Bartleby
(2001)
"I've worked in that office."
- Jonathan Parker
Folks expecting to see a precise representation
of Herman Mellville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" in
Jonathan Parker's film will be sorely disappointed.
Of course, they will know immediately that this is
an adaptation placed in modern times because the opening
credits are so hip and flashy. The film has more color
than a packet of Starburst Fruit Chews and more vibrancy
than a TV test pattern.
"Bartleby" is really a strange film
apparently birthed from a strange novel. Not knowing
the source material, I kept wondering, as I viewed
this film, what it could possibly have in common with
it's originator. Some of it, of course, is obvious;
it's set in a monotonous office and features a small
cast of characters forced to interact because they
are all employed in the space. But the Public Records
department that is presented here is so modern and
mundane, it seems far removed from anything that could
possibly be related to Mellville.
David Paymer plays the director of
the department and his office is peopled with secretary
Glenne Headly, thug wannabee Joe Piscopo and goofy
ageing hippy Maury Chaykin. Into this mix comes Bartleby,
a peculiar character as played by the always peculiar
Crispin Glover.
Where the film goes is really amazing.
An opening title card informs us that this Mellville
work was not widely accepted in his time and has deeper
philosophical questions than his earlier work. I will
give away a bit of the plot here: Bartleby decides
to quit work. I don't mean he quits his job. I mean
he simply quits working at his job. He just sits there,
or actually rather, stands there, doing nothing. This,
of course, troubles his namby-pamby boss Paymer and
eventually the man fires him. Trouble is Bartleby
won't leave. And the film evolves from here.
At times, the plot is a bit hard to
swallow because Paymer doesn't react hotly. In this
modern time, when you are terminated, generally, security
automatically comes to escort you out. That's just
SOP. But that doesn't happen here. It seems a bit
unbelievable at first. But suffice it to say that
Parker eventually covers every angle in the film to
make the plot believable. He has to in order to achieve
his finale.
The film isn't perfect. It can be a
bit dry in places. But generally, some comic element
or action takes place to propel the story. Also, the
music is a bit typical and tries too hard to be quirky.
And finally, some of the matte shots are really bad.
But these are minor nitpickings. It is theme here
that is paramount. Some major ideas are being presented
for discussion.
That being said, it's impossible to
even begin to fathom what the piece is about from
one viewing. After seeing it once, one will want to
read the novel and then see the film again. There
is an interesting and important commentary here on
why man struggles to survive, themes about man's innate
resilience, and these ideas lead into even more important
questions about why does modern man work, what is
the purpose of work, what is the purpose of leisure
and, eventually, what is the meaning of life itself.
It's pretty heady stuff.
Note:
Also with Carrie Snodgrass, Dick Martin
and Seymour Cassel.
Parker created the score along with
Seth Asarnow. Parker used to be a musician in the
bands The Units and The Question Men.
The budget for the film was approximately
one and one half million dollars.
"Webster's" defines a scrivener as
"a public clerk, a notary."
The story was filmed twice before,
in 1970 and 1976.
