Being John Malkovich

Directed by Spike Jonze, starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz and the inimitable Mr Malkovich himself, "Being John Malkovich" is one of the more unusual hit movies of recent years. A stressed-out man finds a passage into the mind of film star John Malkovich.

Autorentext

Charlie Kaufman is also the scriptwriter for "Adaptation."

Klappentext

What do you get when a down-on-his-heels puppeteer working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building discovers a secret portal into the brain of John Malkovich? Hilarity, drama, and perhaps the most unique film of the 90s. Being John Malkovich, which stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz and, of course, John Malkovich as himself, is Charlie Kaufman's screenwriting debut. The movie premiered to universal acclaim and is guaranteed to become a classic of modern cinema.

Zusammenfassung

Ever wanted to be someone else? Specifically, have you ever wished to be the Oscar-nominated star of Dangerous Liaisons, The Sheltering Sky, Portrait of a Lady and Con Air? Well, now you can explore this fantasy in Charlie Kaufman´s screenplay for the hit comedy directed by Spike Jonze.

Craig Schwartz is nearing the end of his string. A gifted street-puppeteer, he nevertheless finds that New York City has little use, or indeed tolerance, for his special talents. Worse, his ten-year marriage to Lotte, a workaholic pet-store employee, has turned stale. Then the nimble-fingered Craig lands a job as a filing clerk in an office building. There, he meets the bored, beautiful Maxine, but his attempts to woo her are smartly rebuffed. Rejected and dejected, Craig retreats into his work. One night, rummaging behind a filing cabinet, he comes upon a hidden passageway that leads straight into the mind of John Malkovich! The hapless Malkovich is not consulted, and quickly finds his body becoming a battleground as feuding lovers, not to mention paying customers, start taking turns to see the world through his eyes.

This volume includes an introduction by Charlie Kaufman, in which he explains the genesis and gestation of this extraordinary, twisted and utterly hilarious fiction.