Arts Movie Reviews

This was a tremendous CD marking the debut of a New Orleans legend, Deacon John. I love all the songs and the film gave a tremendous view of all the fun that took place that night on and off stage. Great job...I thoroughly enjoyed it. You Go Deacon!!! It's about time someone showcased your talent.. you deserved it.

Finally a music-drama where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

But it is such a confusing opera -- i didn't know whether to laugh or cry or call a shrink. Anti-wagnerian to the point of being a spoof it would seem but i can't really tell.

Yet i cannot deny its charm.

I've always had a difficult time with this opera. After awhile it just becomes so beautifully boring. BUT, not so here. This production held my attention from beginning to end. It is probably the most perfect opera on DVD you will ever find. My only complaint is with the packaging. Why on earth did DGG spread it over 2 discs? The second one has only the short Act 5 which could have easily been on the first disc.

First of all, this is NOT 4:3 full screen version as it's written on the box. I was so glad when I played it and found out it was widescreen. The video transfer is superb, so is the sound. Only complain is that there is a glitch of video&sound in the middle of the romantic scene when Pelleas touchs Melisande's long hair. It's a technical thing of DVD-9, though, DG engneers could have chosen a right spot to put the glitch where there is no video or sound.
The singers act well and they all look their part. And beautiful voices with impeccable French diction from everyone, especially Melisande.
Musically, I think this DVD version is superior to any CD versions and it's visually wonderful to look at, too.

Startling and ambitious vintage network TV production from 1966 is a heart-breaking and unrelentlessly tragic drama with Lee J. Cobb in such a supoerb performance, you want to reach out and console the troubled sympathetic character. So downbeat as to be almost dismal, the play succeeds in it's grip on the realities of grief and doom and the undying hope of a better tomorrow. The rest of the cast is equally superb and I loved the fake realism of the CBS cameras taping a obviously theatrical set.

As a great admirer of Arthur Miller's work, I have always wished I could have seen the original 1949 production of his masterpiece, DEATH OF A SALESMAN. This video of a 1966 television production, featuring the original Willy and Linda, Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock, is the next best thing -- especially as it was taped "live" and is more like a stage production than like a movie. As wonderful as Dustin Hoffman's portrayal is in the superb 1985 movie version of SALESMAN, Lee J. Cobb simply IS Willy Loman. He conveys the sadness and insecurity that lurks beneath Willy's outward bravado. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Act II scene with Bernard, when he offers Willy a cigarette from his expensive silver case. Cobb takes the case, holds it, looks at it, then slowly hands it back to Bernard. This one moment is so telling: Willy, who never achieved success, either for himself or for his sons, is envious of Bernard's success (and Bernard was never even "well-liked), symbolized by the silver cigarette case. Mildred Dunnock is likewise ideal as Linda: fragile, but hard as steel when defending Willy to her two resentful sons, Biff and Happy (George Segal and James Farentino). Segal is especially fine in the hotel-room scene and at the end when, in the middle of a heated argument with his father, he suddenly grabs him and hugs him, weeping. This gesture tells us that Biff is furious with Willy, not because he hates him, but because he loves him. Of the supporting actors, Edward Andrews stands out as Charley, Willy's prosperous but "laid-back" neighbor -- the antithesis of Willy himself. Only the actor who plays Howard, Willy's boss, seems miscast: he looks more like a college student than like the head of a company. (Perhaps the director, Alex Segal, was just trying to emphasize Willy's age and his falure to "keep up with the times.") But this is the only weakness in a marvelous production that is essential viewing, if only for the classic portrayals of Cobb and Dunnock.

If you want to see a production of one of American Theater's most important playwright's most important works, then look no further. Though there have been several noteworthy productions over the years, this Broadway Theater Archive treat showcases the "perfect" Salesman cast, in a treatment that is essentially a reblocking of the famed Elia Kazan Broadway premiere of the play. Willie Loman's originator, Lee J Cobb, reprises his role, along with Mildred Dunnock. Though Geroge C. Scott and Dustin Hoffman received critical acclaim for their interpretations of Willie Loman, neither holds a candle to Cobb. He simply "is" Willie. George Segal and John Malcovich weigh in about evenly in the "best Biff" category, but the nod goes to Segal, because of the great ensemble cast he was lucky enough to play off of. Yet another winner in a BTA series that chronicles American Theater in its greatest era (60's and 70s).

Just a note to bear in mind that these plays are film versions of the plays exactly as they were staged on Broadway at the time, so don't look for cinematic production values. Sometimes the camera work is not ideal, but that doesn't get in the way of the consistently powerful performances, and that's what great theater is all about, anyway. I'm just grateful that most of the series is available and hope that the unavailable titles are just being restored and will be rereleased soon.

BEK

I was glad to find this DVD just shortly after reading the play. While I enjoyed reading it very much, I found the play to be very confusing. Just from the text alone it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. Seeing the film version of this triumphant play really helped a lot. "Death of a Salesman" is a sad and tragic drama that emotionally involves you from start to finish.

Willy Loman is a tired and heart-broken salesman who no longer lives in the world of reality. Instead, he is trapped in his world of delusions. Each day that passes by seems to be worse and worse for Willy. He spends way too much of his time in the past when he needs to be focusing on the future. His wife and two sons have no idea what they should do for him as they know that he is heading towards disaster in this unforgettable drama.

Like I said, to actually see this really made me appreciate the play more than just reading it from the text. It can get confusing when you only have the words, but when you see it performed it all comes together and make sense. The acting is terrific. Dustin Hoffman really does an outstanding job of playing Willy Loman. Not only does he just "act" the part out, he "becomes" Loman. I admit that I had my doubts at first, because I didn't see him playing the part. My doubts quickly fled from my mind after the first 10 minutes or so. Everybody else is also terrific as well. (Wow, look how young John Malkovitch looks!) I think the movie does a fine job doing Arthur Miller's play justice.

The DVD is pretty neat as well. The picture quality is good, considering the fact that it is an old movie. The DVD also includes a feature length documentary behind the movie, which is really entertaining, and a still gallery. While it may seem like this DVD doesn't have a lot to offer, the documentary really makes it worth-while.

"Death of a Salesman" is a powerhouse drama that hooks you from start to finish. Reading it is one thing, but to actually see it makes it much more enjoyable. If you just read the play from the text it can be pretty confusing at points. If you're looking for a great dramatic movie with great acting and writing, then this is something you should really think about checking out.

This 1985 film of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, directed by Volker Schlondorff, recreates Arthur Miller's original casting ideas for the three principal characters. Miller had originally envisioned Willy Loman, the unsuccessful traveling salesman of the title, as a physically small man with a big wife and two big, strong sons; in this film, that is exactly what we get: Dustin Hoffman as Willy, Kate Reid as Linda, John Malkovich and Stephen Lang as Biff and Happy. Whereas the original Willy on Broadway, Lee J. Cobb, was large and imposing, Hoffman's Willy is a ridiculous little man with impossibly high ideals. His is a humorous and pathetic rather than a tragic interpretation, but this is perfectly valid - there is, after all, more than one way to "be" Willy Loman. And viewers should keep in mind that Miller himself praised Hoffman's characterization, naming him among his three all-time favorite Willys (the other two being Cobb and Warren Mitchell, the British actor who played in an acclaimed London revival).
Kate Reid gives a strong performance as Linda, Willy's loving and suffering wife. She is vicious in her defense of Willy to her sons, especially at the end, when she orders them to
"get out of this house...get out of my sight." John Malkovich, with his soft-spoken voice and timid manner, might seem unsuited to Biff, the "all-American football hero" -
but I don't think so. To me, Malkovich's halting delivery suggests that Biff is a confused young man who thinks deep thoughts but lacks the education to be able to articulate them well. Malkovich's performance is a revelation in many ways: in the restaurant and final "confrontation" scenes, for example, we sense that Biff now sees Willy realistically for the first time in his life, and is therefore able to act more fairly towards him. The tragedy, of course, is that Willy is still unable to see reality and Biff is unable to MAKE him see it.
Stephen Lang is unobtrusively excellent as Happy, Biff's neglected younger brother. Charles Durning also does an excellent job as Willy's prosperous neighbor, Charley, who has no illusions about Willy (I always laugh when Willy sneaks a look at Charley's cards during the card game scene, and Charley, without a word, turns the cards over so that Willy can see them.). Joseph Polito is fine as Charley's successful son, Bernard. The small roles are all done well, particularly Tom Signorelli as Stanley, the waiter in the restaurant and an old family friend of the Lomans ("Sure, you look...all right."). Schlondorff's direction is great, with so many telling and memorable moments. The hotel-room confrontation between Willy and Biff is affectingly done: Malkovich is touchingly vulnerable, his last cry to Willy of "You fake!" heartrending. The final confrontation between the two was filmed in several "takes," making the viewer feel that he/she is caught right in the middle of a terrifying family argument. Last but not least, the music - especially Willy's idyllic "flute" theme -is very helpful in conveying mood.

This 1985 version was actually a TV movie using most of the original cast from the 1984 version of the Broadway play first written by Arthur Miller in 1949. Since then it has been performed many many times with a variety of different casts. A million years ago I even remember studying it in college. I have always wanted to see the play and was thrilled that I discovered this video.

Dustin Hoffman stars as Willie Loman, a fading traveling salesman who has made all the wrong decisions in his life. A young John Malkovich plays his son, Biff, a jobless loser. Steven Lang, is cast as his other son, Happy; Linda Reid plays Willie Loman's wife; and Charles Durning plays his neighbor, Charlie. All have been nominated for a variety of awards and Dustin Hoffman won a Golden Globe for best actor that year.

There is no doubt that this is a play, not a movie by the way it is staged. Flashbacks are achieved, for example, by the character Biff, coming on stage in a High School sweater. The characters often seem to be speaking directly to the audience also. I found all this refreshing after watching so many movies where computerized cinematography and special effects are everything.

This play doesn't need special effects. It is all in the words and the acting. And what fine acting it is! I forgot how good a play can be! Especially one by Arthur Miller. The Director, Volker Shloendorff, made his American debut with this production, his prior experience being only in France and Germany. For drama at its finest, I definitely recommend this video.

The staging is okay, but the sound is ABSOLUTELY terrible.
Just can't understand they actually are selling this product!

I have to agree with "A Viewer From San Francisco"'s review.
If you already have a good knowledge of this work, the unusual
staging could be described as "interesting"; if you don't,
well, Pelleas and Melisande is already baffling enough (it's
supposed to be). But the sound in the later part of the
disc (after the layer switch perhaps, is this an authoring
error?) is absolutely atrocious. Hopefully Image may be
able to correct this problem, or another video production will

surface. This beautiful music deserves much better.

This could well have been the Pelléas & Mélisande you've been dreaming of. To begin with, the cast is all francophone, which in a so text-dependent opera as this surely must count as an important advantage; it shares with precious few other operas a libretto of such high literary quality, a significant portion of Maeterlinck's original play having found an almost verbatim placing in the opera.

Some readers may remember Alliot-Lugaz's outstanding Mélisande from her Decca 3-cd album conducted by Dutoit that came out some 10 or 12 years ago, a recording that preserved her rôle's characterisation in sound that fittingly finds a logical companion in this roughly contemporary video production. Le Roux is the true french baryton, that sort of noble high baritone (or low tenor if you prefer) that comes around seldomly and that makes some rôles in french opera so hard to bring off succesffuly, the true successor to that illustrious line of singers epitomised by Hughes Cuénod. By 1987 Van Dam was still capable of bringing off startling results even though he was past his prime, and the rest of the cast also achieve a superior level of accomplishment. In no less good form are Gardiner and his Lyons forces, to whom he was closely associated at the time, who carry this music (and the whole and very significant cultural baggage behind it) in their blood. So there you are, you're in posession of practically all of the lottery tickets, so what's keeping you from winning out right?

Let's go now into that. First of all, the production itself gets tiresome after a while. Pelléas & Mélisande is a dangerous work to produce in the theatre, there's little stage action per se along the 5 acts, events succeed one another slowly and you may end up with a sublime piece of music that bores your audience, no less. And the ideas put into practice here don't help at all: décors don't change at all, the 5 acts happen in the same drawing room of some large bourgeois house from approximately the time the work was composed, and stage action is mostly evoked rather than actually shown: no forest, no fountain, no sea cave, no tower from which Mélisande's hair hangs down, and so on. So there are many situations where concrete places and events are referred to in the text that don't find a stage correlation, as in for example the very first scene, where Golaud and Mélisande don't actually meet in the forest as is actually sung and supposed to happen on stage, but we rather watch an old and perhaps embittered Golaud who half drunkenly reminisces at those events, which may have taken place many years ago. So you end up listening to a dialogue in which only one of its participants is present and seen (?) but both are heard loud and clear. And so with the rest of the work, there's more that doesn't work in the end in the production than what does: Pelléas & Mélisande's hair hanging from the tower scene happens here in the same drawing room, Mélisane's hair hanging ... from a sofa. The main idea behind the production may seem interesting at first, but does tire after a while. And second, the sound: in my copy at least, it starts okay, begins to deteriorate once the 3rd act begins and keeps going downhill from then on. I don't know if this problem affects only Image's US release (or a portion thereof) or if this defect is also present in the European discs of the same performance published by Arthaus Musik (but they also advertise an NTSC release in their website, so I guess you may care to look it up).

Summing up, I'd state that if your copy's sound is alright throughout (assuming the problem described above affected only a batch of Image's US release from which unfortunately my copy was a part), buy it as many years may still go by before a similar cast is gathered and so successfully bring off the music. Visually, and in spite of some strikingly beautiful images, it is likely that the production will end up losing its interest, so you may end up turning off the TV and just enjoying some of the most glorious music put out during the turn of the XX century, magnificently sung and played by cast and orchestra. But for that perhaps you may have to end up digging up the NTSC Arthaus Musik issue. Image should take note of this problem.

Steve Harvey is not on this DVD. Def Comedy Jam and Cedrice the Entertainer but no Steve Harvey. I'm afraid to order it again. If Steve Harvey is not one of the comedian then I think you should remove his name and his picture--right away!That's the only reason why I rated this product so low. Other than the "missing Steve Harvey", this dvd was funny and exceptional.

If you like comedy you'll enjoy this