Typographers Movie Reviews

"My job is thinking about goofy sh--," declares George Carlin, the ever-reflective absurdist and star of George Carlin Again. The second in Carlin's long string of HBO specials since 1977, Again (1978) finds the once buttoned-down comic performing in the round and musing, as is his wont, on many vital issues of the day. What, for example, do restaurants do with the rest of a frog after cooking its legs? Who empties the coins out of wishing wells? To the delight of his Phoenix audience, Carlin also takes a detour into pop philosophy with a look at our relationship with time ("There is no 'now.' It could be the middle of last month for all we know.") and death ("Everybody gets a two-minute warning. Try to use yours to die big."). Oddly, a nostalgic reprise of the Hippie-Dippie Weatherman from Carlin's early career falls flat; the comedian senses it and segues into a more trenchant and daring bit about dirty words and American law. This is not a monologue for the faint of heart, but Carlin fanatics will be pleased. --Tom Keogh

Puccini's beloved heroine has had many starry interpreters, but in this 1991 Flemish Opera performance, soprano Miriam Gauci gives a head-turning portrayal. Her acting and singing coalesce into that rarest of occurrences, especially in opera: a believable characterization summoning sympathy from the viewer for Manon's tragic demise and pleasure at witnessing the tremendous range of Gauci's talent. The soprano's outsized stage presence overshadows the entirely capable Des Grieux (Manon's lover) of Antonio Ordonez. Robert Carsen's production is much too busy, and some questionable stage antics seem better suited to Gilbert & Sullivan than Manon Lescaut. But the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the Flemish Opera (with Silvio Varviso conducting) acquit themselves well in one of opera's most familiar warhorses. If you're new to opera, other productions better convey the essence of Puccini's classic tragedy. But if you're looking for a different kind of Manon Lescaut, then Gauci's fresh, winning take on her is definitely worth checking out. --Kevin Filipski

The Favorites Collection includes five Gilbert and Sullivan operettas produced for British television: The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Gondoliers, and Patience. The Opera World series (1982) is the only comprehensive Gilbert and Sullivan series on video. It comprises 12 G&S works (if you cheat and count Cox and Box, written by Sullivan without Gilbert), including, for some titles, the only available version. In terms of quality, the series is uneven. There are some treasures, but some productions have a disconsolate penny-pinching look, and a few need more rehearsal. The casts are a blend of Broadway singers, British and American comedians, and D'Oyly Carte veterans, with stars including William Conrad (The Mikado) and singer-songwriter Peter Allen (The Pirates of Penzance). Frequent standout performers include Keith Michell, Clive Revill, Kate Flowers, and Anne Collins, who shines as a procession of unloved older women.

Of this set, the highlight is The Gondoliers, in which Sullivan's Italianate score--his most radiant--sets the tone, though there's a fair helping of Gilbert's trademark wit. H.M.S. Pinafore is erratic though of generally high musical quality, The Mikado has good performers but lacks spark, Patience (a favorite of many aficionados) has some casting flaws, and the pleasures of Pirates are sporadic at best. A better choice is the 10-disc Master Collection, which includes four of the series' standouts, Ruddigore, The Sorcerer, Iolanthe, and Princess Ida, as well as The Yeomen of the Guard. --David Olivenbaum

One of the most unjustly underrated Italian operas receives a production that should help correct that attitude. Andrea Chenier is based on the true story of a poet who was caught up and destroyed by the blind fury of the French Revolution. Giordano's music captures the acrid flavor of that movement, the cynicism of some of its leaders, and Chenier's integrity and tragic fate. This production's value has probably increased since Plácido Domingo, the leading Chenier of his generation, has dropped the role from his repertoire.

All three principals sing eloquently and with a fine sense of the opera's structure and context. Anna Tomowa-Sintow is in even better voice than Domingo, and Giorgio Zancanaro heads an expert supporting cast. The Covent Garden Chorus, directed with distinction by Michael Hampe, gives a memorable impression of the revolutionary mob. Julius Rudel's conducting is totally idiomatic. --Joe McLellan