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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, English, Spanish, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby
A hard hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love, Monster's Ball is the story of Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), an embittered prison guard working on Death Row who begins an unlikely, but emotionally charged affair with Leticia (Halle Berry, in her Academy Award-winning performance), the wife of a man he has just executed. The film also features Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle. Boyle plays Hank's bigoted, aging father, whose hatred seems to have poisoned his entire family as much as the family business, which is working on the prison Death Squad. Ledger plays Hank's son, who is hell-bent on getting out of the family business. Set in Georgia, Monster's Ball was filmed entirely on location in and around New Orleans, Louisiana and at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola (also known as "The Farm").
"Mesmerizing... Halle Berry combines a dazzling beauty and a soaring talent." Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"A masterpiece!" Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"Remarkable performances... See this now!" Glenn Kenny, Premiere Magazine
"...unique and unforgettable." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"The best film of the year!" Robert Ebert, Ebert & Roeper
Editor's Note
Set in modern Mississippi, MONSTER'S BALL subtly examines the impact of personal loss and the transforming power of human connection. The movie begins in the state penitentiary's death row, where father-and-son prison guards Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Sonny Grotowski (Heath Ledger) administer the execution of a black death-row inmate Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), who leaves behind a wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), and son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun). When both Hank and Leticia's children subsequently die, the two grieving parents are accidentally thrust together, where they begin to find comfort and eventually a form of redemption.Employing a languid pace and minimalist dialogue, MONSTER'S BALL slowly moves forward on the strength of the cast's performances (including a supporting turn from Peter Boyle as Hank's ailing racist father, Buck) and Marc Forster's understated direction. The complex characters are allowed to develop gradually over the course of the entire movie, making the film a richly satisfying character study rather than a quick, plot-driven confection.
| Features | Scene Access | | Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Trailer | | Interactive Menus | | Audio Commentary By Marc Forster, Halle Berry And Billy Bob Thornton | | Deleted Scenes And Outtakes | | Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital | | Longer Version--Not Seen In Theatres | | Behind-The-Scenes Footage | | Audio Commentary By Director Marc Forster And Director Of Photography Roberto Schaefer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Studio Ent/Off Hollywood |
| Release Date: 9/14/2004 |
| Running Time: 112 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 8085-D | | UPC: 00658149808522 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Billy Bob Thornton | | Coronji Calhoun | | Halle Berry | | Heath Ledger | | Mos Def | | Peter Boyle | | Sean Combs | | Roberto Schaefer - Cinematographer | | Will Rokos - Co-Producer | | Eric Kopeloff - Co-Producer | | Milo Addica - Co-Producer | | Frank I. Fleming - Costume Designer | | Marc Forster - Director | | Matt Chesse - Editor | | Michael Burns - Executive Producer | | Michael Paseornek - Executive Producer | | Mark Urman - Executive Producer | | Asche And Spencer - Musical Score | | Lee Daniels - Producer | | Monroe Kelly - Production Designer | | Will Rokos - Writer | | Milo Addica - Writer |
| Awards |
Oscar (2002) |  | Halle Berry, Winner, Best Actress | | | Milo Addica, Will Rokos, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen | |
AFI Award (2002) | | | Halle Berry, Nominee, AFI Actor Of The Year--Female--Movies | |
Golden Globe (2002) | | | Halle Berry, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture-Drama | |
Independent Spirit (2002) | | | Milo Addica, Will Rokos, Nominee, Best Screenplay | |
MTV Award (2002) | | | Halle Berry, Nominee, Best Female Performance |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...The characters and the bond that develops between them are too complex for words....Their economy and the eloquence of Mr. Foster's unshowily beautiful images give MONSTER'S BALL the density and strangeness of real life..." 12/26/2001 p.E5USA Today
"...MONSTER'S BALL proves that Halle Berry had a spectacular performance inside her waiting to be unleashed and that Billy Bob Thornton still had a third one left in his stunning 2001 stockpile..." 12/26/2001 p.3D Box Office
"...An interesting tale: well-told, sad and funny and ultimately uplifting..." 01/01/2002 p.57-8 Rolling Stone
"...The actors make it unique and unforgettable....You can't take your eyes off them..." 01/17/2002 p.56 Variety
"...Burning with a quiet intensity, MONSTER'S BALL is bolstered by a poetic, intelligent sensibility..." 11/19/2001 p.39-44 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...[Thornton] gives the best performance of his career in MONSTER'S BALL....This is a fearless, brutally honest performance, etched with shadings and remarkable subtlety..." 02/01/2002 p.40-1 Sight and Sound
"...Thornton displays a remarkable gift for understatement....Thornton brings a gentleness to the part that acts as a much-need balm on the wounds we see all around..." 06/01/2002 p.46 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Written with the complexity of great fiction, avoiding obligatory scenes, cutting straight to the heart....The best film of 2001..." 06/02/2002 p.6 The New York Times 9 of 10
...Mr. Thornton, one of the most gifted screen actors working today, outdoes himself. For her part, Ms. Berry proves herself to be an actress of impressive courage and insight... The characters and the bond that develops between them are too complex for words, and the writers use very few. Their economy and the eloquence of Mr. Forster's unshowily beautiful images give Monster's Ball the density and strangeness of real life. - A.O. Scott
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