The Pianist (Full Screen Edition)

Starring:Adrien Brody
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winner of 3, The Pianist stars Oscar winner Adrien Brody in the true-life story of brilliant pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, the most acclaimed young musician of his time until his promising career was interrupted by the onset of World War II. This powerful, ultimately triumphant film follows Szpilman s heroic and inspirational journey of survival with the unlikely help from a sympathetic German officer (Thomas Kretschmann). A truly unforgettable epic, testifying to both the power of hope and the resiliency of the human spirit, The Pianist is a miraculous tale of survival masterfully brought to life by visionary filmmaker Roman Polanski in his most personal movie ever.

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Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox, Maureen Lipman, Jessica Kate Meyer, Julia Rayner, Ed Stoppard
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Running Time: 150 Min., Color
Copyright Universal Studios 2003

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Winner of the prestigious Golden Palm award at the 2002 Cannes film festival, The Pianist is the film that Roman Polanski was born to direct. A childhood survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland, Polanski was uniquely suited to tell the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew and concert pianist (played by Adrien Brody) who witnessed the Nazi invasion of Warsaw, miraculously eluded the Nazi death camps, and survived throughout World War II by hiding among the ruins of the Warsaw ghetto. Unlike any previous dramatization of the Nazi holocaust, The Pianist steadfastly maintains its protagonist's singular point of view, allowing Polanski to create an intimate odyssey on an epic wartime scale, drawing a direct parallel between Szpilman's tenacious, primitive existence and the wholesale destruction of the city he refuses to abandon. Uncompromising in its physical and emotional authenticity, The Pianist strikes an ultimate note of hope and soulful purity. As with Schindler's List, it's one of the greatest films ever made about humanity's darkest chapter. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Movie.......2007-05-13

This movie is really an exquisite piece. For those of you out there interested in recent history and who appreciate it being told to you in the most vivid and understanding way, will love "The Pianist". As the story unfolds, we see the grusome behaviour that humans can portray and one other, and it brings us to the realization that something as awful as the Holocaust can happen on our planet, and nothing was done about it, or done to rectify the situation, unitl so many people lost their lives.
I do recommend everyone to sit down and watch this movie as it is both entertaing and enlightening to the fact that something like this should never be repeated.

Hope this Helps ;)

Polanski tops himself.......2007-05-12

should be seen by everyone. no doubt, there are good Germans, there are bad Germans--but what Hitler and the Nazis did should never, ever be forgotten.

some of the scenes are quite painful to witness, as they should be: human beings, absolutely innocent of any wrong-doing, stripped of their dignity, left to starve to death, beaten, shot, seperated from family and loved ones, loaded up on trains to be taken to the death camps...will leave your eyes welling...and this is exactly why the film is a must-see.

you don't have to be Jewish to relate to those who suffered and were put through the living hell.

I applaud Roman Polanski for his impeccable direction.

First rate film.......2007-05-01

An exellent film made even more dramatic in that elements of Polanskis actual life are inclueded in the film. Take the scene where Szpilman is pulled to safety by his old friend who has now become a guard, he runs away but is told by the guard "Dont run" (I assume in order to not raise suspicion) In the book he is told to "Run" These words are actually from Polanskis life in the Ghettos when he was given the chance to flee.

This film has got to be one of the best 2nd world war films you can find, simply because it is one mans story, one 'ordinary' mans story of survival in almost impossible conditions. The German officer at the end is quite rightly a symbol of hope that there is still good in the world.

This film may not have received the same attention as Shindlers List perhaps because while that film is about the collective horrors of the 2nd world war this is more the story of an idividual. Still that takes nothing from the film. 5 stars and highly recomended.

Adrien Brody's performance is transcendent - beyond compare!.......2007-03-20

The other reviews here say it all, and probably better than I ever could. The film is brilliant, Polanski's direction is absolutely perfect, but for me, this is Adrien Brody's masterpiece. I cannot think of any leading performance by a male actor in a film that is better than this. Mr. Brody OWNS this film, and never has an Academy Award been so well-deserved. I hope a 2-disc collector's edition is released sometime and I hope they include Adrien Brody's Oscar acceptance speech, which is also stunning!

The Pianist.......2007-02-19

Supposed to be NEW! Had circular scratches on it upon opening. Would not play. DVD player gave message - "Disc damaged or dirty".

Average customer rating:

Buena Vista Social Club video
cuba!
Essential for anyone who loves music
great for Spanish students or music lovers
Great movie and good DVD.

Buena Vista Social Club
Starring: Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal , Amadito Valdés , Julio Alberto Fernández , Juan de Marcos González , and Luis Barzaga
Director: Wim Wenders
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
Calle 54
Introducing...Rubén González
Soneros de Verdad - Sounds of Cuba

ASIN: B00002SWEM
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Amazon.com essential video

In 1996, composer, producer, and guitar legend Ry Cooder entered Egrem Studios in Havana with the forgotten greats of Cuban music, many of them in their 60s and 70s, some of them long since retired. The resulting album, Buena Vista Social Club, became a Grammy-winning international bestseller. When Cooder returned to Havana in 1998 to record a solo album by 72-year-old vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, filmmaker Wim Wenders was on hand to document the occasion. Wenders splits the film between portraits of the performers, who tell their stories directly to the camera as they wander the streets and neighborhoods of Havana, and a celebration of the music heard in performance scenes in the studio, in their first concert in Amsterdam, and in their second and final concert at Carnegie Hall. The songs are too often cut short in this fashion, but Buena Vista Social Club is not a concert film. Wenders weaves the artist biographies with a glimpse of modern Cuba remembering its past, capturing a lost culture in music that is suddenly, unexpectedly revived for audiences in Havana and around the world. Wenders makes his presence practically invisible, as if his directorial flourishes or off-screen narration might deflect attention from the artists, who do a fine job of telling their own stories through interviews and music. It's a loving portrait of a master class in Cuban music, with a vital cast of aging performers whose energy and passion belie their years. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Buena Vista Social Club video.......2007-07-04

I'm a fan of old Cuban music, and I found it amazing how this incredible talent was reawakend to full bloom instantaneously when Ry Cooder put it together in this documentary. I had enjoy the CD, but had not had the opportunity to watch and enjoy the old timers in the video. Compay Segundo has been a Cuban legend since he first appeared in the scene in the '30s. I had no idea he was still alive. Thanks to Mr. Cooder for giving him a few days of happiness, and sharing him with us one more time. The greates revelations for me though was Rubén González at the piano who seemed to have not lost one ounce of his brilliance after all these years even with arthritis and little practice, and Ibrahim Ferrer whose voice kept as fresh as when he was a teenager. Simply amazing!

cuba!.......2007-05-30

this is a wonderful documentary bringing even more of a voice to those giving us this wonderful music! some parts use subtitles. presents a nice history of the time.

Essential for anyone who loves music .......2007-05-10

Essential for anyone who loves music. Ry Cooder is to be complemented for his work in bringing the musicians together back then. I saw the BVSC live about 6 years ago, and it was one of the most amazing and inspiring performances I have ever seen. The movie is a bit slow in parts, and the music is somewhat brought down by Ry Cooder unfortunately. I have the greatest respect for him as a master guitarist (his other collaborations are outstanding) but here he looks hopelessly out of place as the BVSC chugs on with their amazing brand of rootsy lightness. Cooder sits around producing a melancholy wail once in a while from his slide guitar, and that's about it. Pity. But still, if you are into music - and particularly Latin music - you HAVE TO SEE this film :)

great for Spanish students or music lovers.......2007-03-26

Loved this DVD because it's useful on so many levels for my Spanish class. Can use it for cultural discussions of music, social issues, history of Cuba, current policies toward Cuba, etc. Most expecially, kids like music and the life stories of the musicians are quite moving. Also, for the beginning student, many of the singers' dialogs are also not too hard for them to follow.

Great movie and good DVD........2007-02-13

I am very happy with the quality and the quick delivery of my order.

Average customer rating:

A Slice of Paris
Jessica does Paris

Avenue Montaigne
Starring: Cécile De France , Valérie Lemercier , Albert Dupontel , Laura Morante , and Claude Brasseur
Director: Danièle Thompson
Manufacturer: Velocity / Thinkfilm
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The Page Turner
Le Petit Lieutenant
Sweet Land - A Love Story
Un Coeur en Hiver ( A Heart in Winter )
The Bridesmaid

ASIN: B000O76TUO
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Amazon.com

French for "Orchestra Seats," Avenue Montaigne offers an outsider's perspective on an insular world (the original title is Fauteuils d'Orchestre). After bidding adieu to her grandmother (Suzanne Flon in her final performance), sunny Jessica (Cécile De France, L'Auberge Espagnole) moves from Mâcon to Paris. Upon securing a job as a waitress in a popular café, she meets high-strung soap star Catherine (Valérie Lemercier), burnt-out pianist Jean-François (Albert Dupontel), and secretive art collector Jacques (Claude Brasseur), who comes equipped with a pretty girlfriend and a handsome son (Christopher Thompson). Though the tousled Jessica has little in common with these posh Parisians, she affects each of their lives in ways both big and small. Directed by Danièle Thompson (La Bûche) and co-written with her son, Christopher, Avenue Montaigne serves as the flipside to French phenomenon When the Cat's Away, in which a young woman meets the people in her neighborhood while searching for an errant feline. In this case, the surroundings are more upscale, but the residents are just as susceptible to fear and insecurity. Though the idea of a sympathetic look at the upper class will surely strike some as off-putting, Thompson makes it work. The genuine affection she feels for her characters--privileged and underprivileged alike--and the grace with which she keeps several plot strands going at once proves that the spirit of Robert Altman lives on in the most unlikely of places. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

A Slice of Paris.......2007-04-30

`Avenue Montaigne' operates on the premise that all Parisians seek the good life. Offering a cross-section of the French dream, the film digs deeper with a "can't buy me happiness" theme stretching through intersecting lives.

Jessica (Ce'cile De France) is a high-life wanna-be who takes care of her grandmother in a nursing home. The elder reminisces that she took menial labor to enjoy vicariously the high art, food, and fashion of Paris. Emulating her grandmother, Jessica seeks a job at a café where they deliver, but will only break tradition of hiring waiters when they're in a bind. As a vivacious courier and waitress she meets the people who allegedly have fulfilled their dreams. There's Catherine (Val'erie Lemercier), a prima donna actress who isn't satisfied with the lucrative contracts she's offered. In order to achieve a high level of art, she stumbles over tables and chairs for a chance to court Sydney Pollack (cameo, himself), looking for a lead in his film. (Some of her foot-in-mouth tendencies make for some of the funniest moments.) Jean-Francois Laforte (Albert Dupontel) is a celebrated pianist who has all the amenities and filled concert halls, but his real desire is to enrich the uninitiated. His wife is his manager who can see only the material benefits of her gifted husband. Jacques, an elder art dealer wishes to sell out his collection before interest is lost, but his teacher son, Frederic (Christopher Thompson), is too idealistic. He's divorced and must watch his widower father flaunt his attractive new mistress while discovering the siren is predictably only interested in his father's money. Then, there's an elder woman who, having no musical talent of her own, is a purveyor of others' talents. She relishes the music. The movie displays great irony, for Jessica and the music purveyor, although outside of the circle of the affluent talent, seem oddly more satisfied than the successful people they admire. (3 1/2 *'s)

`Avenue Montaigne' may not be as substantive or profound as French movies like 'L'Enfant' or 'Ponette,' but it is easily likable with characters who are accessible and make empathetic connections with the audience. Warmly engaging, sometimes funny, but often wise, this movie is a heartwarming alternative to a boulevard of broken dreams. The effect of the movie is like creme brule,' sweet, light, but very satisfying.

Jessica does Paris.......2007-03-16

Jessica (gamin-like Cecile de France from "The Spanish Apartment) arrives in Paris without a sou in her pocket but within minutes nabs a prime waitress job in a smart, stylish, up to this point type of café that only hires men as waiters, Restaurant on the Avenue Montaigne, close to the Champs Elysee' with the Eiffel Tower looming nearby.
Though "Avenue Montaigne" ("Fauteuils D'orchestre" in France or "Orchestra Seats") is very fairy tale-like, there is actually a very good reason for Jessica's hiring: the restaurant is short of help and the very next night three major events are taking place nearby: a big auction selling off the contents of an entire apartment filled with names like Braque, Brancusi and Modigliani belonging to an art collector played by the legendary Claude Brasseur, a major piano recital featuring virtuoso pianist Jean-François Lefort (Albert Dupontel) and the opening of a Feydeau farce starring TV Soap star, (actress Catherine Versen played by Valérie Lemercier) looking to land a prime Motion Picture about Simone de Beauvoir. Jessica swirls in and out of every one of these stories having a positive effect on all with her sunny sweetness and disarming honesty. There are definitely shades of "Amelie" and "Emma" at work here. "Avenue Montaigne" is as slight and light as a Crepe and de France, Brasseur and Lemercier hit all the right notes, acting-wise which sounds a lot easier than it is as the genre of light comedy is pretty much dead today and these actors are remarkably spot on here.
No one in the world makes this kind of film as well as the French and director Daniele Thompson is definitely up to the task: her film exudes warmth and a charismatic charm that is damn near impossible to resist.

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Monk portrait
Stellaronious.
Thelonious Monk
A True Jewel
An excellent film

Thelonious Monk - Straight No Chaser
Starring: Tommy Flanagan (II) , Barry Harris , Ray Copeland , Bob Jones (IV) , and Teo Macero
Director: Charlotte Zwerin
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Bird
Round Midnight
Thelonious Monk - American Composer
Miles Electric - A Different Kind of Blue

ASIN: B000053VC9
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Amazon.com essential video

This exemplary documentary about seminal jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk reaps the benefits of multiple blessings, including the skilled editorial hand of director Charlotte Zwerin and the patronage of executive producer (and erstwhile jazz pianist) Clint Eastwood. Most vital is the use of extensive 1968 footage, shot by Michael and Christian Blackwood, documenting the sometimes moody, sometimes puckish Monk in the studio, on tour, and off stage, which on its own would make this essential jazz viewing.

In post-World War II America, few cultural upheavals matched bebop for sheer exhilaration. Spawned by jazz musicians whose paydays typically came with larger swing ensembles, bop was as much bastard as stepchild, refining the technical ambitions of its parent while breaking free of swing's formalism to play fast and loose with harmony, melody, and tempo. That mercurial spirit made heroes of high-flying, technically flamboyant players like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell. Monk, by contrast, was as distinctive for his silences, crafting often skeletal melodies distinguished by unexpected, skewed harmonies. At one point dubbed the "high priest of bebop," he was more Zen archer, threading notes, warping chord structure, or stabbing "wrong" keys with a seeming looseness that in hindsight sounds as precise as haiku.

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser provides an intelligent portrait of this often reclusive, sometimes difficult artist, including telling glimpses of his volatility. A stormy studio session with Teo Macero, then Columbia Records' preeminent jazz producer, speaks volumes about Monk's very private approach to his muse. Perceptive interviews and glimpses of Monk's sunnier moments provide added depth, yet the real triumph is the generous catalog of classic Monk songs captured on camera. --Sam Sutherland

Description

Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser. Filmmaker Bruce Ricker couldn't believe his luck. Michael and Christian Blackwood's extensive 1968 footage of the groundbreaking modern jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, including the only footage of the very private Monk off stage, was in excellent condition. The reels were, in Ricker's words, "just sitting there like the Dead Sea Scrolls of jazz." Ricker, as co-producer, joins director and fellow producer Charlotte Zwerin (Gimme Shelter), executive producer Clint Eastwood and others to bring these scrolls to astonishing life. Their Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser combines the Blackwood's rare footage of Monk in studio on tour and behind the scenes with new interviews, archival photos and more to create a landmark aural and visual treat.Tunes in order of appearance: Evidence; Rhythm-a-ning; On the Bean; Round Midnight; Well, You Needn't; Bright Mississippi; Blue Monk; Trinkle, Tinkle; Rhythm-a-ning; Ugly Beauty; Ask Me Now; Just a Gigolo; Crepuscule with Nellie; I Should Care; We See; Osaka T.; Evidence; Epistrophy, Don't Blame Me; Ruby, My Dear; I Mean You; Lulu's Back in Town; Off Minor; Pannonica; Boo Boo's Birthday; Misterioso; Monk's Mood; Sweetheart of All My Dreams; Round Midnight. Year: 1988 Director: Charlotte Zwerin

Customer Reviews:

Monk portrait.......2007-06-08

Excellent movie if your interest is for jazz music and Monk.
The movie portraits Monk in various stages of his career.
A great deal of music as well as a great deal of jazz history. All with the epicenter in Monk of cause.
It was hard to get for some years in VHS but with this release it is luckily again available.
Another interesting thing from a movie perspective is the fact that the producer is Clint Eastwood.

Stellaronious. .......2007-02-26

At first I wasn't sure what to think about this documentary with its sparse narration and pasting together of various production sequences, but after about 40 minutes I became hooked. Straight No Chaser captures Thelonious Monk as a human being which is something one could never do based on his music. The songs alone would make one mistake him for an angel. Here, the stammering, lost, frail genius is fully evident and contextualized in his own voice and through the opinions of those who knew him. I found his son's remarks to be of great value as viewers can tell that he had a very complex and conflictual relationship with his father. This is to be expected given that Monk had schizophrenia. Luckily, the documentary does not shy away from his condition and the realities of how debilitated he must have been for so much of his life. That he was able to put together the brilliant musical arrangements he did is quite extraordinary. The family story is compelling as well. Clearly, without his wife there is no way in which Monk could have been anywhere near as successful as he was. Best of all is the music--reproduced here with seemingly endless life performances. Seeing the artist at work is what made the movie for me.

Thelonious Monk.......2007-01-11

It's really a good and thorough dvd allthough there is nothing about the music Straight, No Chaser. That's a shame, but it doesn't devalue the dvd. Now after viewing it I really understand who Monk where. I recommend it.

A True Jewel.......2007-01-01

By any and all standards Thelonious Monk belongs amongst the most unique musicians and composers ever produced by this country. Thanks to Clint Eastwood, Monk's genius and odd behaviour will be preserved for future generations in a way that books could never hope to completely portray. The outstanding thing about Monk was his uniqueness and individuality. Yes he could play with other musicians and he could play compositions by other composers but regardless of what he played or who he played with, you always knew it was Monk. Others copied him but no one duplicated him and sadly there are very, very few artists/composers out there today with an original sound or style. I wish more people would wake up to the true genius of Monk and that may happen one day. And if it does, Mr. Eastwood should get a great deal of credit for his efforts and support.

An excellent film.......2006-10-30

Eastwood is a well known jazz lover and unfortunaely it takes a big name to get a good film made about jazz, so there aren't many around of such high quality. The great thing about jazz films is that you can play them over and over and you don't always have to be watching, even though this one is more than just music. Eastwood should make more profiles like this - there are many neglected jazz greats out there who need the bump. Highly recommended.

The Best of Victor Borge Act One and Two

Average customer rating:

Good clean fun!!! Hard to find these days!!!
Victor Borge At His Best!
Victor Borge--the hilarious Dane
The Best of Victor Borge Act One and Two
Clever and Entertaining

The Best of Victor Borge Act One and Two
Starring: Victor Borge
Director: Victor Borge , and Ronald Borge
Manufacturer: Gmg Records
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Lost Episodes of Victor Borge Volume II

ASIN: B000065CF8
Release Date: 1999-09-20

Amazon.com

Victor Borge was a master at combining two seemingly disparate elements: comedy and classical music. While the Dane's dapper dignity fit the image of "longhair" music, Borge undercut it with broad physical comedy, clever spoofs, and off-the-cuff wit. A pioneer in the field of live comedy recordings, Borge is nevertheless best appreciated on video, and The Best of Victor Borge Acts One and Two captures a 90-minute concert that includes many of his most famous routines. He chides late-arriving members of the Minneapolis audience ("I come from Copenhagen and was here before you!"), falls off the piano bench, and reads his sheet music upside down. There are a few unwitting guests: a stagehand drafted to turn Borge's pages, soprano Marylyn Mulvey who tries to sing a Verdi aria through Borge's teasing and scolding, and Sahan Arzruni as he and Borge play a two-piano Hungarian rhapsody on a single piano by climbing over and around each other. Borge also presents an opera "written by Mozart but credited to Salieri" ("so you can imagine what kind of opera it is") and proves that he's not merely a clown by skillfully performing a set of waltzes and lullabies. In addition, two of his best-loved sketches are nonmusical: Inflationary Language, in which numbers in language, like the economy, are increased ("I'll go back to Elevenessee.... Three-dleoo."), and Phonetic Punctuation, in which a period is read aloud to sound like fft and an exclamation point fsss fft. Like Anna Russell and PDQ Bach, Victor Borge helped make classical music accessible to a wide audience by showing that it could be laugh-out-loud funny. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Good clean fun!!! Hard to find these days!!!.......2007-05-15

Love the comedy and the music of Victor Borge. It's fun to watch people that see him for the first time and see the laughter that he creates. It is so refreshing to see comedy that does not enclude a four letter word in every sentence!!

Victor Borge At His Best! .......2007-04-22

If you're looking for piano chuckles a la mode, this is the one! Here is a man who was also a gifted virtuoso in the classic repetoire who brought 75 years of his long life as an entertainer with a sharp wit that was and still is captivating! I now have all the Victor Borge DVD's but this one singles out one performance with doses of his classic [no pun intended] routines yet coming from Borge and his marvelous manner of delivery, they endure their retread status as it were. And the crowd duly verifies both the fun and the laughs! Mightily!

Even his ad hoc interaction with the audience is taken very well and one can see that the audience literally loved the guy! In one case in this DVD, a woman has a rather audible yet distinctive laugh akin to a clucking chicken and after hearing same for more than a few times, Victor comments, "Pardon me, Madam, are you laying eggs?"

All the routines are present in this one live performance including the famous Borge "phonetic punctuation" thing and related Borge signature skits and laughs a la mode. Check out the other available Victor Borge DVD's as well!

Non-stop fun but unique to the Victor Borge personality ... and talent! I'll leave you with one of his end-of-performance quips which generally brought on roars from the crowd, to wit, "I wish to thank my parents for having made this evening possible [pauses ...] and my children for having made it necessary." Neggie-Neggie! [sic]. If you know 'that' one from the "instant Japanese language" routine, you know Victor Borge! A 'performer' for all seasons!

Doc Tony

Victor Borge--the hilarious Dane.......2007-03-09

Both a brilliant pianist and an exceptional comedian, Victor Borge is scintillatingly, if not outrageously, funny in several of his most famous skits. Well worth the cost, and worth the time to watch, if you like clean humor.

The Best of Victor Borge Act One and Two.......2007-02-19

This is so good and appeals to all ages - my Dad (91) loves it, our daughter (35) laughed her head off and we (60 something) think it is great

Clever and Entertaining.......2007-02-15

A great video. Proving humor comes from sharp wit and knowledge. Good for all ages and is ageless in it's entertainment value.

Average customer rating:

Early and late Evans
Bill Evans
Exceptional DVD
A treasure
Stunning

Bill Evans Trio: The Oslo Concerts
Starring: Bill Evans Trio
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Berlin Concert
Evolution of a Trio
Chet Baker - Live in '64 and '79 (Jazz Icons)
Thelonious Monk - Live in '66 (Jazz Icons)
Carlos Santana & Wayne Shorter - Live at Montreux (1988)

ASIN: B000JLQQ76
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Description

Bill Evans was one of the most popular piano players in modern jazz, having recorded over 50 albums and received 31 Grammy nominations before his untimely death in 1980. He influenced virturally every jazz pianist who came after him including Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. Very little is available on DVD of Evans in performance. The 2 concerts on this DVD have never been on the market before, and this DVD will be a must have with his legion of fans.

Customer Reviews:

Early and late Evans.......2007-06-13

This may be the best concert DVD of Bill Evans out there. As such, Evans lovers will be relieved to know that it is quite a good snapshot of two distinct phases of his career. The '66 concert has a young Evans playing a restrained but beautiful set with a young Eddie Gomez on bass and an unknown but relaxed drummer Alex Riel. The sound, although mono is well balanced and clean. The piano sound in particular is crystalline and bell like, ie an accurate rendering of the Evans golden touch. The camera work is spare and for the most part, unobtrusive.

In contrast, the 1980 show has surprisingly poor sound. The bass is the dominant instrument, the piano being too far back and the drums muddy and indistinct. The camera work is sloppy and brash, deliberately going for a distracting "artsy" shot of red light reflected off the cymbals, not once but several times. Ahh, but the performance-that is another story.

This concert was shot about a month before Bill's death, and as anyone who has heard his last concerts at the Keystone knows, Bill was playing...well, as if his life depended on it. This is in stark contrast to his conservative performance of 1966.

Evans' evolution as an artist can be traced in a steady arc. Rather than reinvent himself like a Picasso (or closer to home,), a Miles Davis, Evans chose to build upon his earlier concepts, stretching and developing his areas of interests over the course of his brief life. We are given perfect example of this evolution in the two contrasting version of Nardis, a vehicle Evans played throughout his career. On the one hand, the '66 version is brief, spare and controlled, swinging to be sure, but contained. However, the 1980 version begins with a long rhapsodic solo exposition that would have Franz Liszt gaping in amazement at its sheer virtuosity. But behind the masterful pianism lies Evans the modernist- his harmonic and rhythmic structures have deepened. In this intro one can hear the evolution of 20th century music. Evans absorbed everything he heard and incorporated what he liked into his playing. One can hear echoes of Debussy, Bartok and Stravinsky, while at the same time the influences of McCoy Tyner and and Chick Corea are evident. To say that Bill had big ears is an understatement. Yet amidst this sea of influences, the Evans voice is clearly heard.

This was Evan's last trio, and by his own admission probably the best trio he had put together since he had worked with the late Scott LaFaro. Certainly Marc Johnson was the right bass player for the job. An agile and intuitive player with a skill for deep listening and a fat, warm sound, Johnson could often anticipate Bill's lines and get right in there with him, playing counterpoint or underlining a melody without stepping on the music. And Joe LaBarbara was a solid powerhouse, playing with sticks and hitting hard, generating the energy needed to support this later high octane Evans. Pity we can barely hear his ride cymbals here.

This is a must have for Evans' fans and so far the best video document of this important figure in the evolution of jazz. There is simply no jazz pianist after Bill who has not in some way been influenced by this humble giant. This DVD captures him doing what he did best and should not be missed. The bonus interview at the end of the 1980 concert makes for interesting viewing as well.

Highly recommended

Bill Evans.......2007-06-11

Kare ga Nihonjin desu. Amelikajin mitai shikashi honto ni wa Nihonjin. Okashi na!!!

Exceptional DVD.......2007-05-24

Fourteen years separate the two concerts that comprise pianist Bill Evans' extraordinary DVD "The Oslo Concerts."

The 1966 performance is more representative of the Bill Evans etched in the public mind. Demure and timid in his demeanor, Evans delivers his pieces in the same elegant and intellectual style that distinguished his "Kind of Blue" sessions with Miles Davis seven years earlier. He hovers over the keys like an impassive medium, channeling equal parts of Bud Powell and Claude Debussy into exceptionally beautiful renditions of "Very Early," "If You Could See Me Now," and "Nardis." It's the quintessential statement of "cool jazz." Unfortunately, the trio doesn't deliver in equal measure. Bassist Eddie Gomez proves to be an able accompanist, but his frenetic solos, for all their dexterity and flair, tend to be disruptive and extraneous.

The 1980 performance shows a much-transformed Bill Evans, both physically and aesthetically. He's freer and more experimental in his interpretations, and his trio is better integrated and more supportive of his vision. Evans stated that the 1980 trio--consisting of Marc Johnson on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums--was the best since his landmark trio of the early sixties featuring Scott LeFaro and Paul Motian. Johnson seems a fitting successor to LeFaro, delivering sustained, legato lines that underpin Evans' artistry and help better articulate his statements. LaBarbera's drumming rousts Evans out of the self-absorption that distinguishes the 1966 sessions. Evans listens to and interacts with his fellow musicians to the end that the score is less scripted and more fluid. "Nardis" is once again the centerpiece, and contrasting the two versions on the DVD are a testament to Evans' maturation as an artist.

This DVD belongs in the library of any jazz lover. Seeing Evans practice his craft greatly expands our appreciation of his sublime artistry.

A treasure.......2007-05-19

If you already love modern jazz, you'll smile. And, if you already love Bill Evans, you've got a piece of audio and visual history to enjoy from both 1966 and his last year. He gave the jazz trio a new character and he gave jazz itself, a new vocabulary. He played classical piano music between performances and devoted himself to the lyric beauty of jazz. Excellent price and better than expected audio reproduction.

Stunning.......2007-04-07

Camera work and audio are excellent in both, though the bright lights of the 1980 concert occasionally overwhelm. I wish "Stella" and "Autumn Leaves" had gone much longer. Alex Riel is excellent, but I've always loved drummers who understand brushes, and he reminds me of Paul Motian, a sort of quiet storm. Eddie Gomez may be a little flashy, but his command of the instrument is amazing. Marc Johnson's tone is deep and dark, but this may be related to his use of the contact mike-pickup, as opposed to the standard microphone used by Gomez in 1960. For me Joe LaBarbera's drumming is less inspired than the brush work of Riel, but one could also make the case that the more powerful sound of sticks increases the energy level appropriately.
Which brings me to the playing of Bill Evans. It is the definition of modern jazz, and in my estimation is the highest art of the second half of the poor old 20th century. It is not necessary to view Evans work in terms of what was to come later, because later developments may be good or bad. Evans' work is a world, a universe. The product of a supremely musical mind. It is nothing less than a miracle that one can "own" the art of Bach, Mozart or Bill Evans for less than the cost of a tank of gas. If you want to hear, and see, the best, here it is.

Average customer rating:

Feel the music...
Shine
Great tale of genius
Fiction, not a biopic--defamation of people still alive
A Terrific Movie w/ Great Performances

Shine
Starring: Geoffrey Rush , Justin Braine , Sonia Todd , Chris Haywood , and Alex Rafalowicz
Director: Scott Hicks
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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Shine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Pianist

ASIN: 0780619587
Release Date: 1997-07-16

Amazon.com essential video

This tearjerker by Australian filmmaker Scott Hicks is a surprising story about real-life classical pianist David Helfgott, an Australian who rose to international prominence at a very young age in the 1950s and '60s, and suffered a psychological collapse after enduring years of abuse from his father (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Hicks has three very fine actors portraying Helfgott at different stages of his life, including the adorably wry and goofy Noah Taylor (Flirting), who takes up the character's teen years, and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, giving a great performance playing the musician as a schizophrenic adult. Despite the Helfgotts' compromised psychological health, Shine is hardly a depressing experience. If anything, the story is really about how long one person's life can take to make glorious sense of itself. Sir John Gielgud, in golden form, plays Helfgott's teacher. The DVD release presents the film in its widescreen format, and also includes a Q&A with director Hicks and Rush's Golden Globes acceptance speech. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Feel the music..........2007-06-07

Outstanding movie, performances and music! Compelling, inspirational and so moving. 5 stars!

Shine.......2007-05-28

I bought "Shine" and found that the sound was inaudibly small with maximum volume control. So I complained and got a new copy which turned out to be the same.

For this dvd of a story of a mentally unstable genius pianist the sound is the most crucial but it failed.

I advise you that you should have checked the quality of sound before you put on this item for sale.

Great tale of genius.......2007-05-20

Emotional story of a imperious father' devastting effect on a sensitive musical genius.

Fiction, not a biopic--defamation of people still alive.......2007-04-16

My father and I loved the movie "Shine"; it should never have been advertised or presented as a true story of an actual person or his family. After reading David's sister, Margaret's, book on their family and David's mental illness, I will never be able to view "Shine" in the same way. I believe Hollywood should have ethical boundaries in terms of what they portray as true or as a biography when the fictionalized account defames living people and misrepresents actual people and severe mental illness. I recommend people read the book Out of Tune to correct misconceptions about real people portrayed in this film. The cast for this film was first-rate and it would have been a boxoffice hit without stating that it was true or an actual biopic; without it tied to actual people in this distorted way I would have rated the movie 5 stars. Bravo to all the people attempting to set the record straight!

A Terrific Movie w/ Great Performances.......2007-03-24

"Shine" is a biopic about someone that few people have heard of; a man named David Helfgott. Geoffrey Rush, who plays Helfgott, won an Oscar for Best Actor (even though he's playing the lead role, the performance is more of a Supporting once; Since Noah Taylor plays Helfgott for a longer period of time) and he deserved it. Before watching this film I knew nothing about David Helfgott and even writing this, I know only what I've seen in the film. But David Helfgott is an Australian piano prodigy whose father teaches him how to play the piano, before turning him over to a music teacher named Isaac Stern (Randall Berger). As David becomes more and more well known and begins receiving offers to attend prestigious schools for musically gifted people, his father becomes determined to keep David with the family. Finally, after disobeying his father and attending a school in London, David has a crippling nervous breakdown on the verge of international fame. Rush is the first person we see in the film, but he only sticks around for a few moments and the rest of the film (up until the 69-minute mark) is a flashback. Lynn Redgrave plays Gillian, the woman who ended up marrying David. "Shine" is a risky piece of moviemaking that took ten years to get off the ground. It's about a person that few people have heard of and it stars Geoffrey Rush, who thanked "everyone who agreed to fund this film as long as I wasn't in it..." in his Golden Globe acceptance speech. It's got a plot that could be typical Movie-of-the-Week material, but director/writer Scott Hicks instead turns it into a very inspirational and uplifting film with one of the most realistic protagonists I've ever seen in a biopic. While few people today see the movie, I hope that it gets more attention then it has gotten because it is truly a terrific film that deserves to be seen by a great many people. Rush is absolutely fantastic, as is Noah Taylor who plays the younger Helfgott.

GRADE: A-

Average customer rating:

My dog loves this movie
Under the Cherry BOMB!
Stylistic!
Quirky?
terrible

Under the Cherry Moon
Starring: Jean Allaz , Francesca Annis , Jerome Benton , Steven Berkoff , and Guy Cuevas
Director: Prince
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Graffiti Bridge
Purple Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Prince - The Hits Collection
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The Artist - Rave un2 The Year 2000

ASIN: B0002CTSV8
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Amazon.com

Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) made her film debut swapping spit with Prince in this vanity piece directed by the rock legend himself. Prince plays a self-styled gigolo and musician in the south of France, and unlike his interesting grimness in Purple Rain, his character's affect is like one big, walking smirk here. Shot in black and white, the film is handsome enough to look upon for awhile. But even for people who admire Prince for his prodigious musical talents, the Song of Myself stuff in the movie is overwhelming. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

My dog loves this movie.......2007-06-20

I have pug named Captain Greasefire and there are very few movie he will sit all the way through without wanting to eat some kibbles and bit or going to the bathroom, but he loves this movie and always sits all the way through it. That should mean something if Captain Greasefire thinks your movie is better than kibbles and bits. Good job Prince!

Under the Cherry BOMB!.......2007-06-03

This movie failed for a number of reasons:

1.) Prince totally misjudged his fans and their expectations of him.

2.) While Prince is a genius in the music world, he is not in the movie world. Its one thing to play yourself (Purple Rain) but its another thing when you begin to think you are ready for the "leading male" status and director after only two films.

3.) The script of rich-girl-meets-bad-boy-who-shows-her-a-good-time is so redundant and boring.

4.) Some of the other actors looked embarrassed. Some like the wonderful Kristen Scott Thomas will publicly distance themselves from this movie.

5.) Some of the scenes made me giggle. For example, the scene when Prince meets Kristen (his leading lady) for the first time and the 'look' he gives her from a distance. I also giggled during the night scene when Prince is holding/kissing Kristen passionately in front of a car. Classic!

6.) The confusing relationship of Prince and Jerome characters.

I can't really knock this film totally because I understand what Prince were trying to do. He wanted to expand his fans minds by giving us a taste of old Hollywood glamour. The trouble is, this movie is kinda wacky (even by 80s standards).

Get the movie if you are a Prince fan and save it for the memory. On a better note, the soundtrack is great and is a MUST! I give this movie 2.5 stars.

Stylistic!.......2007-04-05

Considering the actors in this movie are well "not actors" or just in the beginning stages of their career, they do a pretty damn good job. I felt the same way about the movie, Purple Rain. I have followed and paid close attention to everything Prince has done in his career, and I have to say that there is no other artist like him and there never will be. People who lambash him for the times his music doesn't make the charts are idiots. The only competition that Prince has in the music industry, is himself.
Once again Prince comes up with something very original and stylistic that is unfortunately overlooked by most. This movie to me is in some ways better than Purple Rain. What I like the most of course is the background music/music score. Not just the tracks from the Parade album, but also the symphonic and piano pieces that you here only in this movie. It's all very brilliant, beautiful, soulful, and melodic. He is definitely a modern day genius. Mozart, Sammi Davis Jr, James Brown, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and a touch of the Beatles and Frank Zappa...all rolled up into 1 short skinny eccentric mo'fo!

Quirky?.......2007-04-03

Prince is at his quirky best in this movie. Jerome Benton is a side man for Prince. Overall very entertaining and funny in some spots. Any Prince fan will have this in their collection. DVD also has live concert footage as an added bonus,"NEEDANOTHERLOVER" off the hook. Prince is wearing this cool, yellow suit with a white tie, dancing all over the place. Just buy the DVD for the live concert footage. It is worth it!

terrible.......2007-02-25

I was a die-hard prince fan in the 80's and when I first saw it I though it was good(but I was a kid). I saw it on tv the other day and couldn't believe how stupid this movie really was! He is a terrible actor as were the other cast in the movie. The story line was stupid and he was just too dramatic and feminine in the movie. What woman would want a man walking around in high heel boots and lacey clothes with his back out? The soundtrack is good but prince either needs to take some acting lessons before he does another movie or he needs to stick to singing

Diana Krall - Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival

Average customer rating:

Try Peggy Lee instead
frantic camerawork throughout the concert
Flights of Improvisation Suits Montreal Festival Expectations
Diana Krall DVD
Diana Krall Live at the MOntreal Jazz Festival

Diana Krall - Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival
Starring: Diana Krall
Manufacturer: Verve
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Diana Krall - Live in Paris
Christmas Songs
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ASIN: B00067OLN4
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Amazon.com

Diana Krall: Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival is a portrait of an already-accomplished musician in the process of evolving into a great artist. Always a fine jazz pianist, an expressive singer, and a capable interpreter (mostly of the Great American Songbook), Krall spent little time developing an original voice prior to her marriage to Elvis Costello and her CD The Girl in the Other Room, which features multiple songwriting collaborations with Costello as well as more adventurous choices in cover material (Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow," Tom Waits's "Temptation"). That 2004 recording is the centerpiece of this concert; fully nine of the 13 selections here, including the Waits and Mitchell songs as well as five Costello-Krall compositions, were drawn from it. Purists may lament the lessening of the straight-ahead jazz element in Krall's music (indeed, with its simple major chords and countryish lilt, the original "Narrow Daylight" will inevitably invite comparisons to Norah Jones). But Krall and her excellent band still swing mightily (cf. an extended version of the standard "All or Nothing at All") and improvise like the seasoned jazz pros they are. It's a heady combination: Krall is at least as good an instrumentalist as her contemporaries; add to that her singing and now an interest in songwriting that reflects the influence of pop music as well as jazz, and you have a genuinely unique talent. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Try Peggy Lee instead.......2007-03-11

I agree: the rapid cutting is annoying. This is supposed to be a jazz concert, not a rock concert.
Also, I don't get these songs, either. Pretentious stuff, it seems to me. The woman can play the piano, but her singing is lacking.

I say give Peggy Lee a listen, try Shirley Horn, Billie Holiday, Dione Warwick, Etta James, Dalida, Jeane Manson, Kelly Flint (of Dave's True Story), Nana Mouskouri, Dusty Springfield, Carmen McRae...I could go on.

frantic camerawork throughout the concert.......2007-02-16

frantic camerawork throughout the concert. There are so many camera angles fading in and out that it gets tiring to watch. I just wished that the camera would sit still for at least 10 seconds. I get the feeling that it was directed by someone who has only directed 30 second commercials.

Reason alone and rightly so for yet another junk dvd. someone start a school for these idiots

Flights of Improvisation Suits Montreal Festival Expectations.......2007-01-29

I anticipated this live recording and was duly rewarded by Diana's longer improvisational breaks and generally sharp differences from the polished product on the Live in Paris album.

If you prefer club jazz, wherein the lead artists in a combo create longer solo excursions between more-or-less tidy returns to melody and chorus, then, like me, you will appreciate the elbow room afforded Diana at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Now I know for sure something that I had been curious about all along. Diana has said in the past that she will hold back a new tune from her set until she perfects her performance of it. There is a style of jazz performance that plays each tune note-perfect on tour (Glenn Miller is the simplest example), but as the Ken Burns JAZZ series stated with refreshing directness, if you're a jazz player who never makes a mistake, you're playing it way too safe. That was always my impression of groups like the Glenn Miller "orchestra."

It is understatement to say that jazz festivals like the venerable one in Montreal are the perfect places to let one's hair down. Duke Ellington found that out decades ago. You better have chops at Montreal Jazz, and Diana's combo understands the expectation. These are not the tidy album-track arrangements played on tour for the jazz hits crowd. Here, those of us who would really like to hear Diana and her bandmates "go long in the breaks" get our wish.

If you think the Live in Paris CD, great as it is, is just a tad too well calculated, too clean, a bit too rehearsed for your appetite, then here you'll find one version of an antidote.

Here's a DVD live show wherein Diana gets to "go off" according to the parameters I've sketched above. The songs are from her set lists as you can see, but her lead improvs, and those by the rest of the band, are something you can't hear on the other more formal media. I recommend this confidently to those who are curious to hear Diana and the guys jam in the blues and jazz improvisation stratosphere without the net.

Note: You may actually be chagrined by Diana's blues leads, since blues leads have become a staple of rock'n'roll over the years, but blues are part of the jazz heritage, and Diana is still in charge of her instrument. See what you think. I enjoyed it, yet I hope next time she allows more jazz moves in her blues riffs.

Diana Krall DVD.......2007-01-26

The DVD was just as advertised and very enjoyable. The quality of the DVD and the music were excellent. It was a very good price and worth every penny.

Diana Krall Live at the MOntreal Jazz Festival.......2007-01-10

Wonderful concert. Wish I was there, but this is the next best thing.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic, clean humor!
Must Have!
Humor at its best
Not so great...
Funny, Funny

Victor Borge's Funniest Moments
Starring: Victor Borge
Manufacturer: Gmg Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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