change, until at last he no longer wants to relinquish custody of Raymond even after having been offered a substantial amount of money: because now money is no longer an issue at all; now it's all about genuine love for a newly-found brother and very special person.

"Rain Man" is ostensibly told from Charlie's perspective; through his, the "normal" guy's eyes we perceive Raymond's habits, tics and strange behavioral code. And even if Charlie is easy enough to snub for his superficiality and materialism, his frustration at his inability to communicate with his brother feels genuine and is something we can empathize with(albeit perhaps inadmittedly). Tom Cruise plays Charlie with a finely-tuned mix of audacity and reluctant emotion; turning a role that seems to start out as just another Cruise cliche into a character who hesitantly comes to realize his own complexities and shortcomings and learns to appreciate sensitivity, compassion and love - yet, without ever taking the role that treacherous step too far into sentimentality.

Still, important as Charlie's character is for this movie's narrative, this is from first to last Raymond's story; and by the same token Dustin Hoffman's, because the two individuals are in fact inseparable: As Hoffman once explained in an interview, he rejects the notion that acting is merely about playing a role, or that the term "my character" could ever appropriately describe his approach to a role; emphasizing that in every part he plays, he truly has to *become* the individual in question to fully be able to understand and portray him. As such, his achievement with Raymond Babbitt is breathtaking indeed; for in a role which not only imposes severe limitations on his ability to communicate traditionally but also gives him virtually no opportunity to express emotion, he conveys Raymond's frailties, unexpected strengths and, significantly, his profound humanity in a manner that lets you forget you're even looking at a piece of acting, thus accomplishing that rare feat only attained by the greatest of actors - and even among Dustin Hoffman's spectacular performances, this one stands out in particular. (He did, of course, win both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for this movie; but somehow even the industry's highest awards don't begin to express the significance of his achievement.)

Raymond Babbitt's character was based on several real-life autistic persons; and at a time when little was known about the condition even in the medical community, contributed substantially to a greater understanding of those afflicted with it. Not all autistic people are so-called "savants" like Raymond, i.e. possess genial mathematic or other abilities within the shell separating them from the outside world (and conversely, not with all of them that shell is as thick as in Raymond's case; although intricate routines do tend to play a rather important role) - so don't go rushing off with them to Vegas for an exercise in "counting cards," at least not before you've verified that they can memorize entire phone books (at least up to the letter "G"), count the toothpicks in a pile on the floor with one glimpse of an eye and determine the square root of a four- or five-digit number within a matter of seconds without so much as looking at an electronic calculator. Chances are you'd do them tremendous harm, not to mention make a complete fool of yourself.

Dustin Hoffman reportedly fought hard for this movie's production even after several directors (including, inter alia, Stephen Spielberg) had bowed out; and in one of those rare un-Hollywood-like moments even managed to maintain the movie's sense of authenticity up to the very end by prevailing on the writers to drop the projected ending, which would have had Raymond staying with Charlie. - In addition to Hoffman's awards, "Rain Man" received the coveted Oscars for Best Movie, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director (Barry Levinson, who also played the psychiatrist called upon to evaluate whether Raymond is fit to stay with Charlie), plus a number of other American and international awards. For once, the industry collectively got it right. But even if this movie hadn't received a single award, it would still remain one of recent film history's greatest and truly unforgettable moments - definitely, it would.

 Weitere Kundenmeinungen

Willy Loman ist Handlungsreisender und definiert sich zum großen Teil über den Erfolg, der ihm bei dieser Tätigkeit beschieden ist. Er ist ca. 60 Jahre alt und ausgebrannt, was er auch selbst betont. Doch wechseln bei ihm in rascher Folge Niedergeschlagenheit und Resignation mit realitätsferner Euphorie, oft auch Wut und starker Selbstbezogenheit. All diese Facetten des Charakters stellt Dustin Hoffman in geradezu und uneingeschränkt faszinierender Weise dar- über die magere, gebeugte und verbrauchte Haltung bis hin zum Tonfall, zur Gestik und Mimik.

Loman findet sich nicht in seiner Realität zurecht, auch dem unvorbereiteten Betrachter mag es zunächst schwerfallen, zwischen der Gegenwart, den Flashbacks und den (Wahn-)vorstellungen zu unterscheiden, die Loman in unterschiedlichen Gefühlslagen erlebt. In der Gegenwart steht er kurz vor der Kündigung, seine Söhne bekommen ihr Leben nicht in den Griff, und zwischen ihm und Biff, dem Älteren, steht eine unergründliche Mauer.

Warum die Verhältnisse so sind, wie sie sich darstellen, wird erst nach und nach enthüllt. In den Impressionen aus der Vergangenheit, mit denen Willy unversehens und unkontrollierbar konfrontiert wird, lieben Biff und Happy ihren Vater nahezu abgöttisch, und er selbst scheint erfolgreich und zufrieden. Dabei bleibt jedoch offen, ob dies eine wahrheitsgetreue Darstellung oder eine von Willys Unterbewusstsein geschönte Version ist.

Die Gründe für den Konflikt der Gegenwart, für Willys Verhalten und seine (Schuld-)gefühle werden nur langsam offensichtlich; vieles muss sich implizit erst im Kopf des Betrachters und Zuhörers entwickeln- klare und eindeutige Antworten gibt Miller nicht. So bleibt der Film in Bezug auf die Handlung bis auf den Schluss relativ unspektakulär, was auch die Absicht des (Dreh-)buchautors ist. Dazu passt die erkennbare Studiokulisse, die völlig karg, trist und weitgehend menschenleer gehalten ist. So wird die Einsamkeit des Individuums, die scheinbare Ausweglosigkeit noch unterstrichen. Man wird sich am Schluss fragen- auch in Hinblick auf Gesellschaftskritik-, ob Lomans Verhalten eine psychische Störung zugrunde liegt, ob die zitierte "Gesellschaft" Schuld trägt, ob er zu sensibel für sein Berufsleben ist... es tun sich noch viel komplexere Fragen auf.

Festzuhalten ist aber, dass ein Großteil der intensiven Wirkung des Films ganz allein von Dustin Hoffmans Interpretation des Willy Loman ausgeht. Kürzlich habe ich Ausschnitte eines Theaterstückes gesehen, und der dort agierende Protagonist vermochte nicht im geringsten, die Selbstzweifel, Ängste, Schuldgefühle, Widersinnigkeit des Charakters mit einander zu vereinbaren- geschweige denn nach Außen darzustellen. Dies jedoch gelingt Hoffman auf brillante Weise, und allein deshalb lohnt es sich, den Film genau zu studieren.