Surviving Desire [VHS] | ![Surviving Desire [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CKB8Y4KXL._SL160_.jpg) | Director: Hal Hartley
Actors: Martin Donovan, Matt Malloy, Merritt Nelson, Julie Kessler, Mary B. Ward
Studio: Fox Lorber
Category: Video
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.00
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Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 40,603
Format: Color, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Published), French (Published)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 60 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6302652952
UPC: 720917010731
EAN: 9786302652956
ASIN: 6302652952
Release Date: April 30, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Surviving Desire is actually three short films, two of which--"Theory of Achievement" and "Ambition"--demonstrate writer-director Hal Hartley at his most quirky and abstract. They consist mostly of a series of dialogues, presented out of context, about things like Brooklyn real estate, nonlinear art, and contrasting male and female approaches to suicide. Fans of Hartley will enjoy them; newcomers will probably find them baffling. The third film, however--"Surviving Desire," from which the collection takes its title--is one of the most charming pieces Hartley has made. This hour-long story follows Jude (Martin Donovan), a college teacher obsessed with a single paragraph from The Brothers Karamazov, who's fallen in love with Sofie (Mary Ward), one of his students who's writing a short story about him. As the romance plays itself out, philosophical conversations turn into metaphysical Abbott and Costello routines, Jude breaks into spontaneous dance, a rock band in the street serenades a woman in her apartment window--and gradually a rueful and whimsical sense of life and love rises out of Hartley's erratic rhythms. Hartley is an idiosyncratic filmmaker who's not to everyone's taste; this short film is probably an ideal introduction to his work. Some of his movies seem to be working too hard for a sense of poetry and end up feeling stilted, but in "Surviving Desire" all of Hartley's devices take flight. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 "I believe you are sincere & good at heart..." February 7, 2000
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
This was the third Hartley film I saw & has remained my favourite. For me it holds all the quintessential characteristics of a Hartley film despite it not being feature length.Martin Donovan as usual gives a flawless performance as do the rest of the cast. Things to look out for......the bartender & the'dance routine'. GENIUS!
Love isn't a strong enough word February 13, 1999
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
I first saw Surviving Desire when I was 15. It was on the local PBS and the whole world stopped. I called the TV station to see what it was that I has watched. When they told me, I immediately wanted to buy it. I searched for 6 years. No one new what I was talking about, much less who Michael Donovan was, and my searches always remained fruitless. Surviving Desire changed my views on movies as a whole. When I saw it, I realized there was no excuse for crappy movies. The relationships between characters was so intimate in a very sterile way. I suggest all persons interested in fine cinema, who have a love for indie films and can appreciate something non-mainstream NEED to see this movie!
iNfAtUaTiOn--such a lovely word... January 29, 2000
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
i first saw "surviving desire" in ART SCHOOL--rented from an obscure video store, of course. i had seen "theory of achievement" & "ambition" on 'live from off center'--a PBS programme--and fell in love with hal hartley's smart, stylistic take on the essential: love, work, trouble, desire & conversation. weaving together disperate imagery & ideas, hartley's world explores the equation of sex & relationships: love is an act, faith is an ability. love without faith is merely infatuation. with brilliantly deadpan performances by martin donovan, mary b. ward, matt malloy, & rebecca nelson "surving desire" gives the intellectual viewer what they want: a tragedy WITHOUT a happy ending--something we can ALL relate to...
Typical brilliant Hal Hartley May 30, 2002
Gordon Skene
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
"Survivng Desire", along with the three shorts are some of Hartley's earliest work. But even at this early stage, Harley's gifts are clearly visable. I first saw the shorts some years ago as part of the PBS series "Alive from Off Center" and was mesmerized. Hal Hartley is one of America's truly great directors and his ability to pull such engaging performances out of his cast is a complete pleasure to watch. His style of film making probably most closesly resembles that of Robert Bresson, in its setup and excecution. But Hartley's point of view is totally original and for that, every one of his films has been a completely rewarding experience...
Simply awesome! January 16, 1999
cfu@suffolk.lib.ny.us (NYC, NY)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
The first I watched this film, it created a sensation that could not be matched with other films; Martin Donovan is terrific! Blending a deadpan stylistic along with a creative script, this film is a must!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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