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Swiming to Cambodia

Cinecom PicturesDir. Jonathan DemmeFinally, after many years of waiting, Shout!Factory have made writer, actor and monologist Spalding Gray’s masterpiece Swimming to Cambodia, available on DVD. Dire

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Swiming to Cambodia
Cinecom Pictures
Dir. Jonathan Demme

Finally, after many years of waiting, Shout!Factory have made writer, actor and monologist Spalding Gray’s masterpiece Swimming to Cambodia, available on DVD. Directed by Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Silence Of The Lambs), the film version of one of Gray’s most famous monologues was originally shot in 1987 and features an interesting score by renowned experimental performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. The monologue itself revolves around Gray’s stories and observations about his experience acting in the role of U.S. Ambassador’s Aide in the 80’s masterpiece, The Killing Fields. The stories see-saw between humorous adventures with a zany film crew, Thai marijuana, prostitutes and deep, heavy, emotional observations and history lessons about the bombing of Cambodia, the rise of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and the ensuing Cambodian Genocide. At times, the film can get a bit tedious and confusing with Gray’s delivery of this material which comes in his slightly manic, East Coast, mile-a-minute talking style. However, Gray manages to always hold it together, giving breaks and beats at appropriate times to allow the audience to soak in the massive amounts of information he puts out. For the average person that has never seen a one-man show, Swimming to Cambodia might take a bit of getting used to. However, for the patient viewer, one is rewarded with a gripping, captivating story delivered with unparalleled craftsmanship by one of the world’s great monologists.

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