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Vincent Canby, the late Times (NY) film critic, listed this as one of his 50 favorites. I suppose it was ground-breaking at the time, but several elements are jarring today, starting with the "silent movie" opening, the overbearing narration, and the farcial set-pieces.

The technical quality of the HBO (US) distributed DVD is the worst I've seen.

Disclaimer: I was too lazy to read the six-volume original novel.

If literary adaptations are your thing, I daresay the BBC/Channel 4/Granada TV series are much better.

Likewise, if 60's European cinema is what you're after, try "Blow-up" for starters...

It's sharp to the point of discomfort. In the first two scenes, we have a song that's an extended Gay in-joke, (am I the ONLY reviewer here that's figured this out?), a commentary on how Children's TV shows in the USA are seamless commercial advertisements, the bribery scene that echoes a multitude of show-business scandals (Payola, Pee-Wee Herman, etc).

This movie has a cynical mindset found more in Britain (Pinewood?) than Hollywood. Perhaps that's the source of the widespread negativity among American audiences. Maybe they just don't get the references in `flyover country' – sort of like Jay Leno's joke about McDonalds being open for breakfast. I rented the DVD and found it engaging, especially the outtakes and commentary section.

Edward Norton is shaping up to be his generation's Dustin Hoffman – the man that can play anything, no matter what.

I saw this movie despite it's mixed reviews here. I found it's honesty, sharp dialogue and lack of sugar-coating refreshing. It's a telling document of what people SAY they want versus what they REALLY want. The most interesting parts of the film is are scenes where Campbell Scott's character (Rodger) astutely and quickly divines and articulates the essential truth about people's motivations and actions and is roundly shunned. Something almost approaching Moliere...

Given the rancor stirred in the viewers here, by the title character, the director hit a vein of essential truth himself.