Bartleby Details

An obscure little gem

The head of a public records office advertises for a new employee. Only one person responds, Bartleby. A former postal worker who at first works like a man possessed, then for no reason lapses into sloth like apathy and later into an almost catatonic ghost like state. To both the amusement and bemusement of his fellow workers, Bartleby stands all day looking at an air vent in the ceiling and responding to every request from his boss and co-workers with, 'I would prefer not to.'

Lost as to how to handle the situation the boss retaliates with passive-aggressive acts aimed at getting rid of the man. Till the very end, however, Bartleby remains an enigma, who refuses to give up his secrets.

The film itself is visually striking, with a comic book technicolor feel almost looking like a black and white film which has been artificially colourised. And the surreal angles and spooky theremin soundtrack just add to the overall deadpan quirky feel of the movie. Mix this in with a unique story, subtle satire on corporate life, and the driving attempts to put right those who are outside of the norm, Bartleby is a very interesting and engaging film.

[Highly rated reviewer]

precursor to The Office

Not having read the original story and wanting to see the version filmed with Paul Scofield which does not seem to be available in this country but only as import Region 1 copies, I was not expecting too much from this. I was pleasantly surprised as it played like an early idea which would blossom into The Office (I'm sure Gervais and Merchant should acknowledge this film as an influence). But rather than the original version of The Office this is more like the US version where there are more jokes and laughs and less embarassment factor. Joining the group is Bartleby who decides that he will only do the work he prefers and the boss is left with the dilemma of how to deal with him. Given Melvilles penchant for symbolism this is all supposed to mean something profound but this doesn't quite work, however the film is still watchable.