Corinth Films
Directed by Anthony Friedman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Image Entertainment)
Meek accountant John McEnery lands a new job in a small London office. Although he talks to almost no one, he is an efficient worker and his boss seems to have a soft spot for him. One day he decides to use the phrase "I'd prefer not to" instead of doing the work asked of him. He alienates his coworkers and gradually gets under the skin of his boss who eventually fires him. Instead of leaving, he squats in the office and is committed to an institution. Herman's Melville's 1853 short story makes an uneasy transition to the screen. Its claustrophobic settings, limited characters and internal dialogue make it more suitable for the written word or even the stage, instead of this distinctly un-cinematic production. Nonetheless, the themes of alienation, depression and even some of the philosophical underpinnings remain intact. Paul Scofield is excellent as the confused but sympathetic boss and McEnery is perhaps the perfect Bartleby.
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