399 House of Games

[Buttery Jeb]

House of Games



The Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and screenwriter David Mamet sat in the director's chair for the first time for this sly, merciless thriller. Lindsay Crouse stars as a best-selling author and therapist who wants to help a client by making restitution for the money he owes to a gambler. After she meets the attractive cardsharp (Joe Mantegna), her own compulsions take hold as he lures her into his world of high-stakes deception. Packed with razor-sharp dialogue delivered with even-keeled precision by a cast of Mamet regulars, House of Games is as psychologically acute as it is full of twists and turns, a rich character study told with the cold calculation of a career con artist targeting his next mark.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• High-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchía, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Audio commentary from 2007 featuring director David Mamet and consultant and actor Ricky Jay
• Interviews with actors Lindsay Crouse and Joe Mantegna from 2007
• David Mamet on "House of Games," a short documentary shot on location during the film's preparation and production
• Detail from a storyboard of a short con not used in the film
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic Kent Jones and excerpts from Mamet's introduction to the published screenplay

Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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[domino harvey]

holy shit amazing, love Mamet and this is a good one.

[mogwai]

Indeed, terrific news. Certainly didn't see this one coming.

[Buttery Jeb]

Damnit! If I wasn't already overextended with my DVD purchases in August, I'd get this just for the Ricky Jay commentary.

-BJ

[Gigi M.]

First title from MGM. Awesome news!

Very cool news, I always liked this film a lot. Hadn't gotten around to buying the DVD, so this is perfect.

[Antoine Doinel]

This is fantastic news!

[Oedipax]

Very cool news, I always liked this film a lot. Hadn't gotten around to buying the DVD, so this is perfect.

[Jeff]

Holy motherfucking shit on a stick. J'adore House of Games. This will be the third copy I've bought, since my ex-girlfriend skipped town with the first one and I had to replace it right away. This is the Mametiest of Mamet films, and a perfect fit for Criterion.

I can't wait to see who the credited licensor is on the package. Will it be "under exclusive license" from Filmhaus, Orion, MGM, or Fox? Filmhaus was the production company, and perhaps rights have reverted to them or one of the producers. Orion was the original theatrical distributor, which is how MGM ended up with it. Fox distributes MGM product, but do they have the authority to license it, and if so is this the first MGM title that Criterion would have come up with? There hasn't been a Fox release in donkey's years, and I thought that deal was done.

If this has indeed been licensed directly from the MGM catalog (which would also explain Stranger Than Paradise), it opens up a whole world of possibilities. Expect me to start screaming like a banshee for Sweet Smell of Success, Kiss Me Deadly, and every Billy Wilder film under the sun.

[jmj713]

Hey if this is MGM - mightn't Criterion actually release The Graduate in a deserving edition?

[thethirdman]

Hey if this is MGM - mightn't Criterion actually release The Graduate in a deserving edition?

That will not be happening. According to Kim Hendrickson, "Soderbergh had another track to record later that day. He was sitting down with Mike Nichols in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Nichols's The Graduate (no, not for Criterion)."

[richast2]

oh man, I love Mamet, and I read the screenplay for this class in college and enjoyed it, but god DAMN Lindsay Crouse can't act.

Wish they'd release The Spanish Prisoner instead.

[kinjitsu]

Some would argue that Rebecca Pidgeon can't act.

[Antoine Doinel]

Some would argue that Rebecca Pidgeon can't act.

My girlfriend would definitely be one of those people. I don't think she's great, but I don't think she detracts from the films either.

[kinjitsu]

I wasn't saying that she couldn't act, just saying...

[emcflat]

I am DROOLING about this! Although, if I could pick any Mamet for the CC it would be the never-released on DVD "Homicide." More undervalued and underseen than this.

Mamet is my favorite writer and one of my favorite directors as well. Wonderful! This will probably be my favorite commentary track of all time.

Not nuts about the cover, though.

[miless]

If this has indeed been licensed directly from the MGM catalog (which would also explain Stranger Than Paradise), it opens up a whole world of possibilities. Expect me to start screaming like a banshee for Sweet Smell of Success, Kiss Me Deadly, and every Billy Wilder film under the sun.

The rights to Stranger Than Paradise (along with all of Jarmusch's other films, except possibly Year of the Horse) are owned by Jarmusch himself. The license to Stranger Than Paradise from MGM most likely (I believe) expired and Jim took it to Criterion.
Fox would be dumb to license out things like Kiss Me Deadly or the Billy Wilder films because they are much more marketable than something like a Jules Dassin title (Fox has also been doing a good job with their noir releases)

[Jeff]

Mamet's wives always give stilted, awkward, uncomfortable performances in Mamet films, but hell, that's part of their charm. They take the whole metronome-rhythm dialog thing to weird levels. He probably exerts even more Machiavellian control over them than he does everyone else. Crouse's performance in House of Games makes me squirm in my seat, but I love it. She's actually quite good for other directors.

Pigeon can't act at all, but damned if she doesn't give Dave's Staccato the ol' college try in The Spanish Prisoner. I once had the opportunity to chat with Campbell Scott after a screening of that one, and asked him about what kind of direction Mamet was giving in terms of the dialog and if it was difficult or uncomfortable. He told me that was a subject that he'd rather not discuss. He said that Mamet was a great writer, but when he (Scott) directs actors, he feels that it's important to let them have some influence on their own performance.

[domino harvey]

Pigeon should have kept her stage role in the film version of Oleanna, because whoever that girl was in the movie adaptation gives one of the all-time worst film performances.

I don't know who owns the rights but I would have thought for sure the Spanish Prisoner would have shown up on Criterion before this, although I welcome the announcement with open arms.

[Jeff]

I don't know who owns the rights but I would have thought for sure the Spanish Prisoner would have shown up on Criterion before this, although I welcome the announcement with open arms.

Sony's got The Spanish Prisoner. It's out of print right now, but as far as I know, there's no reason to expect the rights to change hands any time soon.

[Highway 61]

Others have already said it, but holy shit, did this come out of left field! Although I already own the MGM disc, this is a must-buy.

And yes, I agree that Lindsay Crouse's performance is nothing to write home about. Her acting (or maybe it's just her lazy posture) during the movie's climax lessens the film significantly. Such a key scene, such awkward execution. To be fair to Crouse, however, Mamet's inexperience directing film certainly didn't help either.

[Tribe]

I haven't seen this in a good ten plus years. I wonder how well it's held up since I last saw it. I remember enjoying it quite a bit, and I happened to like the obviously stylized dialogue and purposely stiff acting (at least that's how I looked at it back then).

Tribe

[denti alligator]

I happened to like the obviously stylized dialogue and purposely stiff acting (at least that's how I looked at it back then).

I'm with Tribe. I don't understand all this talk of "bad acting." This is Mamet's style. He wants his actors to deliver their lines in this stilted way. Pidgin is for this reason the perfect Mamet actor.

I'm thrilled about this release. Ricky Jay commentary! Wow!

[Donald Brown]

Crouse's performance is the only thing I like about this film.

[Belmondo]

I thought Lindsay Crouse was just right for this role and I thought she did a good job as Treat Williams' wife in PRINCE OF THE CITY and as the wronged nurse in the climactic scenes of THE VERDICT.

I saw HOUSE OF GAMES in its original release and the audience applauded loudly when it was over. My sentiments exactly.

[Highway 61]

I don't understand all this talk of "bad acting." This is Mamet's style. He wants his actors to deliver their lines in this stilted way. Pidgin is for this reason the perfect Mamet actor.

Funny, even though I don't care for Crusoe's work here (well, it's really only that last scene--I just hate it), I don't mind Pigeon's performances at all. I particularly like her reading of "I'm stuck on you" in The Spanish Prisoner.