The 1970’s was a seminal decade in the history of American film. A new crop of directors including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin and others ushered in a new era of weaving personal narratives into their stories in a way that had never been done before. At nearly the same time, another crop of young directors, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, gave birth to the mega-blockbuster. Spielberg with 1975’s Jaws and Lucas in 1977 with Star Wars. Given the major success of Spielberg and Lucas’s offerings, Hollywood turned away from personal narratives almost overnight and turned their collective attention to churning out blockbusters. Occasionally however, “a personal narrative” film would reach a large audience.
Kramer vs. Kramer was released on December 17, 1979. Based on the novel of the same name by Avery Corman, was adapted for the screen by Robert Benton (Places in the Heart), who also directed. A true film classic, Kramer vs. Kramer was one of the first major motion pictures to deal with the topic of divorce and more specifically, the relationship between a Father and a Son.
Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is an advertising executive whose thoughts are almost totally centered on a major new account–so much so that when he comes home and his wife announces she is leaving him, he scarcely hears her, let alone believes the declaration. Joanna (Meryl Streep) is resolute in her decision, saying she needs time to find herself; to find the person she was before she went into the marriage.
Kramer vs. Kramer is a film that could have failed right out of the box. Initially, the story appears to make it easy for viewers to take sides. How could a mother leave home without he child? But given what we see in the open scene, it’s difficult to lay all the blame at Joanna’s feet. Clearly Ted doesn’t listen to her and isn’t connected too much of anything that goes on at home. Ted’s initial brush off of Joanna’s attempts to tell him she’s leaving, says a lot about his lack of emotional connection to the family. A scene a little while later makes it perfectly clear: taking his son to school on the day after his wife left, Ted asks Billy, “What grade are you in?”
With Joanna unexpectedly gone, Ted finds himself alone with their five year-old son Billy (Justin Henry). While Ted has always considered himself a devout family man because he was committed to bringing home a healthy salary, he is now forced to face the reality that he had long ago lost touch with his wife and he knows even less about his young son. Under difficult circumstances, Father and Son are forced to get to know each other. In the beginning, their relationship is rocky. Ted resents Billy because he no longer has the time to carry his increased workload; Billy missed the love and attention he received from his mother.
As time goes on, Father and Son begin to bond. Ted realizes that his relationship with his son is so important to him, that he no longer devotes his entire life to it. As a result, he ends up losing the job he once coveted. Ted begins to visualize a happy future with his son and finds support and help from a kindly neighbor named Margaret (Jane Alexander).
Eighteen months after she left, Joanna returns to gain custody of Billy. By this time, Father and Son have gotten very close and can’t imagine life without each other. Again, while we may want to choose sides, it’s hard not to sit back and just watch this heart wrenching dilemma play out. Ted hires a tough attorney named Shaunessy (Howard Duff) to represent him and Joanna brings her own bull into the courtroom. The battle is pretty–closets are emptied, secrets revealed. Both sides bend the truth to try and improve their chances of winning. The courtroom scene is truly cringe-inducing; Streep and Hoffman do some of the best acting committed to the screen.
A film that relied solely on acting, Kramer vs. Kramer resulted in Oscars for both Hoffman and Streep. Justin Henry, just eight at the time received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Kramer vs. Kramer is the role that made Meryl Streep a star. Her Joanna is both fragile and cool; her testimony in the courtroom will tug at your heart. Though Dustin Hoffman has had some great performances in The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy and Rain Man he may have done his most emotional work here. Having recently gone through his own divorce, he brings his own improvised dialogue to make his scenes really come alive. In one scene, he hurls a glass at a restaurant wall while arguing with Streep, and according to legend, he did so without warning her in advance. The resulting shock on her face is real. Justin Henry is amazing; a master of improv who was so young that perhaps the secret to his success was that he didn’t know he was in a movie. See this movie for the performances, and marvel at the talent.
Sony has done a tremendous job in translating the intricate details of grainy, seventies-style film into a 1080p, AVC Mpeg-4 digital picture that mimics what filmgoers experienced in 1979. I can’t imagine anyone who appreciates the unique qualities of film grain not being thrilled with how Kramer vs. Kramer turned out.
Many films of the seventies had a dark, grainy look to them. Given the picture’s dramatic plot and character-driven focus, this grainier style manages to convey a more natural and thoughtful visual tone that reflects the film’s complex subject matter. Sony’s new Blu-ray version maintains this look while avoiding the pitfalls of over-compression, sharpening or smoothing. Kramer vs. Kramer looks absolutely stunning.
Kramer vs. Kramer sounds like the late seventies film that it is. As a character-driven drama, there’s very little to the movie aside from dialogue and music. On a few occasions, notably in the film’s numerous park and street scenes, this newly remastered 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack adds in a touch of ambient city noise to the rear channels. For the remainder of the film, dialogue is well presented; in a stable, intelligible and articulate manner, while the film’s musical score takes root in the front stereo channels. Kramer vs. Kramer sounds better than it ever has and is recommended.
Kramer vs. Kramer includes a single extra in the form of a documentary entitled: Finding the Truth – The Making of Kramer vs. Kramer. (49:00) it’s an interesting feature with its fair share of worthwhile talking points and behind the scenes information–features interviews with Hoffman, Streep, Henry and various members of the crew.
