The mind of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has spawned some of the most innovative and downright insane movies of the last few years, beginning with Being John Malkovich in 1999. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, is his last brainchild, a "vibrant, warm and deliriously inventive" love story directed by Frenchman Michel Gondry. Although Kaufman has never recreated the phenomenal success of his debut feature, he continues to satisfy a need for whacked-out whimsy for a devoted legion of fans.

Under The Spotlight

"Unless you've had your balls busted, you're no good to anyone with a script like this," says Jim Carrey in A Look Inside Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. A fairly standard 'making of' featurette, it's worthy of note if only because it affords the rare opportunity to hear Carrey speak from the heart instead of from the butt à la Ace Ventura. It's a role reversal that also translates to the movie, as Kate Winslet observes, "I'm playing the Jim Carrey part and he's playing the Kate Winslet part." Except for the stockings and corset - we assume.

For a more in-depth and engaging look at the creative process, watch A Conversation With Jim Carrey And Michel Gondry. It's a substantial and amusing chat, interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage and - even more interesting - early rehearsal footage. It finds Carrey and Winslet exploring their chemistry by combining scripted dialogue with improvisational techniques, while a bemused Gondry dodges whatever objects a flipped-out Carrey decides to pick up and pelt across the room.

In fact, Carrey reveals that he very nearly did give Gondry "a smack" during the filming of the kitchen sink/bath scene. Apparently an overheated Winslet fainted in the tub, but Gondry was so concerned with getting the take, he ignored this and kept the cameras rolling. The star also tells of a dangerous incident concerning a motorised bed with faulty brakes. Gondry merely nods and smiles inscrutably...

Cheerful Charlie

A reel of four (lengthy) deleted scenes offer more intimate moments between Carrey and Winslet, including a lingering look at their first date and an ethereal love scene. A cheesy 50s-inspired TV commercial for Lacuna Inc is also thrown in, with a quietly hilarious Tom Wilkinson as the oh-so compassionate Dr Mierzwiak - whipping off his glasses with meaningful import...

Die-hard Charlie Kaufman fans can hear from the man himself in a laid-back but instructive audio commentary with Michel Gondry. As you'd expect, Gondry deals with the nuts and bolts of production (like how he created those trippy visual effects), while Kaufman chats about character development, scripting dialogue, as well as offloading his own emotional baggage. He tells us he first pitched the movie back in 1998: "I had an infected tooth, or something. It was miserable, going around town for four or five days with this terrible pain and throbbing." Life, eh?

Polyphonic Spree's offbeat Light And Day music video rounds off a philosophical but whimsical and light-hearted package of extras that won't quickly be erased from your memory.

EXTRA FEATURES

The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind DVD is out to buy on Monday 4th October 2004.