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BORAT MAKES GLORIOUS
By Bruce Kirkland
Winnipeg Sun, Canada
March 6 2007
New disc loaded with hilarious, often disturbing extras and deleted
scenes
Getting naked has fortunes rising for owner of The Dip
The Borat DVD, out today, brilliantly expands on the warped world of
star Sacha Baron Cohen.
HOLLYWOOD -- Today should be named national holiday in glorious nation
of Kazakhstan. Reason simple: Borat make more cultural learnings
of America.
The "more learnings" are contained in a savagely brilliant new
DVD hitting the streets today. According to Borat-speak, this is a
"prerecord moviedisc for purpose domestic viewing of moviefilm."
It brings the surprise comedy mega-hit inside people's homes, where
those too afraid to see Sacha Baron Cohen's satire in public can now
laugh and learn in private. The extras include eight deleted scenes
that take the already transgressive film even further. Disturbingly
and hilariously further.
"The DVD is awesome," says Los Angeles character actor Ken Davitian.
Who he? Davitian is the 53-year-old Armenian-American who plays
Borat's sweaty, fat and droll TV producer Azamat Bagatov.
Davitian, who aced his audition for the role by fooling Cohen and
director Larry Charles into thinking he really was like the character
Azamat, teamed with Cohen on what is now a classic comedy sketch:
A stark naked fight that ended in a non-sexual but wildly repugnant
and funny 69 position.
Cohen has refused to talk about Borat as himself; he remains in
character in public, as he did at the Cannes and Toronto filmfests
in 2006 when Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan made its mark. In contrast, Davitian
is a jovial fellow who does not mind being himself and talking about
Borat the movie and Cohen the star.
Unlike Azamat, Davitian is articulate and thoughtful. The movie,
he tells Sun Media, is an extreme comedy that ridicules Jews, women,
gays and other groups in order to show the stupidity of anti-Semitism,
misogyny, homophobia and other negative attitudes.
"All I keep telling people is that what we wanted you to do is laugh
and think!"
He says he personally knows "many Jews and Christians and Muslims
who have gone to that movie and come back and said: 'That was funny!' "
Working on Borat let Davitian in on the real Sacha Baron Cohen, the
35-year-old Englishman who attended Christ's College, Cambridge, was
inspired by Peter Sellers and is actually a devout Jew who is helping
to convert his Australian fiancee, actress Isla Fisher, to the faith.
"First," says Davitian, "I think he's got a great sense of humour,
a great sense of timing. He's very passionate about certain things
that are for the benefit of people. He's very into being an advocate
of something.
"He's very, very smart but he's also funny and he's a perfectionist.
It has got to be right and that's the only way he accepts it. But,
as a person, he's a very quiet guy. He's quiet and nice.
"Listen, this guy eats only kosher, grew up going in the summer
to a kibbutz in Israel and is very, very religious. But he is very
committed to a lot of things and one of them is his characters -- and
his characters allow him the ability to express everything he feels.
I have to tell you, I am just so happy and so thrilled that he allowed
me into his world."
That world is expanded on the DVD in a terrific way, Davitian says.
The 17-minute featurette, Global Propaganda Tour, shows Cohen & Co.
in action at Cannes and Toronto (including at the now infamous
screening when the projector broke down), as well as in other cities.
In addition, you see the clip of Borat trying "to harvest" Conan
O'Brien's red pubic hairs for the profit. "It could feed an entire
village for two months," Borat says.
Still in character, Borat clowns around on Saturday Night Live and
on Jay Leno. "What do you say to people who say it's homophobic and
anti-Semitic," Leno asks. "Ah!" answers Borat, "thank you very much!"
But the real treat is the lineup of extra scenes. Among them is a
dog-pound skit that will creep you out as well as the riveting routine
with a U.S. supermarket manager named Dean McCool. He miraculously
keeps his cool as Borat asks about products in the cheese section. See
this routine and scream with laughter -- guaranteed.
By Bruce Kirkland
Winnipeg Sun, Canada
March 6 2007
New disc loaded with hilarious, often disturbing extras and deleted
scenes
Getting naked has fortunes rising for owner of The Dip
The Borat DVD, out today, brilliantly expands on the warped world of
star Sacha Baron Cohen.
HOLLYWOOD -- Today should be named national holiday in glorious nation
of Kazakhstan. Reason simple: Borat make more cultural learnings
of America.
The "more learnings" are contained in a savagely brilliant new
DVD hitting the streets today. According to Borat-speak, this is a
"prerecord moviedisc for purpose domestic viewing of moviefilm."
It brings the surprise comedy mega-hit inside people's homes, where
those too afraid to see Sacha Baron Cohen's satire in public can now
laugh and learn in private. The extras include eight deleted scenes
that take the already transgressive film even further. Disturbingly
and hilariously further.
"The DVD is awesome," says Los Angeles character actor Ken Davitian.
Who he? Davitian is the 53-year-old Armenian-American who plays
Borat's sweaty, fat and droll TV producer Azamat Bagatov.
Davitian, who aced his audition for the role by fooling Cohen and
director Larry Charles into thinking he really was like the character
Azamat, teamed with Cohen on what is now a classic comedy sketch:
A stark naked fight that ended in a non-sexual but wildly repugnant
and funny 69 position.
Cohen has refused to talk about Borat as himself; he remains in
character in public, as he did at the Cannes and Toronto filmfests
in 2006 when Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan made its mark. In contrast, Davitian
is a jovial fellow who does not mind being himself and talking about
Borat the movie and Cohen the star.
Unlike Azamat, Davitian is articulate and thoughtful. The movie,
he tells Sun Media, is an extreme comedy that ridicules Jews, women,
gays and other groups in order to show the stupidity of anti-Semitism,
misogyny, homophobia and other negative attitudes.
"All I keep telling people is that what we wanted you to do is laugh
and think!"
He says he personally knows "many Jews and Christians and Muslims
who have gone to that movie and come back and said: 'That was funny!' "
Working on Borat let Davitian in on the real Sacha Baron Cohen, the
35-year-old Englishman who attended Christ's College, Cambridge, was
inspired by Peter Sellers and is actually a devout Jew who is helping
to convert his Australian fiancee, actress Isla Fisher, to the faith.
"First," says Davitian, "I think he's got a great sense of humour,
a great sense of timing. He's very passionate about certain things
that are for the benefit of people. He's very into being an advocate
of something.
"He's very, very smart but he's also funny and he's a perfectionist.
It has got to be right and that's the only way he accepts it. But,
as a person, he's a very quiet guy. He's quiet and nice.
"Listen, this guy eats only kosher, grew up going in the summer
to a kibbutz in Israel and is very, very religious. But he is very
committed to a lot of things and one of them is his characters -- and
his characters allow him the ability to express everything he feels.
I have to tell you, I am just so happy and so thrilled that he allowed
me into his world."
That world is expanded on the DVD in a terrific way, Davitian says.
The 17-minute featurette, Global Propaganda Tour, shows Cohen & Co.
in action at Cannes and Toronto (including at the now infamous
screening when the projector broke down), as well as in other cities.
In addition, you see the clip of Borat trying "to harvest" Conan
O'Brien's red pubic hairs for the profit. "It could feed an entire
village for two months," Borat says.
Still in character, Borat clowns around on Saturday Night Live and
on Jay Leno. "What do you say to people who say it's homophobic and
anti-Semitic," Leno asks. "Ah!" answers Borat, "thank you very much!"
But the real treat is the lineup of extra scenes. Among them is a
dog-pound skit that will creep you out as well as the riveting routine
with a U.S. supermarket manager named Dean McCool. He miraculously
keeps his cool as Borat asks about products in the cheese section. See
this routine and scream with laughter -- guaranteed.