Australian Movie Reviews

This is one of the absolute best of the Gaither Videos! It features not only songs from the Recent Gaither Vocal Band Cd but also from David Phelps Solo Cd.

Janet Pascal and the Easters also make Cameo appearances.

If you've seen this on TV, it is still worth your while to buy the video or DVD.
The extra footage is most certainly worth your purchase price.

Unlike previous Australian Opera adaptations of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, this production
does not suffer from lyric substitution (that made obscure references even more obscure to non
Australian audiences).

The sound is very good and the quality of singing is about the best I've heard recorded on DVD (so far).

Unfortunately, there is no closed captioning or sub titles, so following along, for those unfamiliar with this score, can be a challenge. But everyone, including the chorus, enunciates quite well, so there shouldn't
be too much distress.

I hope there is more coming from Sydney. It would be nice to have a complete set (as the BBC attempted about 15 years ago). (I wonder if they are forthcoming?).

The quality of production was reminiscent of the D'Oyly Carte one that I caught (and carried in my memory)
in the early 1960's (at the NY City Center).

This is a Must Buy for a true Savoyard!

It is fascinating to see an opera company turn their attention to Gilbert and Sullivan. Patience herself is clearly a first-rate singer, and the staging is done with particular care and zest. The choreograpy of the duets and ensembles is a delight to the eye as well as the ear. The one drawback to the performance (that keeps it from FIVE STARS) is the use in the recording of some kind of "sound suppression" filter. One of the "twenty lovesick maidens" plays a diminuitive pair of cymbals, and whenever she crashes them, the entire sound is suppressed for two or three seconds, until the sound system can recover. This is initially distracting, but is more apparent in the first act than in the second, and should not keep anyone from the superb staging and performance which is given. Bunthorne is played with superb skill by a wonderfully supple character-singer. The twenty minutes which close the second act are for this reviewer eye-and-ear-candy which I play again and again, to delight in the wonderful work of singers, director, and choreographer. Where can we get more of such productions?

I have to admit that I bought this DVD for two reasons: I love Gilbert & Sullivan, and I think that Anthony Warlow has one of the most remarkable voices today. I was more than pleasently surprised by the quality of both the cast and the recording of this production. The voices are all very good (yes, they are opera singers, but hey, get over it - they were in G&S's time, too) and very understandable. Lady Jane is particularly wonderful.

I will not comment very much, only that I have seen very strange reviews here. Even some people putting this soap-opera effort in a higher position to the GREAT ones (Pavarotti/Freni, for example), which is not only ingnorance, but also offensive to serious opera lovers.

I will only say that if you know nothing, and care less about what singing and opera should be, of course this is the one to buy.

This Austrailian Production from Sydney is perfect. The cast is young,energetic and of normal WEIGHT. It is difficult to imagine anyone being attracted to some of the fatties who have played Rodolfo, but David Hobson is believable and has a beautiful voice. He also LISTENS when he sings with mimi. I agree with other writers ....this is an excellant "beginners" opera because it makes sense and is believable. I bought several copies for christmas gifts...and here I am about to buy more for my "non opera " friends.I have seen boheme in columbus, cincinnati, the met, covent garden and la Scala and have always thought the productions were"nice" And I realize I am not part of the cognizatti: however, this performance is dazzling. I wish this had existed when I was studying music at O.S.U. but it was not. It would have been exciting to sit and debate the many reasons it is so good. Pay particular attention to Act II, there is a long shot of the stage with all the chorus and it appears to be a photo/flash shot, but then one real;izes that the chorus is all dressed in shades of gray which of course makes the major playerS stand out. I may have to buy a second copy for myself...i will wear mine out. In my opinion this would be a perfect gift for anyone who has any interest in music....and the timing is right too....Christmas Eve"(randius@aol.com)

I loved the music to Rent! and Moulin Rouge, but I wanted to become truly aware of the music of the bohemian lifestyle!
Viewing this after hearing/seeing the others, is like going to the Holy Land.
I didn't like the actress/singer for the part of Mimi so much... I just felt there had to be "something" more there. But that will not skew my score of a 5 out of 5.
This is my first time seeing an opera, and what a great first time it has been! I was only confused for a few minutes about some details of the background of the story, but once I viewed it over again it made perfect sense. The subtitles are done quite nice, but concentrate on the actual words for the music because the subtitles won't show you all of the repeats or simiple words like "yes." Keep an eye out for Musette's performance it is flawless!

I will not comment very much, only that I have seen very strange reviews here. Even some people putting this soap-opera effort in a higher position to the GREAT ones (Pavarotti/Freni, for example), which is not only ingnorance, but also offensive to serious opera lovers.

I will only say that if you know nothing, and care less about what singing and opera should be, of course this is the one to buy.

This Austrailian Production from Sydney is perfect. The cast is young,energetic and of normal WEIGHT. It is difficult to imagine anyone being attracted to some of the fatties who have played Rodolfo, but David Hobson is believable and has a beautiful voice. He also LISTENS when he sings with mimi. I agree with other writers ....this is an excellant "beginners" opera because it makes sense and is believable. I bought several copies for christmas gifts...and here I am about to buy more for my "non opera " friends.I have seen boheme in columbus, cincinnati, the met, covent garden and la Scala and have always thought the productions were"nice" And I realize I am not part of the cognizatti: however, this performance is dazzling. I wish this had existed when I was studying music at O.S.U. but it was not. It would have been exciting to sit and debate the many reasons it is so good. Pay particular attention to Act II, there is a long shot of the stage with all the chorus and it appears to be a photo/flash shot, but then one real;izes that the chorus is all dressed in shades of gray which of course makes the major playerS stand out. I may have to buy a second copy for myself...i will wear mine out. In my opinion this would be a perfect gift for anyone who has any interest in music....and the timing is right too....Christmas Eve"(randius@aol.com)

I loved the music to Rent! and Moulin Rouge, but I wanted to become truly aware of the music of the bohemian lifestyle!
Viewing this after hearing/seeing the others, is like going to the Holy Land.
I didn't like the actress/singer for the part of Mimi so much... I just felt there had to be "something" more there. But that will not skew my score of a 5 out of 5.
This is my first time seeing an opera, and what a great first time it has been! I was only confused for a few minutes about some details of the background of the story, but once I viewed it over again it made perfect sense. The subtitles are done quite nice, but concentrate on the actual words for the music because the subtitles won't show you all of the repeats or simiple words like "yes." Keep an eye out for Musette's performance it is flawless!

This is a great film of Marius Petipa's (creator of "Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker", "The Sleeping Beauty", "La Bayadere" among others) "Don Quixote" in that the production quality (sets, costumes, music, and line up of numbers) is outstanding. The dancers are no where near the ability of the Kirov film of this same ballet. If there was a way to combine this production with Kirov Ballet dancing it would be perfection! Dont get me wrong though....the dancers are quite good.

Here we have the late great Rudolf Nureyev as Basilio, and Lucette Aldous as Kitri. Nureyev changed many things in this production for himself (bringing the male up to the level of the female as he always did in his restagings). Alongside those differences, he made the ballet shine more with the music restored by John Lanchbery, giving the Minkus score more personality and musical backbone much in need in the original score. His orchestrations also the give the music a more Spanish-style feel. The acting is highly entertaining, as the dancers do well in showing a flair for the comedy of this ballet.

Nureyev should have left some things alone however, including his treatment of the 'Kingdom of The Dryads' scene in the second act. He simplifies the choreography for the corps and in a way that downsizes the grand affect the traditional choreography makes. He also adds at the beginning of the second act music from the other Petipa/Minkus ballet "La Bayadere" for a pas de deux for himself and the heroine. His choreography is horrible in this section.

All in all however, this video is quite a sight to see. I must stress again how fond I am of the way Lanchbery treated the Minkus score. His restoration really makes it sound up to the level it should (get the cd of this music available at the Orchestra Victoria web page). This is a great version of this ballet, and worth owning for its outstanding production quality, but I will only give it three stars for its 'pretty good' dancing.

Essential. Often called the greatest dance film ever made, and easy to see why when witnessing Nureyev's blazing solos.
--Octavio Roca, Dance critic

This DVD is a spectacular restoration of one of the best ballet films of all time. It has a terrific performance by Nureyev, and features the great Lucette Aldous, a perfect match for Nureyev in charisma and technique. The DVD also has numerous bonus materials, including a "making of" documentary and side-by-side before-and-after scenes to illustrate the restoration. I also have the VHS and laser disk of this movie, and they are both dark and dirty looking compared to this beautiful DVD. It's really a great improvement and well worth purchasing.

Although Marton was wonderful as usual, her dynamic voice could not make up for the sound quality. There were points when the orchestra overwhelmed the artist. I suspect this was recorded as a "whole" versus miking the individual artists. I was reminded of home movies.

I must disagree with the other reviewer and say that the sound quality and the staging were exceptional. All of the singers put in great performances, sharing the limelight equally. I've never seen or heard a better Scarpia. The only complaint is that some of the scenes are a bit dark, which seems to happen all too frequently when movies are transferred to DVD.

I will tell you from the start, I know a good amount of things about the great masterpieces of opera: I have heard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Der Ring des Nibelungen and Parsifal, Verdi's La Traviata and Falstaff (I will also have Otello soon), Richard Strauss' Salome, Elektra and Rosenkavalier, as well as a bunch of other things. I can therefore say that I know what "Grand" opera is. And "Les Huguenots" is.

Meyerbeer has for long been disregarded as a great composer, and this because many other composers who now have a tremendous success (especially Schumann and Wagner) have made fun of him and ridiculised his musical skills. Today, peoples still find something bad to say of his music. Let me try to pop their balloons.

First, according to Meyerbeer bashers, his "melodic invention" is inferior to Bel-cantists, especially Verdi. His arias are, apparently, too short. I beg to differ. The only mistake Meyerbeer ever made in his arias was not to repeat himself. The arias in "Les huguenots" are, if you repeat their melodies like Verdi does in "Rigoletto", "La traviata" or "Il trovatore", we can see both are pretty much of similar length. As an example, if you take, say, Raoul(the tenor)'s romance "Plus blanche que la blanche ermine" and make him repeat it completely, with other lyrics, we obtain an aria as long as "La donna e mobile", except with better orchestration. It is, however, comprehensible they may SEEM shorter, but their musical value is in no way inferior. If you want a longer aria, just play it's part of the dvd again; it'll do just like Verdi in his middle-period arias. And for those who say this composer couldn't create complex melodic episodes, just take the 16 minutes long love-duet that ends the fourth act of this opera!

Also, it would appear that Meyerbeer's operas are too pompous, give an exterior effect, and rely on "effects without causes", to quote Wagner. It supposedly threathens the building of the acts of his operas. Only a misunderstanding of the very essence of the "Historical grand opera" can lead to such beliefs. Meyerbeer's operas are deeply humane, showing how individuals at a given historical moment influence and see their lives be influenced (often tragically) by it. It is normal Meyerbeer includes "pompous" or "cause-less" episodes in his opera, to create a picture of society at that time, and thus put into relief the human drama that later unfolds before our eyes. The perfect example would be the finale of act 3, where women wish happy days to a newly married couple, while the bride must hide her pain about being married to someone else than the one she loves (don't worry, she's more strongly built than Lucia of Lammermoor).

Finally, some say such works could only appeal to the french middle-class bourgeoisie of the time, which had inferior musical tastes, only wanted big spectacles, etc. Well, it would then mean the territory of France extended at that time from Chicago to Moscow!

Having said what I felt necessary about Meyerbeer, I will give a few words about the production of this dvd. All sets are beautiful, but the singing is a mixed bag. John Pringle (Baritone) and Amanda Thane (Dramatic soprano) give very good performances. Anson Austin (Tenor) is a bit squally, but his role is a quite difficult one. Clifford Grant (Bass) barfs his words more than he speaks them, but the singing itself is all right. John Wegner (Bass I think) has a far too light voice, I think, but his role is not that major a role. Joan Sutherland (Coloratura soprano) is hardly ok, but still listenable. All of them (even Joan Sutherland) have very good acting on their side, and only Grant, Sutherland and Thane have troubles with french diction. Subtitles are only in english, and the translating is quite passable. Good stereo sound, good conducting, good acoustics. The first scene of the fourth act was omitted, and what remains was dubbed as part of the fourth act.

To conclude, if you like operas with vivid and energetic orchestration, powerful chorus pieces, both tender and energetic melodies, human drama and grandiose finales, this opera should be your next buy. Meyerbeer was the most successful composer of his time. We must now preserve his works, instead of denigrating them, for they are as important to french opera as Wagner's lyric dramas to germans and Verdi's last four operas to italians, and are as much musical powerhouses as those are.

Joan Sutherland is a popular soprano with a following of many admirers. She has appeared in various operas now available on DVD, among them Lucrezia Borgia and La Fille Du Regiment. In the 60's and 70's Joan Sutherland grace the opera stage with her numerous sold out performances and her winning "big" voice. She was motivated to sing opera in an effort to rival Maria Callas or to follow in her footsteps. Here, she plays the role of Marguerite De Valois, the warm-hearted and freethinking French princess. Giacomo Meyebeer's operas were the trend at the time in Paris. His style "grand opera" is rarely performed today. It features lavish scenery, special effects and spectacle, crowd scenes, great singers and dramatic orchestral music. Much of these operas "L'Africaine", "La Prophete", "Robert Le Diable" were very big productions that cost a lot to produce- tales of intense drama, romance, tragedy, history, religion, etc. These operas were ancestors to Wagner operas. In fact, Meyerbeer was himself a French Wagner of his day.

Les Huguenots (French Protestants) is set in the late 1500's. Queen Elizabeth I was ruling England and the heart of Europe was divided between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation. In France, there was a bloody massacre that has become known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Many Protestants or Huguenots were killed in cold blood in the public streets. During these troubling times, Raoul the tenor hero falls in love with Valentine, the soprano heroine. The lovers are doomed from the beginning. They both come from opposing religions and rival families. A marriage would have been inevitable. But the clever Marguerite De Valois (Joan Sutherland) devises a plan to get them married and offers the help of both Protestant and Catholic religious leaders. Joan Sutherland's Marguerite looks a lot like Queen Elizabeth I in case anyone has already figured out. Unfortunately, like in most romantic dramas of this period, the lovers do not have a happy ending. But the story is exceptional, the singing brilliant and the music to die for.

I'm getting pretty sick of all these people trashing Huguenots. I admit, Les Huguenots isn't Star Wars or even Tristan und Isolde but it is still truly a great undervalued opera. Before Wagner and Verdi transformed and magnified the opera, Meyerbeer, a Jew, was THE big opera composer. Wagner, in fact, was highly jealous of Meyerbeer's success, attacking him savagely in his infamous treatise, "Judaism in Music". Historically, Huguenots is a fascinating and all-to-rarely seen work, somewhere between the glittering bel canto of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, the french opera comique of Auber and Boieldieu, and the "Grand Opera" of Verdi, Wagner, and their successors. It is truly a "grand" work, its length being considerable and its subject matter and scope being equally enormous. In fact, it opens with the delightful Roccoco charm of "La Dame blanche", and ends with a French dramatic grandeur that reminds me of "Les Miserables". That said, it also contains some of the most delightful and glittering (not to mention difficult) music ever written. Musically (although perhaps not dramatically) Act II deserves particular attention, with Sutherland's breathtaking coluratura. Les Huguenots will be valued by any fans of Sutherland, French Romantic or Roccoco opera, or anyone intersted witnessing a wonderful but neglected musical (not to mention historical) document.

I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE SYDNEY OPERA COMPANY UNTIL I SAW A PRODUCTION OF LA BOHEME. i FELL IN LOVE WITH DAVID HOBSON AND LOOKED FOR MORE. I FOUND THE GONDOLIERS AND FOUND IT TO BE EXHILERATING, ENCHANTING, IT SPARKLES, IT SHINES. IT MOVES RIGHT ALONG . UNLIKE SOME OF YOUR REVIEWERS I FOUND THE SOUND TO BE PERFECT. THE CHOREOGRAPHY WAS GREAT AND THE UPDATES A RIOT. UNLIKE THE PURISTS WHO LOVE TO BE NAYSAYERS IMPRESS OTHERS WITH THEIR SNOBBERY( BY THE WAY THE PURISTS NEED TO CHECK UP ON TRADITION OF G=S AND LEARN THAT UP DATES TO THE TIME WITH AD LIB IS PART OF THE SCORE...READ IT!!.)THE MAN PLAYING COUNTESS DEL TORO IS MAGNIFICENT AND SEEMED TO BE THE REINCARNATION OF HERMIONE GINGOLD. I DONT KNOW WHAT I TOUGHT WAS GOING ON IN THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE UNDER THOSE GORGEOUS SAILS BUT I KNOW NOW...PURE MAGIC.CAN YOU IMAGINE DAVID HOBSON WITH EAINE PAIGE? WOW. IF YOU WERE DISGUSTED BY THE PERFORMANCE I'LL BUY YOUR COPY FOR FRIENDS WHO HAVE TASTE.

I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE SYDNEY OPERA COMPANY UNTIL I SAW A PRODUCTION OF LA BOHEME. i FELL IN LOVE WITH DAVID HOBSON AND LOOKED FOR MORE. I FOUND THE GONDOLIERS AND FOUND IT TO BE EXHILERATING, ENCHANTING, IT SPARKLES, IT SHINES. IT MOVES RIGHT ALONG . UNLIKE SOME OF YOUR REVIEWERS I FOUND THE SOUND TO BE PERFECT. THE CHOREOGRAPHY WAS GREAT AND THE UPDATES A RIOT. UNLIKE THE PURISTS WHO LOVE TO BE NAYSAYERS IMPRESS OTHERS WITH THEIR SNOBBERY( BY THE WAY THE PURISTS NEED TO CHECK UP ON TRADITION OF G=S AND LEARN THAT UP DATES TO THE TIME WITH AD LIB IS PART OF THE SCORE...READ IT.)THE MAN PLAYING COUNTESS DEL TORO IS MAGNIFICENT AND SEEMED TO BE THE REINCARNATION OF HERMIONE GINGOLD. I DONT KNOW WHAT I TOUGHT WAS GOING ON IN THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE UNDER THOSE GORGEOUS SAILS BUT I KNOW NOW...PURE MAGIC.

The problem with using 'topical' references in G&S (or similar) productions is that they quickly become dated, so in this case what was regarded as very funny in 1988 is now passe and almost forgotten (even by Australians) and in one instance - the reference to the Princess of Wales - painfully unfortunate.

Modern lyrics aside, the music is as delightful as ever, of course, although the sacrifice of 'I am a Courtier, Grave and Serious' was regrettable (particularly since the Duke and Duchess' Duet which preceeded it was 'modernised'). The singing, too, is first -class, even when one is reminded just how old this production is by the young David Hobson's endearingly croaky bottom notes in 'Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes' - the future Mozart stylist was still near the beginning of his career!

The routine pairing of Hobson and Roger Lemke, thoroughly enjoying themselves as Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri - the Gondoliers of the title - complimented by Christine Douglas (Gianetta) and Suzanne Johnston (Tessa) made for some excellent performances by the 'young chickens'. Right behind them, though, were the 'old birds', Australian Opera stalwarts Robert Gard and Graeme Ewer as the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro, and the inimitable Dennis Olsen (Don Alhambra).

Susan Benson's costumes showed to particular advantage in the highlight of the production, the Act II "Cachucha" sequence - where Director/Choreographer Brian Macdonald was to be congratulated for managing to make most of the cast look like reasonable dancers!

The photos are beautiful, but they're stills, not video footage. That gives this DVD the feel of a coffee table book set to music. The music is moving and appropriately spiritual, but the experience feels bounded by the photo frames. I didn't get a feel of the real Outback - more a glossy set of postcards. As a homesick Australian, I was disappointed.

This is the most beautiful video and music sequence I have ever seen. A stunning audio/video presentation. The producers should be commended for their efforts.

The Australian Outback DVD is awe-inspiring. Michael Scott Lees is one of the best landscape photgraphers Australia has ever known and Rivertribe Music is breathtaking.

I whole heartedly recommend this program. You will be blown away by the wonders of Australia and its diverse landscape.

Limp entertainment. While it is all you ever wanted to see in exploring the various ways you can manipulate mens genitals; it is highly boring after the initial on-film shock value wears off. That took several minutes. Truly nothing you haven't seen or imagined if you've ever had foreplay with a man with lights low/on; or are a man that has pretended his genitals are a hamburger. For men - nothing you can't do, haven't done, or imagined. NO great comedy or dialog. Live audience laughter and on-screen reactions seem very strained. Better genital entertainment is "The Vagina Monologues." You may like this if you enjoy simple male genital tricks that are easily done. Full Monty Dissapointment.

I did not watch "Live at the Forum" until after I had spent seven weeks working with the touring company of Puppetry of the Penis. Though the video is good, it doesn't do the live show justice. If you have seen it live, you probably won't be blown away by the video. If you have never seen it live, you will probably love the video.

It is no way pornographic. After a couple minutes, you forget that they are even naked.

The two men in the video are the creators of the show. One is currently touring in America, the other is touring in Australia. I have never worked with either though. The other "dick trickers" on tour are definitely funnier than these two. I probably just got spoiled by the two boys that I worked with though. There are very few men in the world who would be willing (or able) to get onstage and play with themselves for an hour in front of an audience of thousands. You have to respect them for that.

PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS was an unexpected hot ticket in London and New York--a fifty minute comedy act that involves to two men who give a new meaning to the phrase "show and tell" by stripping buck naked and twisting their genitalia into, well, object d'art. So to speak. And this DVD offers the show before a live audience, so you can sit in on the twisting and pulling in an up-close and personal sort of way.

This sounds a lot more bizarre than it really is, as any man who ever spent part of their teenage years in the highschool locker room can tell you. Yes: it really is teenage boy humor, and Austrailian comics Simon Morley and David Friend have snatched it out of the locker room and plunked it on stage for all the world to see. There's "the boomerang," "the eye," "the Loch Ness Monster," "the baby bird," and a host of other penis impersonations--all of which are good for a giggle and some of which are downright hilarious.

Although the show is done in the nude, it isn't in the least erotic, so if that's what you're looking for you had better go some where else. And in truth, this is a show that probably works much better on stage, where there it no doubt has an "in your face" factor that leads the audience to embarrassed hilarity--and indeed, the camera spends almost as much time on audience reaction as on the performers.

Now, this is never going to make any one's short list of "must own live comedy shows." After all, the material will only stretch so far... but taken in the right spirit, it is quite amusing, and it might be the perfect video for that next party you're thinking about giving--just imagine the possibilities! The DVD package also includes a documentary on the creation of a second PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS performing company, which is also amusing in a bizarre sort of way, and a small booklet that will let viewers follow along at home if they are so inclined. An entertaining bit of fluff.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer