Copyright (c) Pedro Sena 1994
FILM TITLE: MONSTER IN A BOX DIRECTOR: Nick Broomfield MUSIC: Laurie Andersen COUNTRY: USA 1992 CAST: Spalding Gray SUPER FEATURES: The Actor and his Monologue. It's all there is.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spalding Gray should be considered a very good actor, even if the only material he has done ( the most work that we can find, anyway ) is his own.
Starting with SWIMMING IN CAMBODIA, and continuing with MONSTER IN A BOX, it is his life story, and telling of his experiences. SWIMMING told us about the adventures on the set of the film THE KILLING FIELDS, when even the actors seemed to have become prey to the war, and events of the day. MONSTER is the follow up, and ( to me ) it isn't as funny as the previous work, but it does stand out as a very good piece of work.
After the release of SWIMMING, Spalding had several offers for much work. These included HBO, who wanted to have him do a documentary in Hollywood on the non film people. And then another studio wanted him to go to El Salvador with a few other journalists to create a story which had the actual suffering people as the main theme. And of course, Spalding does not spare us any detail of the events, including how he got there. Later, there are some films which were to be shown in Russia, and his is one of them, which he can not figure out why, but he is going to discuss the film and event. Everything goes fine, with the translation, until he gets to St. Petersburg, when all of a sudden all has been lost, and the public can not figure out what is so funny or what is going on. The new translator does not have a script, and translates at the rate of 100 words in exchange for 2.
In the meantime, Spalding has been writing his memoirs in the big MONSTER, which he keeps in a box. It is 1900 pages long. And so must be his dialogue.
It is an incredible show, in that there is very little one can do except follow this man's story telling to its conclusion, which may turn out to be a funny book. He is funny, but is moving along so fast, that it is difficult to stop and laugh at anything at all. It isn't a bunch of gags. It is a serial event of his life.
It is hard enough for a man to do a show all by himself, but few people can carry it off as well, and as lively, as Spalding Gray does in this film.
With funny directing bits to enliven the action of the words, and very timely music by the artist Laurie Andersen, this film is worth seeing.... but please think of it as a theatre show ( it is ) and not as a Hollywood adventure.
A FILM FOR THE WELL VERSED IN CULTURAL EVENTS. ALSO A MUST FOR THEATRE LOVERS. 4 GIBLOONS out of 5
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