Costumes Movie Reviews

This movie features (most of) the soundtrack of the best recording of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk available. The film which was (twenty odd years later) slapped on top of that brilliant sound recording, served little other purpose than as a vehicle for once-locally-famous Czech soft porn actress and media-slag (Hrubesova).

It's so tacky and has such a cheesy video-look that it makes the sound recording seem mediocre, where taken on its own, it's brilliant. Shostakovich's opera includes some violence and sex which does appear on stage in live performances. In this film it looks like some sort of pseudo-artsy and highly unbelievable soft porn flick. To give an example, the fat woman who gets raped (they show it with dim warm lighting) acts like she is being tickled with a feather, which is not the idea that the score portrays. There are also a lot of very '90's looking men with really the sort of buffed symetrical appearance you get from working in a gym, and not the rugged look you'd have among people who perform manual labour all day. Or in the bedroom scene with Katerina and Sergei - their textbook writhings allow embarrasing glimpses at the one part of Sergei which should (judging by Hrubesova's movement) be most 'involved', but which we clearly see in an entirely different condition and nowhere near where it would have to be to cause the effect she is displaying. You can also see a little piece of cloth between them sometimes, when clearly nothing of that sort is meant to be there. Fair enough, the cloth is there even if you don't see it, but the fact that all this is shown makes their 'beast with two backs' act seem ridiculous and insulting. It's actually a matter of bad editing (and bad taste). It doesn't add up, and even absent-mindedly making little mental notes of these inconsistencies is a somewhat unpleasant experience, again, especially because what the music itself conveys is so clearly real.

As another viewer with me said, 'if they're going to be so literal in showing them at it, they should at least have edited out the bit of cloth between them'. This paradox of it being too literal and too fake at once applies not just to the sex scenes, but to the whole film in general. It's rather insulting really in how fake it is. The film as a whole is just so cheap and lacks the tight and oppressive atmosphere of the score.

The CD of the complete opera is available from amazon.com and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Vishnevskaya is miraculous, and the conducting by her husband Rostropovich (both personal friends of the composer) is inspired. Rostropovich and Shostakovich studied composition together, and although not all of Rostropovich's recordings of Shostakovich are first rate, this is the definitive (and most alive) rendition. It probably always will be. Buy the CD, and pass up on the DVD.

I have been an unabashed fan of Petr Weigl even since I obtained his productions of "Eugene Onegin", "The Turn of the Screw", "A Village Romeo and Juliet" in VHS format (all, alas, delisted).

Cinematic interpretations of operas are, I believe, another artistic approach to these works. Even the live performance recordings come close to this freedom with elaborate sets and camera play. Admittedly Weigl tends to abridge and perhaps offends the purists, but he does end up with a very tight production. (After all, even in live productions, cuts are often made -- sometimes for no greater reason than to avoid paying overtime.

Opera is theatre and Weigl brings it all to life. His actors all look the part, can really act, and do more than lip-synch -- they sing on the set, although their voices are not used. Most importantly, he has a great sense of setting, costumes, and camera angles.

Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk is a very vivid, emotional, opera. I understand that Shostakovitch planned it to be the first of three about the plight of Russian women through the ages. Unfortunately, Stalin had a hissy fit and Shostakovitch wrote no more operas.

This production does great justice to the work. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I think this is a very successful interpretation of the book by an obviously obscured to western audiences Russian writer Leskov. Although the purists would abhor some cuts in the opera itself, I think the singing and acting convey very well the primordial desire. Katerina never regretted the killing of her husband, according to the book - she was totally consumed by her lust to Sergei. And she despised her life in her husband's family. I give this work credit for the freedom of the artistic representation - Shostakovich did not follow the book to the last letter, so the creator of this film did not do it to his complete score, too. The perception of this work depends on a personal taste, as everything else, but I liked that the torment of Russian soul was there, and the film was generally quite successful in showing Russian way of life. I also liked that it was graphic enough for the theme, and also the actors looked credible for their roles. After all, this is a movie, not a recording of a real opera performance, and in the movie/opera hybrid I believe it was very successful. If you compare the realism of this DVD to another one, Khovanschina, you'll see the difference. At least for me, as a Russian, this is evident. I would recommend this DVD. The singing is magnificent.

I couldn't believe it; this looked so promising, and I was so shocked when I watched this. Only the bare minimum was delivered. Let me start off positively (which is rather hard to do here). let's see... sound quality was good. As for Levine and the orchestra - this is all you need to realize that it's the best orchestra in the U.S. (although in the 1983 Ernani, they are also fantastic). Dolora Zaijk is fabulous in this performance; her terror, her obession for revenge were brilliant here. Jeffery Wells is an excellent Ferrando, perhaps the best one I've ever heard. unfortunately, that's about it. these two singers are the only reasons I added an extra star.

entering the negatives now: Pavarotti sounds just like Pavarotti; flawless intonation and diction, and he still sounds much in his prime. but for heaven's sake, his acting (if you can call it acting) ! I've seen children express more sadness over fallen ice cream than Pavarotti does when his mother is captured! His eyes are dead frozen on the prompter (didn't he learn the part beforehand?), and it looks like he's going to trip and fall down the stairs any second. The terror on his face, and his immobility overshadow the beauty in his singing. This is terribly distracting, unless you just close your eyes and listen (or get the Decca recording with Sutherland, which was recorded in the peak of his career).

Eva Marton - oh, dear. 0 stars for her. She screams, barks, shouts... you get the picture. she also goes terribly flat on high notes, esp. at the end of her duet with Di Luna in Act 4. she looks hideous in her wig also.

Sherrill Milnes is the best actor, no doubt, but the vocal difficulties that occurred in the 80's are clearly visible here; strained, flat high notes, and some cracks. Sure, the audience goes crazy for him, but here, he is a complete shadow of his former self. what a shame.

also, Di Quella Pira is transposed down a half-step. If you want a Golden-Age high C, then get the Pavarotti/Sutherland recording I mentioned above.

as for the production - dark, dreadful, insipid, whatmore.

that's all (thank goodness!) . you're better off getting either the Pavarotti/Sutherland version, or just any of the dozen better versions that are available. It is easier that way.

Oh, I had such high hopes for this one! I was, however, terribly disappointed. Forgetting the singers for a moment, let's concentrate on the sets. Dark and gloomy, with a pointless set of stairs dividing the stage in half. Basically, the sets were changed by moving around a bunch of ugly and useless columns. Apparently, this production was a cast-off of Joan Sutherland's, who hated it.
Okay, moving on. The singers: Pavarotti was Pavarotti, singing fine but, my god, I've seen toddlers express more emotion over pet mosquitos they killed two seconds afterwards. I can't say it enough, his acting is painful!
Eva Marton: This was my first exposure to Marton's voice, and if she is always like this, I'm hoping it's my last! Something went wrong with the tempo in "di tale amor" and many of her high notes were horribly flat. One in particular sticks out, at the end of her duet with the count, her last high note was spectacularly awful. Her acting is perfectly matched to Pavarotti's; need I say more?
Sherril Milnes: Pretty good. His portrayal of the count is intelligent and human, but he should have retired years before. His top notes are strained, and he is obviously struggling with some problems, but on the whole, I really enjoyed his performance.
Dolora Zajick: Gorgeous voice, very gorgeous voice. She acts relatively well, considering the plot, but she's at her best as Amneris in Aida. Still, very good, brava!
So basically, the production has it's high points, (Zajick, Milnes) but mostly it consists of low points. Don't waste your money.

I have to say that Il Trovatore is one of my favourite Verdi Opera's, with a great mix of drama and suspense, twinned with the most unlikely of story lines! There are ample opportunities for the musicians and artists to shine, and some did in this production!

In particular, Dolora Zajick, much the best actor on the stage, gave a passionate and inspired performance as Azucena. She has a wonderfully resilient voice, and carried the role off superbly. I also enjoyed Sherrill Milnes' performance as the "evil" Count Luna. Milnes wouldn't be out of place as the baddy in one of those silent films twiddling his moustach! I found his powerful Baritone extremely convincing.

Pavarotti's voice is as agreeable as ever, but as usual his acting lets the overall performance down. He spends most of his time rooted to the spot with a perplexed look on his face! Mind you, I suppose if you've escaped death by fire at the hands of your mad gypsy mother at the age of 1, you'd look worried too!

Jeffrey Wells got better as he warmed up, but Eva Marton seemed totally out of place here with her "the louder you sing the better" approach. She was decidly flat in places, and didn't even attempt to sing some of the high notes, most noticeably at the end of act 1! The D'amour sull'ali rosee in scene 1 of act 4 is one of the most lovely solo's written by Verdi, however I'm afraid it was somewhat "brutalised" by Eva here, more subtley needed!

The sets were quite atmospheric, although everything obviously happened at night as it was so dark throughout! The Met orchestra were well controlled as usual by James Levine, although it was difficult to hear the singers at times - you often find this with some of Verdi's more dramtic moments!

Unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I actually liked this one overall. It is quite true however, that the movie takes a real downward slide once the occupying forces of the world take over China.

It seems pretty obvious that the Drunken Tiger was not the only one hitting the bottle during this production. For one thing, the bad guys that make up the international army are really silly. They wear goofy cobbled-together uniforms, blonde wigs (think Harpo Marx), run at full-speed instead of marching, and carry flags with them wherever they go; day time, night time, whatever! If you see these guys, they have flags! It's hard to tell if they're part of an army or a parade!

The people making the film try to tell too big a story with too few bad guys (maybe six or seven who actually fight the rebels). And yes, they all know kung fu! Meanwhile, they show maybe upwards of a hundred people in crowd scenes, marching on the Great Wall, fleeing the international army, and appearing in other places, but they leave it to maybe ten people to cleverly combat the six or seven bad guys three or four times.

Up until the takeover, the story is lots of fun, with great fights, and the introduction of the gun into China. Even at the end of the story, the fights are good, but the head bad guy that the Drunken Tiger is after never really gets his hash settled.

This is another one of those kung fu movies that will end on an inexplicable freeze-frame that doesn't resolve the story elements of the occupying force, the bad guy, the rebels, or anything else.

Still, the film is likable, and the drunken training sequence alone is worth the price of the disc. As for the international army, it has great MST3k comedy value for your own MST3k party.

this movie starts out good but gets dumb fast , one thing is they needed to leave the white people out what were they thinking then they got Asians dressed like white people. there are a few good points in this movie which is why it didnt get a 1 and you should see this movie but not necessarily buy it.

i don't know why everyone knocks this movie. yes, it's a little cheesy with the asians dressed like cocasians, but beyond that, this film has some of the greatest fight scenes ever!! better than enter the dragon!! although enter the dragon has a better story, but most people watch these ovies for the action! there's also some hot girls that are being sold as prostitutes for the eye candy!! man, i wish i was over there. bottem line is if you like action better than story (not that this story is bad) you'll probably like this better than enter the dragon!

Richard Pryor is my all-time favorite stand-up comedian. I consider him the best in the business. But his performance in "Live and Smokin" shows he's still just a rookie. He's nervous in front of the camera, and says so several times. His material is typically raunchy, but not very funny. You can hear the forced laughter from a few members of the audience. Buy this tape only if you're a die-hard Pryor fan, but don't expect the side-splitting laughter you'll get from "In Concert", "Live on the Sunset Strip", and "Here and Now".

I wanted to enjoy this video so bad (especially since I had purchased my copy instead of renting it). So far I've seen Live on the Sunset Strip, which was probably the funniest and best, and Richard Pryor Live in Concert, which was really close.

I gave this 3 stars because it had 3 good laughs, but I was hoping there would be more. It's only about 45 minutes long, which I was kind of disapointed about at first, then about half an hour in, I caught myself thinking, "oh good, past the halfway mark." With his other performances, I wanted them to go on and on and was sad they were over. This is fairly early standup from 1971. It appears to have been filmed at a supper club, not that the audience is shown at all, but because I could hear silverware clinking against plates in the background. Some of the material goes past raunchy and into gross-out, or at least gross enough that I felt bad for the people in the club who were eating while watching.

Pryor does do some funny material, especially comparing how white people do stuff (have dinner, have sex, etc)with how black people do it. I know Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy have done this topic over and over, but let's face it, Pryor did it first. Rock and Murphy both freely admit that he was their idol and the reason they wanted to do stand up, and since I've seen almost all the Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy standup there is, it's funny to see Pryor doing a routine that they both have obviously been inspired by. I am sorry to say that Pryor was seriously under the influence of coke when they filmed this; it would have just been a guess but Pryor very openly and bluntly says how much he loves cocaine, can't get enough of it, and can't stop doing it at the beginning of the video. He also seems much more wired than usual. This is fine, but it gets to the point of affecting his performance (several times he nervously adlibs asides that make no sense).

One thing that was poignant that another review I read mentioned was that Pryor jokes about his hellish childhood, blurting out that his mother turned tricks while he was home. He sort of hangs his head quietly and smokes after he says it (it's even more uncomfortable because there's this kind of awkward silence in the club when he talks about it) and it's obvious he still is very sad about it. The production values aren't that great. They have to keep fading in and out, jumping ahead in the performance, probably because he went on one of his drug-induced tangents. Then it has a really abrupt ending, Pryor is doing his wino routine, which is pretty funny, and it seems like he's practically in the middle of a sentence when they freeze it and go to the credits. I could almost hear the editors saying, 'I think I'll end the movie riiight...HERE!" (end).

Pryor is very talented, and I'm not saying that the video doesn't have its moments. It's just that I've seen so much better from this brilliant, hilarious guy. I would just recommend that if you haven't seen any filmed/videotaped performances, don't pick this one to start, try one of the ones I mentioned at the beginning of the review.

Filmed at New York's Improv in 1971, we see a young Pryor working on perfecting the kind of material that made him famous. More polished versions of some of these routines may be found on the 1971 album "Craps After Hours." However, witness the powerful moment when he alludes to his mother's prostitution, then drops his head in sadness and takes a drag from his cigarette after realizing what he has just said. This scene alone is worth the price of admission in this important look at what was to come.

We have a strong cast here (almost the strongest possible) : Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic; and then there is Domingo, Freni & Ludwig etc. There is criticism on the other opera for having a Japanese Madama Butterfly. Yes, there is point there particularly when the latter is at that age and of that huge size. But on the other hand, Freni is the very opposite of any Japanese or indeed any oriental sense of a beauty, particulaly so on that make-up, and than there are so many close-up of her face which dispelled any mysterious sense of beauty of the East ...

The setting is comparatively dull: a huge Japanese house by the side of a desolate slope. The house is too large by general Japanese standard and the slope can't possibly remind us of their religious love for beautiful gardens, nor their Shintoism...

For the singing, well, Domingo will not disappoint you. Neither will there be much surprise for you. I have some reservation for the part of Freni, the phrasings are often on the verge of breaking. What really is disappointing is the support from the orchestra. Karajan is supposed to have enormous experience in opera works, even before he dictated the Berlin Philharmonic. Well, it's rather mechanical and without much life: as a dancing partner, he is hopeless. If Furtwangler is to get an A+, the most he can get is a C+ when Karl Bohm & Solti will at least get a B+/A-. Karajan is much better on his own, and certainly at his best doing Mahler, where we don't sense any living organism nor direction, but just volume and colours. Its sad to say that here Mahler's criticism of Puccini, dispensing him as just a composer who knows some orchestration ( and no more ) seem well justified...

As a whole, I rate this DVD somewhere between 3 to 4 stars. But in view of the strong cast and the legitmate expectations thereof, I only give it a 3 stars, and I can't really recommend it with all my heart.

This just might be my favorite of the four film versions of "Madama Butterfly" available on video. True, it's less "pretty" than the Verona, La Scala, and Frederic Mitterand versions, but it's more dramatically interesting and intense. If prettiness is what you think "Madama Butterfly" is mainly about, get the video from Verona (the prettiest "Butterfly" I know), and leave this one alone. But if you want good dramatic impact, then this one is the one I most highly reccomend.

Here we have a great recording with the essencial Butterly herself. The music and singing is superb. Unfortunately as the singers are lipsinking rather badly with silly costumes, and rather bland acting.. you have to wonder if you shouldnt just buy the CD. there are a few nice moments.. un bel di.. che tua madre... and of course the finale.. but overall.. I'd much rather have freni on DVD in operas where she's actually singing and acting.. like Adrianna.. which is fantastic.

This DVD has multiple problems. First, Walden keeps pausing in the middle of demonstrating the moves to give instruction--fine the first time, annoying and boring once you've been through it a couple times. Secondly, she often does not demonstrate the moves in a way a beginner can do it--during sitting forward bends, her hands are way past her feet!--which I find discouraging. Finally, the DVD forces you to watch the ads for Gaiam/Yoga Journal every time you play the disc instead of skipping to the menu. Not worth the money, really.

I had already taken some beginner's yoga classes when I bought this video, so I wasn't completely in square one, and I can see how an absolute beginner would benefit from the extensive narration before each workout segment and in between poses. Once I recognized the poses by name though, I found it difficult to practice because of all the narration. It was quite distracting, and I find her voice very annoying. I also thought it contradictory that while this video is for beginners, Walden demonstrates all poses to the fullest of HER ability, which is clearly not that of a beginner. She never demonstrated the use of blocks in any of the poses, but mentions that you may use them if you need to - how is a beginner to know how??? On the positive side, her verbal cues were helpful in achieving correct posture and alignment. I also enjoyed the bonus workouts.

I know nothing about yoga. It is the first yoga DVD I just bought today and it is really great for a beginner. It provides very clear instructions. For me, English is not my native language but still I can pick it up easily. It is highly recommended!

This is just about the worst opera performance I've ever seen. I thought I couln't have too many Toscas either. Wrong! Buying this was a waste of money. Cura is mediocre at best and Patane is just embarrassing! Terrible voice! The acting was lousy as well. Cura is often looking amused at the wrong times and wonder if he found this entire thing a fiasco as well. He seemed to be laughing internally at Patane's performance, (if you can call it a performance). The only surprise is that anyone liked this Tosca at all. Any other Tosca is better than this and the original movie with Domingo is perhaps still the best available on video.

Cura has been advertised as being a protege of Domingo. He's not. That was just hype. I had bought his first CD, his voice showing no timbre at all and really unattractive. However, I thought, well, heck, I'll give him another try and one cannot have too many Toscas. Now I have one too many. This version must have been done on a shoe string, it is spare, to say the least and so is the singing. Ms. Pantane is little better than Mr. Cura and her singing is, like his, more in the nature of screaming although she does have a bit of timbre. An altogether displeasing DVD and one I hesitate to give away in case someone might think it was a decent Tosca.

For want of a better word ~ that's this stellar production in a nutshell. Decor, costumes, voices, conducting ..... this one shows clearly that you don't need mega-stars, just pure commitment to the subject, to shine!

FRANCESCA PATANE ignites the senses as does JOSE CURA with this near perfect union of their vocal and dramatic talents. very much along the lines of a May/June/December affair ~ with RENATO BRUSON as the chilly, sad Scarpia.

Minor flaws? The slight commedia touches provided by the rest of the cast, but that's somewhat traditional and to be expected.

Excellently presented in wide-screen, superior sound and vivid color choices {RECORDED 'LIVE'}.

NOT to be missed.

Now if only Patane and Cura would record CARMEN ........

It is a shame that this seems to be the only widely-distributed video recording of Yeomen of the Guard. In my opinion it was Gilbert and Sullivan's best collaboration, but this production fails to capture its spirit. A crucial element Yeomen's greatness is its balance of humor and pathos, but the humor is completely missing here. Joel Grey, especially, in his drab costume, seems to miss the Point (forgive the pun) entirely. Without seeing his brighter side, I felt no sympathy for him at the end. In fact, all of the actors cover up the humor. I also feel that the choreography is extremely dull. In some places, the chorus walks aimlessly around like zombies. The numerous cuts further detract from this performance, especially in the second act. On the positive side, the singing (with the possible exception of Joel Grey) is generally very good. Nevertheless, if you want to see Yeomen as it was meant to be performed, go see a good live production.

I hope someone someday will release a definitive video of Yeomen. This one is not it, although it is better than nothing and seems to be the only version available. Yeomen should be much better known, both to serious opera lovers and to G&S fans. Hoever, it is almost never performed outside Britain, and not very often there.

There are two main problems with this version- it was cut to fit a TV length and Joel Grey was miscast as the jester Jack Point. There are several numbers missing from the middle of both acts. Act two in particular has a very abrupt and truncated feel. Joel Grey is a fine musical comedy performer, but he is out of his league in this more operatic work. This is particularly noticeable in his duets with Elizabeth Gale as Elsie and Alfred Marks as Wilfred- both of them very strong singers. The casting of comedians or Broadway performers in G&S productions might work for The Mikado or Pirates of Penzance, but not for Yeomen.

Another quibble with the whole Opera World series - for the DVD release, why didn't they do optional English subtitles for the musical numbers? It probably would have been easier and cheaper than including a printed libretto with each disc.

In general this is an excellent production, with high quality music and singing in the best D'Oyly Carte tradition. Elizabeth Gale as Elsie Maynard and Elizabeth Bainbridge as Dame Carruthers are both superb. They capture the parts to perfection, both in singing and acting. Geoffrey Chard as Sergeant Meryll, Peter Savidge as the Lieutenant, and Alfred Marks as Wilfred Shadbolt are also excellent. But I've given this version only 4 stars because there are some definite problems with it. Joel Grey is good, but somehow his rendition of Jack Point just doesn't quite work. The part of Phoebe is a good example of how *not* to do it - fake accent, very poor acting, and excessively operatic singing. The introduction by Douglas Fairbanks reaches an apex of inanity, but it's easy to skip it. More importantly, several songs and some parts of the dialog are cut. I don't know how anyone with a heart, or with any feeling for G&S, could have cut 'Is life a boon?' from the Yeomen of the Guard. The words are even engraved on Gilbert's tombstone. Still, on the whole, I'd say it's definitely worth watching.

While I agree for the most part with the other review, I'll add that the G&S purist will be very disappointed by the arbitrary changes and additions to Sullivan's contribution and very, very disappointed by the pretty much irrelevant local references and such arbitrary re-wordings (e.g. to allow a needless change of "five and twenty" to "twenty five". If you really, really like G&S, give this recording a pass.

In 1882, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan introduced a beautiful opera at the Savoy theater. Iolanthe was at once human and funny, moving and satirical. Unfortunately, this Stratford production seems to have latched onto the phrase "comic opera" and decided that drama and acting are insignificant, and that each scene -- in some cases, each line -- should be considered in a vacuum to maximize comic effect. The result is a series of scenes that betray characters as massively inconsistent and unbelievable, and a show that is much less than the sum of its parts.

I don't generally mind rewrites in cases where the original lyrics would be unintelligible; I think it's perfectly reasonable to write "Captain Shaw" or "Ovidius Naso" out of Iolanthe. But to a modern American audience, many of the dated political jokes are no better understood.

All told, the musical changes, the lyric changes, and especially the (lack of nuanced) acting indicates a complete disrespect for the original product, and makes one wonder why Stratford is (at least nominally) doing G&S at all.

I just watched this VCR with two children, aged 7 and 10, who don't beg, in general, to stay up and finish an opera (ok, an OPERETTA!). We had a joyous time of it in three tranches. To me that's a solid two thumbs way, way up.

Yes, the sound quality is infuriatingly bad and the "videoization" of a stage work intrusive and distracting. The slip-sync dubbing amounts to a face slap at times. And yes, the voices aren't uniformly wonderful.

But the staging is a delight with clumbsy faeries, caped nobles, pop-up book sets, stage hands continually caught in the frame and inventive swinging entries. It kept us all charmed. And glued.

If the story, and its CBC modernizing, is a tad unaccessible, so what! The music and its delivery are riveting and my girls were there giving the TV a standing O as the credits rolled. Way to do, Stratford!