The Tempest

Starring:Peter Bull, David Meyer, Neil Cunningham, Heathcote Williams, Toyah Willcox, Richard Warwick, Karl Johnson (II), Jack Birkett, Christopher Biggins, Peter Turner, Ken Campbell, Elisabeth Welch, Claire Davenport, Kate Temple, Helen Wellington-Lloyd, Angela Whittingham
Director: Derek Jarman
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer DVD

Average customer rating:

Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer DVD
Starring: JoJo Mayer
Director: Marco Tempest
Manufacturer: Hudson Music
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

Modern Drummer Festival 2006 Saturday & Sunday
Jeff Queen Playing with Sticks
New Orleans Jazz and Second Line Drumming w/CD (Dci Video Transcription Series)
Contemporary Drumset Phrasing: Creative Grooves and Fills for Funk, Fusion, Jazz and More (Book & CD)
The Collective- Fusion: A Study in Contemporary Music for the Drums-Bk./CD.

ASIN: B000S6TNLI
Release Date: 2007-07-05

Product Description

Filmed in crystal clear digital video and audio and shot at a variety of locations in and around Manhattan, Secret Weapons explains closely guarded and never before published secrets of the great masters as well as Jojo s own approaches with special features like animated graphics, practice exercises and troubleshooting tips that will allow drummers to unlock the inner workings and mysteries of even the most challenging hand movements and guide them through easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to understand and master them. Among Jojo s flawless demonstrations and in-depth explanations, Secret Weapons various chapters feature topics such as: A basic approach to technique and the physics of drumming. Analysis of hand positions, matched and traditional grips, rebound and the fulcrum and the Gladstone, Moeller and finger techniques. Highly-evolved, hybrid techniques such as the push-pull, drop-bounce, reverse stroke and one-handed roll. Exercises to build Speed, Accuracy, Endurance, Power and Dexterity Concepts to troubleshoot and overcome technical barriers. Warm-Up and Practice tips

Average customer rating:

A new dimension of bellydance - mystery & intrigue
Got goth? If not , then get off the stage
Mystery and Beauty
Visual Inverse Proportions
Really not up to par except for Ariellah's performance

Gothic Bellydance
Starring: Ayshe , Ariellah , Asharah , Blanca , and Jehan
Manufacturer: StratoStream - WorldDance New York
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance
Bellydance: East Coast Tribal - Basics, Combinations & Strength Workout DVD
Bellydance for the Beautiful Freaks
Sa'Iyr a Tribal Metamorphosis (Dig)
Bellydance Superstars - Solos Monte Carlo

ASIN: B000E36TDK
Release Date: 2006-03-30

Product Description

Stark...sublime...intense. The phenomenon of Gothic Bellydance or Raks Gothique is a multitude of poetic visions born out of the Goth, or Gothic, subculture, music, imagery and fashion, and expressed in the language of Bellydance.

Modern "Bellydance" is an amalgam of historical dance styles coming from both East and West. Its diverse vocabulary allows the dancer to experiment with the widest range of creative movement, musical trends and cultural elements. A century after its arrival in the West, the art of Bellydance is emerging as a new world of unconstrained creative experimentation. No longer bound by its ethnic origins, it is one of the fastest-growing and most artistically-open contemporary dance forms.

Gothic Bellydance incorporates many Bellydance styles and motifs: Cabaret, Tribal Fusion, modern dance, echoes of Gypsy dance, Flamenco, Asian, and Indian dance all called to express the darkness of the unknown, and the mysteries of life, death, and eternity that have inspired Goth philosophies and lifestyles.

This first of its kind, groundbreaking collaborative project brings you the work of innovative and uncompromising dark fusion artists including a number of the recognized pioneers of Gothic Bellydance. The DVD features Tempest, and Ariellah of California; Asharah, Ya Meena and Raven of Washington, DC; Jeniviva, Ayshe, Jehan, Tanna, Blanca and Neon of New York City, as well as music by outstanding composers and performers including Solace, Jehan, Collide, Knossos and Gypsy Caravan.

Enter our dark labyrinth and meet an exotic array of striking characters and creatures: Souls possessed by an ancient evil spirit; a black-winged fallen angel; an incarnation of Kali and Isis; a leopard-woman from the island of Dr. Moreau; a tormented silent movie vamp; a Gothic Lolita in love with Death; a wanderer in spiritual exile; a snake morphing into a human; a seeker violated and redeemed by divine domination; a Siren exercis

Customer Reviews:

A new dimension of bellydance - mystery & intrigue.......2007-06-23

I was interested in the DVD because I'm a bellydancer. My main style is "Egyptian cabaret" but I have an appreciation and interest in ALL types of bellydancing. I enjoyed this DVD. The imagery, costumes, and the dancing were, to me, interesting and different. I was feeling the whole "welcome to our dark realm" vibe. I would have given it five stars except for that S&M piece. Believe me, I am no prude. However, as a bellydancer, I am constantly working on educating the public that this dance is a respectful art form, appropriate as family style entertainment. Respectful bellydancers can perform their art at summer festivals and parades, not dark smokey rooms with a stage with a pole in the middle of it. Shame on whoever thought the S&M piece was a great idea! Other than that, I really, really liked it. Too bad I couldn't give it five stars.

Got goth? If not , then get off the stage.......2007-06-17

The two stars go to the only 2 dancers who belonged on this DVD, namely Ariellah and Tempest (who rightfully claimed the video cover). Gothic bellydance is something they feel and do, and this shows in their work. Expecting to find more dancers of the gothic style, I was greatly disappointed. Most of the other dancers do not appear to routinely practice the gothic style, and were probably just added as big name fillers. I'm not knocking their ability to dance, they just don't exude the darkness. And all the black corsetting and graveyard backdrops will never change that. You can hide the identities of true gothic bellydancers with veils over their heads, and you'll still be able to pick them out of the lineup (referring to Tempest's and Ariellah's duet performance). There are plenty of performance videos of more traditional bellydancing for the other drama queens to boast of their participation. There are plans for a second performance video; hopefully it'll be better. I'd settle for all performances by Ariellah and Tempest, but if they could recruit others like them, it would be a real treat. No more commercial goth wannabes; they are easily spotted. Get off the dance floor, and let the real gothic bellydancers show you how it's done.

Mystery and Beauty.......2007-05-19

This intriguing collection of dances and imagery will delight anyone who likes to feast on beauty and wonder at the great mystery in dance of controlled flexibility, when a dancer has such impeccable technique that the most difficult movement is made to look easy, as in the slow melting choreography in Asharah's exquisite "Exiled," the fascintaing dancing of Ariellah, who sometimes seems not to possess bones in her liquid arms, the stunning mastery of Neon's isolations, and Tempest's sumptuous "Homage to Theda." There are many other gorgeous dances in this DVD, among them Ya Meena and Raven's "Shawaza," where they are so well coordinated that even the folds of their jewel toned blue and red costumes have a synchronized flow, and the teaming of Ariellah and Tempest in "Ritual Means." There is hardly a moment in "Gothic Bellydance" that is not visually rewarding, and though Jehan's "Goddessence" is my least favorite because of its theme and its minimum dance content, Jehan is a bellydance diva, not only as a dancer who is always interesting to watch, but also as musician, and some of the lovely pieces heard on this DVD are her compositions.

The production is superb, with outstanding camera work and lighting, and most of all, incredibly skillful editing, which keeps one's eye interested, but never overpowers or interferes with the dance itself. The costumes are glorious, and some with such richness and texture they look like butterfly wings or the imaginary wardrobe of Scheherazade; the fabulous "wings" in Ayshe's "Kali/Isis" are breathtaking. One has the option of seeing entire program of 20 dances in sequence under the "Enter" tab, or by performer in alphabetical order under the "Visions" tab, which includes a biography and other material on the artists. For bellydance enthusiasts who want to watch something unique, "Gothic Bellydance" is a treat with a touch of the edgy and odd in it.

Visual Inverse Proportions.......2007-04-06

I was thrilled to see a style of dance that I don't have access to made available to me via DVD and went ahead and gave it a go.
While I admire all of the performers for getting in front of the camera, which takes a lot of courage for some, I couldn't help noticing that the worse the dancer, the more special effects I was bombarded with. The best dancers performed on a bare stage with a plain backdrop so that all you could focus on was them - there was no need to disguise their lack of technical skill with computer generated overlays of CHEESY headstones, iron crosses, and gothic cathedral windows, peat bogs, or swamps (Give me a break!). Other performers projected the attitude of "Ooooh, look at me, I can do figure eights and I'm wearing a black corset!" (So what. Take off the corset, put on a choli and attend a few dance workshops and then show me what you can do.)
Overall I came out feeling like I'd witnessed a Jr. High talent show where the "popular" girl and her synchphants got up and flopped and swished their way through a choreography to the latest Black Eyed Peas song that they threw together the night before over pizza and M&Ms with everyone applauding when the music stopped because it was the nice thing to do. (You know, like in "Napoleon Dynamite") Either that or I'd just witnessed a lot of first year Film Student's final project videos.
As a dance movement, Racks Gothique is pretty legit, and I think that with a little more effort, a better representation of could be produced than this one.

Really not up to par except for Ariellah's performance.......2007-03-20

I have been bellydancing professionally for nearly 30 years and have watched the trends come and go, so gothic bellydance doesn't really surprise me.

When I got the video, I was impressed by the production quality - they have put together a really nice product and I was anxious to take a look. After rehearsal one morning, I put it on in my studio and the troupe sat and watched it. A lot of it really drags and is not interesting. A lot of it may just not be my thing, but the other girls are into more of the edgy stuff and they were also not impressed.

We really liked Ariellah's dancing - I've known her from Rachel Brice's classes and my entertainment company has hired her for a professional winery gig, so I knew she was good, and her performance didn't disappoint. It was, however, almost the only dancing that held my attention.

I did also like the Isis Wings dance, although it was way too long. The idea was creative, the execution beautiful, but it just went on and on, so instead of being left wanting more, I hit the FastForward button.

The sado-masochistic domination stuff at the end really didn't work for me, and I wish I'd never found it. Sorry, it's not that I'm closed-minded - it's just not what I consider appropriate for a bellydance DVD.

Overall, here's what I came away with: Ariellah is a beautiful dancer, and a couple of the other performances were worth watching (it was hard to identify other dancers), but I found most of it not what I would like to see out there representing the world of bellydance, even in the tribal/fusion categories. In the realm of experimental, it was well produced but with several of us watching, all various ages, no one else would buy it, and none were interested in seeing it again.

Jana E. Beeman
[...]

Average customer rating:

YES! Finally out on DVD !!
Cassavettes & Co. "Show Us The Magic!"
Just a great movie
Loose Bard, Louche Living, Lush Life
finally!

Tempest
Starring: Lucianne Buchanan , Al Cerullo , Clint Chin , Carol Ficatier , and Vittorio Gassman
Director: Paul Mazursky
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Bedazzled
Becket
The Queen
Brute Force (Criterion Collection)
Les Miserables (1935 & 1952 Two-Disc Set)

ASIN: B000LSAIYE
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Amazon.com essential video

A burnt-out architect (the peerlessly unhinged John Cassavetes) tries to get away from it all on a seemingly idyllic Greek isle in this extremely loose-limbed adaptation of Shakespeare's play. This pleasantly rambling, exquisitely lit portrayal of the middle-aged-crazies is rather broad even by writer-director Paul Mazursky's estimable standards, but Cassavetes's wholly unpredictable performance keeps the considerable preciousness from ever getting too thick. (He's aided by a uniformly wonderful cast, including Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Molly Ringwald, and especially Raul Julia as a wacked-out lech of a goatherd.) Not recommended for people trying to get out of reading the source material (for that, try the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet), but patient viewers will find plenty of rewards amid the schmaltz. --Andrew Wright

Product Description

This modernistic fantasy-drama, is about a New York architect Phillip (John Cassavetes), who is fedup with city living. He takes his wife Antonia (Gena Rowlands), an actress, and their daughter, Miranda (Molly Ringwald in her debut), to Greece to a barren island. There he meets a singer and a hermit and others who land on the island when the boat is shipwrecked.

Customer Reviews:

YES! Finally out on DVD !!.......2007-06-30

This movie is one of the most entertaining I've ever watched.
I've waited years for it's release. I've asked for it many times
over the years in the video stores and no one has ever had a copy.
Do yourself a favor and rent or buy this one ....... it's a pearl!

Cassavettes & Co. "Show Us The Magic!".......2007-05-28

A brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's play. The ensemble cast of regulars from the glory days Cassavettes' independent films are well represented - included the ageless Gena Rowlands. Casting Raul Julia as Calibanos was inspired. He creates a hilarious and utterly humane character that is as over-sexed and under-loved as it gets. However, part of director Paul Mazursky's "magic" is to blend the "independents" with Hollywood. Susan Sarandon and Molly Ringwald round out this pitch perfect ensemble cast. This version of "The Tempest" is among the best adaptations of Shakespeare on DVD today. Contrast it with Peter Greenaway's "Prospero's Books" to see how versatile this play really is.

Just a great movie.......2007-05-14

I first saw this movie in the 80's when it came out on VHS. At that time the picture quality was not great but the story was. Good story, good music (sinatra) and beautiful locations. Susan Sarandon was just georgous and even Molly Ringwald was cute. Makes you want to go the Greece and live on an island. The DVD picture makes it even better.

Loose Bard, Louche Living, Lush Life.......2007-05-07

"Tempest" is an uneven curiosity from director Paul Mazursky and a sterling cast starring John Cassavettes and Gina Rowland, early efforts by Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia, and the début of Molly Ringwald. What story it has is very loosely lifted from Shakespeare. Essentially, this is an ensemble character study in which coming-of-age collides with midlife crisis, featuring superb actors portraying less-than-superb human beings, most of them flawed, flaky, or oddball. What lifts the film beyond ho-hum are the performances and the wondrous photography of the Greek isles. This is not a great film, but it is a good one.

finally!.......2007-04-01

I was so glad to finally see this come out on DVD! I've played my VHS tape about to death. The story is a great modernizing of Shakespeare's "Tempest", modern language and situations and all, with wonderful performances by all the cast, including Molly Ringwald in her film debut.

Average customer rating:

Perhaps call it intermediate level?
Fun and easy to follow
Useful But Advanced
For Beginners Only
I really wanted to like this video even more.

Bellydance for the Beautiful Freaks
Starring: Tempest
Manufacturer: StratoStream - WorldDance New York
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Bellydance: East Coast Tribal - Basics, Combinations & Strength Workout DVD
Gothic Bellydance
Bellydance - Tribal Fusion NYC
Contemporary Bellydance and Yoga Conditioning with Ariellah
Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance

ASIN: B000GJ26G6
Release Date: 2006-09-06

Product Description

For the free spirits and the urban rebels, for Beautiful Freaks of every persuasion who revel in the unusual and the unique, welcome to an offering of self-expression through dance. Join Tempest, a pioneer of Gothic Bellydance in the US, to learn steps and combinations based on the vocabulary of bellydance and adapted to look awesome on a club dancefloor.

Bellydance is an ancient dance of sensuality, body awareness, and cultural blending. In the course of its long history, it has experienced celebration, exaltation, rejection, and ban. It has been worshipped. It has been damned. It has traveled continent to continent and become infused with the wealth of many cultures. If you are looking for a movement style that is different, darkly-exotic and sophisticated, yet feels natural and can be easily modified to fit your individual body language, dance, and clothing style, Belly Dance For Beautiful Freaks will bring you the dance club experience you are seeking - and may inspire you to delve deeper into the world of creative movement.

You can bellydance to any kind of music, from ambient and ethereal to the most pounding hardcore. Whatever mood you need to match, Bellydance for Beautiful Freaks has the engaging, expressive movements you want. Bellydance is a great way to increase your energy level: Even casual social dancing tones the body -- as well as the mind.

If you are a dancer interested in Raks Gothique, or Gothic Bellydance, welcome home. Captured by a camera lens, may this be a glimpse of the realm where - across age groups and national borders - we share our vision of Gothic Bellydance as both social and performance dance - the beautiful, soul-capturing, inspiring art. Enjoy performances by Tempest, hear her thoughts on projecting our individuality through dance, and reflect on the long path the Beautiful Freaks of the world have traversed to create the dance culture we call our own.

Set to amazing Gothic, Industrial, Dark

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps call it intermediate level?.......2007-06-17

With so many bellydance DVDs on the market, it's probably best to classify each one for exactly what it is, so as better to spot the attributes that are attractive to a particular consumer.

1. It's different. The first DVD devoted to the fusion of the gothic subculture with bellydance. Tempest gives an excellent introduction to the basics, with a generalized overview of adapting traditional moves to the two extremes of goth influence: the sensual dark ambient and the hard-edged punk-industrial. Parts of this would be a good reference for the dancer wishing to be versed in the alternative styles as well as traditional. Excellent for those who listen to/and prefer goth music but have only had DVDs that practice to traditional Middle Eastern style music (with no instruction of how to adapt the moves to more contemporary or alternative styles of music).

2. This is mostly an instructional reference DVD; not practice with drills, not even choreography per-se (One star was deducted from the review because I thought the routines would be explained/practiced and that there would be more some drills). There are 2 main combinations demonstrated (one soft and sensual, and the other hard-edged and fast)that have two parts each. The moves that comprise them are excellently explained and then briefly demonstrated in individual sections, but the exact timing and choreography of those moves used in the demonstration are, well...not demonstrated. This aspect can be too advanced for the beginner, allthough you can pause the DVD after each move to practice on your own before continuing. Advanced users may find the simple explanation of basic moves boring, and without repetitive drills or a continuous workout, this DVD may suit them more as a reference to gothic dance style (particularly useful would be the gothic expression workshop). There is a nice warmup that could be used prior to a workout, though (but sorry, no cooldown).

3. A note on the performances. Tempest does 2 performances that demonstrate yet 2 more flavors that fall under the goth umbrella. The first is more a flirty dark cabaret dance, and the second being a sensual dance in what seems to be a fusion of ancient Egyptian and early 1900's attire (of course my description does not give it justice). These dances demonstrate the dark essence that makes the dancing "gothic." As a word of caution, if your definition of goth is more narrow, and has you expecting something more sinister and vampirish, you might be scratching your head in confusion.

I would recommend Contemporary Bellydancing and Yoga Conditioning with Ariellah along with this DVD. That way all users get a workout (the beginner also gets excellent instruction and the advanced gets drills). The choreography routine is slowly demonstrated and explained in detail. Bellydance for Beautiful Freaks would serve as a great complement (and would be much easier to follow) if used together with Ariellah's DVD. Hopefully, we'll see more instructional projects from them (or at least inspire more gothic bellydance workouts with other artists).

Fun and easy to follow.......2007-05-08

I bought this DVD because I read the moves can be used when hitting the clubs. I was a bit skeptical after reading some of the reviews here, but decided to give it a chance, and I have to say I'm glad I did. Bellydance for the Beautiful Freaks is now my favorite bellydance DVD out of about ten discs in my collection.

The best part about the DVD is the way Tempest breaks down the moves. Some of the more complex moves *especially hip movements* may take longer for you to grasp, but they are presented in a way that is slow and easy to follow. Quite suitable for a beginner.

I am not the most coordinated chick on the planet, so I could really appreciate the way the disc is laid out - The majority of the DVD is about the isolated movements. Tempest instructs in the video to practice these individual movements and you can pair them up in multiple combinations for dance floor use. I tried this on my own, and even after watching the video only twice, I could pull together the most basic moves to do a simplified routine - which was my aim in the first place.

There are also 2 actual bellydance routines for you to work toward or practice with. (Each dance routine is broken down into two sections, so it equates to 4 demonstrations). I thought these were really fun, quick little lessons perfect for the beginner. Of course, I didn't get the entire routine down the first time, but I managed to do a good portion of it - more than I've been able to do with any other video, so that alone makes this one a keeper. With practice I feel confident I'll be able to duplicate the more complex of the two demonstrations.

Overall I am extremely pleased with purchasing this particular DVD. I do wish there had been more demonstrations included, but at the same time, there is enough there to get started with. I do think some of the subculture discussion/explanation could've been left out and the space on the disc used for more dance presentation or demonstration. Perhaps it was Tempest's intention to use the platform for those who are "goth curious". However, that seems kind of a wasted effort since most of the people who buy this type of dance video are likely to already be from somewhere within the scene. The segment doesn't necessarily detract from the video, but I would imagine most people will choose to skip that part.

One final thing I really liked is the way Tempest talked (briefly) about dancing in club wear - particularly footwear. Her explanation of how the shoes you have on may affect the way you dance, and the way in which you will be able to execute some of the hip movements is a great tip - and something easily overlooked if not really considered in advance.

Useful But Advanced.......2007-04-25

My motivation for buying this DVD was to find a fun workout. I should point out I'm a dance beginner and not in very good shape. I like Goth clubs and the music but I never dance. My friends tell me it's foolproof but I'd still like to look good doing it. I was hoping this DVD would be a good workout and give me practice with Goth dance moves.

In short, this DVD is too advanced for me. Tempest explains everything clearly with ample demonstrations. The problem lies not with the DVD itself but my skill level going into it. I am not as good a dancer as is required to do some of the moves. Also, I was expecting more of heart-pumping experience when what I got were isolations of muscle groups. Again, not a problem with the DVD and actually it's a good toning workout.

I've put Bellydance for the Beautiful Freaks on my shelf while I work on getting into better shape. In my opinion it's not for newbies. However, I would recommend it to someone wanting to improve dance moves and once I'm in better shape I'll start practicing the moves.

For Beginners Only.......2007-02-26

Let me start out by saying, I would actually give this about 2.5 stars because it's not a HORRIBLE video, but it just didn't deliver what I was hoping for. While Tempest certainly is articulate and personable, and gives some good pointers about what Gothic style is/isn't, the actual *bellydance* part I found sorely lacking. She gives a basic warm-up, and then two different sets of Gothic dance moves (one slow and one hard-edge) to be used in the clubs when you go out dancing. Nothing really here for those interested in real in-depth choreography or even a good solid workout. It's kind of like watching one of your college friends try to give you "cool lessons" in about 20 minutes. Remember when you first turned 21 and could finally go do the late night stuff with the grownups? That's pretty much the audience here.

Also, what I don't understand is how these moves are considered "Gothic", when they're just basic tribal fusion bellydance moves done with a very serious air about oneself. I suppose it's the music and the costumes, but again I was waiting for something new here that just wasn't delivered. It was like watching someone on the dancefloor of a club, only they were pausing to explain everything. And call me old-fashioned but how is one supposed to really move well in those giant Frankenstein moonboots? I guess I just don't get it... even though I've been going to clubs since Tempest was in diapers. Oh well.

To her credit, she does a couple of decent cutesy-goth dance numbers at the end which are interesting. I liked the burlesque-ish one and got more ideas from that than the whole rest of the DVD. Not lighting the world on fire here but decent. Again, if you're a beginner and want a different perspective on the genre then I suppose this DVD will do something for you. If not, I would recommend something else.

I really wanted to like this video even more........2007-01-30

Since most bellydancers tend to be beautiful freaks anyway, this whole DVD almost seems to miss the point with the faddish combat boots, buckles and mask-like performance expression. We're dancing right? Not going to war... Where's the sex appeal? As mentioned, the basic bellydance moves are well-presented and clear. Tempest definitely has a personality and presence that comes through the camera. The production quality is excellent although other World Dance New York videos show very helpful front and back views. A bit of a beef though is that if bellydance started as a fertility dance a thousand years ago, this version of the craft would be akin to modern American birth control. It misses that certain something. Although the moves do require skill (probably more for the advanced beginner) the expression has nothing of the fine art of the flirt. Now, where the DVD works quite well is in her performances. The white goth performance in particular is exquisite and in its own way answers my question "what is goth bellydance?" Ah-ha! It is Victorian -- dark Victorian -- or something of a dark cabaret. That said, I would definitely recommend the video for the performances and for the basic instructions, but perhaps one should only add the faddish boots, buckles and cool looks sparingly.

The Plays of William Shakespeare, Vol. 9 - The Tempest

Average customer rating:

Tempest review
There are better films of this play
Authentic production of The Tempest

The Plays of William Shakespeare, Vol. 9 - The Tempest
Starring: Efrem Zimbalist Jr. , William H. Bassett , Ted Sorel , and Ron Palillo
Manufacturer: Kultur
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Tempest
Twelfth Night
Shakespeare - The Winter's Tale / Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre
The Plays of William Shakespeare, Vol. 1 - Antony and Cleopatra
King Lear

ASIN: B000059XTX
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Amazon.com

Like other volumes in the Plays of William Shakespeare series, this production of The Tempest is stripped of interpretive artistry and presented with strict fidelity to the play. This can be frustrating, since the cast is burdened with a textbook approach to authentic presentation, drawing scant inspiration from moodless lighting and low-budget stage design. What matters, though, is the play itself, and the best performances, including an engaging turn by Efram Zimbalist Jr. as Prospero, do adequate justice to Shakespeare's tale of love and sorcery among island castaways. As Caliban, William Hootkins provides bluster aplenty, and Duane Black makes a mischievous Ariel. Other players are less fortunate (as Trinculo, Ron Palillo can't shake his persona from TV's Welcome Back, Kotter), and the technical quality of this series leaves much to be desired. Consider this a suitable introduction, offering a flavorful taste of The Tempest but not its fullest essence. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The clearest and most understandable Shakespeare productions ever made. Staged as seen in the 16th Century, featuring award-winning performers. The classic tale of spirits, sorcery, and shipwrecked scheming noblemen. Starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., William H. Bassett, Ted Sorel and Ron Palillo. 127 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Tempest review.......2007-02-10

Extremely disappointing. I was hoping to share some scenes with my students to help them understand the play. I'm afraid I would turn them off Shakespeare entirely if I showed them even a touch of this version.

There are better films of this play.......2004-05-27

Firstly I'd just like to point out that on the box it says: "Staged as seen in the 16th century". In fact 'The Tempest' wasn't even written until around 1610/11, the 17th century, and thus it's highly unlikely that it was seen in the 16th.

This is a brilliant play, which has been adapted more successfully to film in the following versions:

- The Tempest, director: Derek Jarman, 1979

- Prospero's Books, director: Peter Greenaway, 1991

I wouldn't reccommend viewing Greenaway's version unless you have know the play quite well as it's a very artistic interpretation, and doesn't lend itself to storytelling, it's more preoccupied with the specifics of Prospero's 'art' (i.e. magic).

Authentic production of The Tempest.......2003-10-03

This was a very entertaining production of Shakespeare's play. I particularly found Ariel's character very true to the qualities of 'airy spirits.' The costumes of all the characters were well-done. I was not as keen on the parts with the jester and drunken butler as I was with the other characters, but overall, the scenes were played well. For anyone who has never had a chance to see a stage production of The Tempest in a style close to the original play, this would be a good introduction. Though some people may find Woodman's production of The Tempest banal, it could be very appealing to fans of Shakespeare's time and history, not just his plays. If you only like lavish sets and modern ideals of stage productions, this edition may not be appropriate, but it need not be for the masses; only for select fans.

Average customer rating:

A Moody Gothic and Lusty Tempest
Are you people MORONS?
Dreadful
Art for art's sake
A cozy dream for exiled dreamers

The Tempest
Starring: Peter Bull , David Meyer , Neil Cunningham , Heathcote Williams , and Toyah Willcox
Director: Derek Jarman
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Plays of William Shakespeare, Vol. 9 - The Tempest
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
Twelfth Night
Prospero's Books
King Lear

ASIN: 6305739862
Release Date: 2000-04-10

Customer Reviews:

A Moody Gothic and Lusty Tempest .......2007-06-15

This is a very strong re-imagining of Shakespeare's Tempest. Like Ken Russell (with whom Jarman served as an apprentice on a number of films), Jarman has a natural interest in and affinity for English history & literature and an equal interest in and affinity for camp which is skeptical of and often parodies traditions that it nonethless adheres to and upholds. As much of an iconoclast as Ken Russell and Derek Jarman seem to be they never stray far from the acknowledged masterpieces of literature and the way these masterpieces orient us toward the world; what they add, however, is an element of camp (or play, or polymorphous perversion, or myriad-mindedness) which draws attention to the restrictions that class and gender and race place on individuals or social actors "playing" at any given time in history. But this is, of course, what the greatest literature has always done--shown the arbitrary bounds and laws by which men and women delimit their lives. In this way the greatest literature has always been iconoclastic and Russell and Jarman fit into English tradition as well as Shakespeare and Marlowe, Byron and Shelley, Lawrence and Woolf.

In Jarman's production there is little left of the once great Prospero but a desire to be avenged. In his mind the world wronged him and he will not be at peace with it until he sets it right again. The irony is that in seeking to set the world aright he enslaves others (Ariel and Caliban) and simply perpetuates the chain of wrongdoing that he is trying to break. The tragedy of the play is that Prospero knows that despite his efforts he really cannot make men act against their natures and that despite brief lapses of peace (occasioned by art) men will always resume their contest for power. But like many of Shakespeare's plays this is not wholly a tragedy nor wholly a comedy and so one moment we may be, along with Ariel, lamenting mans tragic fate and the next minute, along with Ariel, laughing at it. Most productions of The Tempest seem to favor either the tragic or comic element, but what Jarman does is not imbue the entire play with one mood but imbue individual characters with one or another, comic or tragic, mood. So while Prospero is imbued with a brooding & wistful melancholy that is wholly appropriate to his age and experience, his daughter Miranda is imbued with a sense of possibility and wonder that is wholly appropriate to her age and experience. The beauty of the play is that each character really inhabits their own version of the island, and lives within their own desires (or fears, for one could argue that what Caliban really fears is not having someone to serve for this would mean taking responsibility for his own reality). Of course some people might be put off by the fact that Jarman also allows each character to have their own sexuality. The campy ending, I might add, just underlines the unbridgable gulf that exists between art (where man experiences a measure of freedom and joy) and life (where man must live according to the decorums of the state.

Jarman's eccentric cast works very well at bringing to life Shakespeare's characters and themes and enlivening them with Jarman's visual style. If Ken Russell was the perfect artist of the early 1970's in that he seemed to glorify in the fashionable excess of the age, then Jarman is perhaps the perfect late seventies/early eighties artist that seems to glorify in the excesses of character and sexuality while also realizing that those excesses/eccentricities are allowed only in the world of art and that society as a whole is not that permissive or playful. This would explain the paradoxical melancholy of Jarman's artist-angels-visionaries; they are transcendent creatures but they are, nonethless, always trapped in society and in time.

The DVD includes three silent bonus shorts from 1971, 1972, & 1973 respectively. They are art student pieces that reveal the visionary yearnings of this essentially romantic and thus eternally melancholy artist.

Are you people MORONS?.......2007-01-16

OMG! The folks who didn't "like" the film clearly had no idea who (or what) Derek Jarman is. Crickey, do a little research before buying something. What did you think, this was going to be some high-school production of Shakespeare? The boobs and the corset on the cover shoulda tipped you off (or perhaps that's why you bought it... hmm). What a bunch of morons.

OK, now that's over with...

If you dig Jarmen, this is for you. Much more cohesive than Caravaggio (I mean, c'mon... look at the source material). It engages, just hide the kids eyes!

Dreadful.......2004-09-24

I have read all of Shakespeare's plays, seen productions of a majority of them and even acted in and directed some. I do not necessarily believe that Shakespeare must be done in the "traditional" fashion, but I hated this movie.

There is nudity that is gratuitous and unnecessary. There is grotesqueness that is far beyond what I believe Shakespeare intended. Some of the dialogue is incomprehensible, and there are those elements, like the singing and dancing that add no meaning to the movie, but replace Shakespeare with the director's self-indulgences.

I am sorry to say that I wasted perfectly good money to buy the DVD of this movie.

Art for art's sake.......2003-10-16

Derek Jarman's vision of The Tempest is a strange but artistic one. Although at times it can be too weird to really take seriously, Jarman's film deserves to be seen by those who love Shakespeare and those who love movies. In The Tempest, Jarman combines elements of traditional Shakespeare, Stanley Kubrick, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show to create an extraordinary vision of the classic play. Baz Luhrmann owes a lot to this movie for his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, as evidenced by the combination of genres, the bizarre imagery, and especially Elisabeth Welch's performance as a Josephine Baker-inspired chanteuse, which mirrors Desiree's incarnation as Billie Holiday in Luhrmann's film. It is worth noting that those who were not open-minded enough to appreciate Luhrmann's film should probably not see this one.

Despite all of these innovations, however, The Tempest moves too slowly to keep up with its own progressive style. The movie would have greatly benefited from being shortened by about half an hour. The one reason to sit through the tedious moments is to watch Karl Johnson, who, as a nervous Ariel, gives by far the most interesting performance.

A cozy dream for exiled dreamers.......2003-08-05

Ken Russell's designer on The Devils and Savage Messiah, the late Derek Jarman, made one of my favorite movies out of Shakespeare's most fanciful, yet most forgiving, play. Jarman makes a virtue of his tiny budget, having learned much from his former director about how to stretch one: the shadows, fireplaces, dust and antique clutter of Stoneleigh Abbey make a cozy and believable home in exile for Prospero, for whom "my library was dukedom enough," and for his fond daughter Miranda, who dances and play-acts around the vast, shabby manor like any imaginative child who hasn't known anything else, nor any reason to be ashamed of it. The mood is intimate and vespertine (in the Bjork sense); and for once, clutter is not the symptom of a lowlife or a loser, but the habit of a wistful, brilliant man absorbed in his studies and contemplation. For this alone, I recommend the film to anyone who ever felt like an innocent exile, a misunderstood artist or dreamer.

I also recommend it if you enjoy radical approaches to Shakespeare. Jarman's vision succeeds nearly everywhere, aided by superb casting. Hippie-hairy Heathcote Williams and the pleasantly zaftig Toyah Willcox are a warm and very appealing father and daughter, the ectomorphic Karl Johnson an Ariel with his own dreams to dream when not subduing resentment at his slavery to Prospero, and the bald, lisping, leering Jack Birkett nearly stealing the movie as an alarming, grotesque Caliban whose own wide-eyed pleasure in the "thousand twangling instruments" of the isle, with its "sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not" is as strangely winning as his hostility and vulgarity have been repulsive. Jarman's customary homoerotic elements work well and add another dimension to the play, as he contrasts Caliban's baseness not with Ariel's loftier sensibilities but with Miranda's moral innocence; while Miranda's *sexual* innocence is contrasted with Ariel's resignation to postponing his own desires, shown when he enchants and sings over the totally naked Ferdinand but otherwise leaves him alone. Stephano and Trinculo are flamboyantly queer, donning masks and costumed frippery not, like other characters, to symbolize dissembling in a straight society, but in drunken frolic as they plot to overthrow Caliban's master. (This is how Jarman delivers what an earlier reviewer here felt was missing, the "alternative realities.") Jarman's tone of melancholy lifting culminates in musical comedy star Elisabeth Welch's rendition of "Stormy Weather". It works.

The play is heavily cut, but could have benefited from more cutting, as Caliban is not made to look in any way fishlike, but Stephano and Trinculo still talk as though he is; Prospero looks forward to going home, where "every third thought shall be my grave" even though the actor was only 38; and Miranda's exclamation "O brave new world, that has such people in it!" sounds ridiculous when referring to the underrehearsed chorus line of rather fey sailors doing a silly dance that goes on too long. Representing Prospero's servant spirits with dwarves works fine, except Jarman's technique is not skillful enough to convey the menace of their assault on Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian. Jarman's technique would fully mature in his film of Edward II.

Description

Two Burly-Q Classics with America's Ultimate Pin-Up Goddess, Bettie Page! The Queen of the Curves teams up with fellow bump-and-grind legends Lily St. Cyr, Tempest Storm, Chris La Chris and Trudy Wayne, along with an assortment of baggy-pants comics, for the Holy Grails of Full-Color Girlie Flicks, Varietease and Teaserama, produced and directed by girly-pix impresario Irving Klaw! Flashing her sexy smile and gyrating in a harem girl costume, Bettie Page does her "Dance of the Four Veils." Then she scorches the screen when she teams up with that "hurricane of delight," Miss Storm, in a boudoir bit that explodes into fetish central. Also featuring female impersonator Vickie Lane, contortionist Twinnie Wallens, and comics Dave Starr and Joe E. Ross (Gunther Toody of TV's Car 54 Where Are You?).

Customer Reviews:

Bettie Page.......2007-01-11

I once had the VHS, and there was an "Apache Dance" number in that tape--however--that dance number has been removed from this DVD, through no fault of Bettie Page. It is, though, an excellent representation of the nostalgic 50s-60s burlesque scene, and still has some funny joke skits that are very enjoyable.

Seminal.......2006-08-22

Say what you want about Bettie's dancing, this doesn't detract from the material. In fact, good dancing would have ruined it. See, THIS AIN'T ABOUT THE DANCING! Great dancers can be seen every day and this doesn't make them sexy, but sexy people, which Bettie Page certaionly was, are sexy doing anything. Dancing? Who cares! The strangeness of her dancing actually enhances the effect. It's kinda hard to say exactly what she's doing sometimes, which only makes it more fascinating, even timeless.

SAVE YOUR MONEY AND BUY...........2006-04-30

Hey guys I'm giving it five stars cause it has BETTIE but save your money and just buy BONDAGE QUEEN and PIN UP QUEEN it has all her stuff from these movies and more!

The Holy Mistress in her definitive film!.......2005-12-23

Don't expect any kind of nudity or pornography. Why watch it? To see cult icon Bettie Page and some other lovely ladies in lingerie. I also happen to really dig the music. This was America before the liberals destroyed it. Bettie Page is adorable and this DVD is filled with her. The other two movies she was in featured her very briefly. In this film she stars in three segments and introduces the acts. Each time in a different costume of her own design. The first segment stars her and is pretty tame. It's even kinda silly its still Bettie in a colour film so you can't complain. Next she and Tempest Storm star in this skit where she dresses Tempest and then mocks her which angers Tempest who then pulls her hair. Doesn't make a lick of sense, but who cares, Bettie is in a lingerie maid's uniform. Next is a comedian. The jokes are bad. Very bad. But I still laugh. I don't know why, but I laugh. Chris la Chris is next. Is this her real name or a stage name? Either way I don't understand it. She's last in the credits but I don't know why. She's probably the most talented out of the bunch. Also very young and pretty. She does what I think is a pretty good dance to some piano music which is reminiscent of the 1920s. Next is Twinnie Walen. Kinda scary. Creeps on stage like some silent film monster. There's even foreboding music playing. I skip ahead. Next is Peppe and Roccio. These two are also very talented. They are also very boring. I turn them off. Let's see some more jokes. Tempest does a dance number. A sexy blonde woman with kind of a weird face does a number. There's a female impersonator which I've never watched. I never will watch. What is it even doing here? Some more jokes. Cherry Night does a sexy strip session that's worth watching. Next is the highlight of the movie. Bettie does a great dance segment. It's actually two different dances in one segment. This is probably the sexiest she's ever been. Except for the close ups which aren't too flattering. Jokes. Trudy Wayne. She does a pretty good strip dance and is pretty attractive as well. She also bears more than the rest of the girls. It ends with some more Tempest Storm. This DVD also contains Bettie footage from Striporama and one of the better black and white Irving Claw films of her.

Bettie couldn't dance, but who cares?.......2004-11-21

Bettie loses some "coolness points" when she dances, but if you go into frame-by-frame mode on your DVD player it's obvious that each frame of her dancing would have made a great still shot in and of itself. Proof that she was a great poser, and a lousy dancer, but as she has said herself, she was "far from being a professional dancer". Still, she is very appealing, despite the fact that neither my husband nor myself could contain our unabated laughter during her dance scenes. Her sparkle and sense of fun are evident throughout, she is in great shape, and her ever-changing and playful facial expressions are absolute treats to see.

Plus! You get to "Hear Bettie speak!" in addition to seeing her jump around - uhhm I mean dance.

The best part of the DVD is, yes, the silent, black and white arcade film loop of Bettie made specifically for those old-time coin-activated viewers....Bettie gyrates up to a point, then the screen is suddenly blocked out with a caption telling the viewer to insert coins to see more of the film. This of course occurs at a regular basis throught this particular short, as it did when those types of films were originally shown. Classic camp!

There are also appearances by a rather famous, albeit scary-looking drag queen from the time, and some professional strippers who could have passed for male drag queens...but I bought these really just for the Bettie Page segments; these two DVD's are a must-have for Bettie Page fans.

Viewing these will most likely result in the viewer alternating fits of laughter with admiration for the beauty and playfulness of Bettie Page in her prime.

Average customer rating:

A Paderewski showcase... filmed variety!

Moonlight Sonata
Starring: Ignacy Jan Paderewski , Marie Tempest , Eric Portman , Frédéric Chopin , and Franz Liszt
Manufacturer: Bel Canto Society
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Minuet & Other Favourites
The Art of Piano - Great Pianists of 20th Century
Georges Cziffra Plays Chopin, Liszt & Franck (EMI Classic Archive)
Art of Emil Gilels
Michelangeli Plays Chopin

ASIN: B000A2UC3I
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Description

Paderewski portrays himself. The film includes a 21-minute recital (Chopin "Heroic Polonaise," Liszt "Hungarian Rhapsody," Beethoven "Moonlight,") + Paderewski "Minuet in G."

When Paderewski is playing, the camera mostly is trained on his face or hands, revealing details his records can't: You see that he keeps his fingers bent except for the pinkies, which he often holds straight. With the left hand he often strikes the lowest note first, the rest of the hand follows and then the right hand comes down.

His rhythms are flexible within a strict overall tempo. Serene playing. Casts a spell.
--Stefan Zucker

Customer Reviews:

A Paderewski showcase... filmed variety! .......2007-04-21

If you're looking for Paderewski in film, look no further! Sidebar: It was said that Paderewski became so used to hearing in his piano recital appearances in America the often "mispronounced" Pad-e-ROO'-ski for the correct Pad-e-REF'-ski that he just smiled while never correcting the mispronunciation and reportedly once commented "Well, it could have been much worse were my surname the very often mangled surname of "Chopin" ."

Believe it or not, and the Pad-e-"ROO"-ski mispronunciation aside, I've heard everything for "Chopin" from [phonetically] "Choppin" as in the 'chopping' wood variety to "Cho-PANE or PIN" But then I get, "Why do you Americans spell 'Rakhmaninov' [sic -- UK, et al] as 'Rachmaninoff' ? Easy! That's the precise way the man himself wrote [cursive or printed form] and in fact signed his name when he lived in the USA, viz., "Rachmaninoff" and so "his" wishes for the transliterated Russian into English surname spelling of his own surname were and are followed.

Anyway, while the plot of the movie is rather off-beat and can bring on shades of Victor Borge and Fozzie-Bear doing the "Moonlight Sonata" routine with the "Bust of Beethoven" thing Zzzzzzz-wise and the viewer could easily anticipate the plot if not the entire script itself as it goes along, it doesn't detract from the playing including the beginning of the movie where an uninterrupted 21 minute recital by Paderewski shows him at his best.

Humor too as when Paderewski visits the orphanage for girls as a guest of the Baroness [Marie Tempest] and of course he is not known there so that the musical program arranged for the visit of the Baroness shows the orphanage director's wife, Margaret, having a bad case of the jitters at the piano and literally running away in tears before playing a note. The orphanage director then makes the anticipated plea complete with the hanky to the head thing, "Margaret! Margaret, dear! Ohhh, I'm soooo sorry ... perhaps somebody here can play the piano?" whereupon Paderewski speaks up and says, "If it is not too difficult, perhaps I might .." whereupon he steps to the piano and sees the score [with the appropriate camera zoom], "Minuet in G", which of course is his own piece [and not to be confused with other pieces by that same title] and duly bears his name on the score as the composer and he says with a twinkle in his eye, "I think I can just about manage that."

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" acts as a sort of regeneration tonic to the movie heroine as she tries to figure out her true love sort of thing but, as I say, Paderewski is well represented as well as his well known personal charm. Naturally, the audio and film visuals are 1937 vintage so allowances must be made for the quality of same. Paderewski was well in his 70's when he appeared in this UK made production but at least there is a filmed record of his playing and well captivating personality. BTW, that clip of Paderewski playing Liszt [2nd Hungarian Rhapsody] that appears in the 1999 produced DVD, "The Art of Piano", is taken directly from the 1937 "Moonlight Sonata" movie.

Doc Tony

Calming the Tempest :Helping the Explosive Child

Average customer rating:

Calming the Tempest :Helping the Explosive Child
Starring: Ross Green
Manufacturer: Paraclete Press
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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Parenting the Explosive Child
Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach
The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
Preschooler Discipline: Making it a Positive Experience
Discipline: Teaching Limits with Love

ASIN: B00021LL0A
Release Date: 2004-04-01

Description

Many adults have faced a child's or teenager's explosiveness, unsure of how to respond. Do I punish him for the outburst? Should I try to be understanding of how she is feeling and ignore the ugly behaviour? In reality, many children who have difficulty managing their anger need to be taught the skills necessary for coping with frustration and situations that demand flexibility. It is the lack of cognitive skills that contributes to the angry outbursts. CALMING THE TEMPEST provides parents, teachers, and caretakers with an awareness and overview of how to teach these skills at home and at school.

Average customer rating:

Nice try
This is a German Language import in PAL FORMAT???
The Tempest
Missing the Point
Not Shakespeare

The Tempest [Region 2]
Starring: Peter Fonda , John Glover , Harold Perrineau , Katherine Heigl , and John Pyper-Ferguson
Director: Jack Bender
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Plays of William Shakespeare, Vol. 9 - The Tempest
The Tempest
Prospero's Books
Tempest
The Taming of the Shrew

ASIN: B000058DSK

Customer Reviews:

Nice try.......2006-12-17

The Tempest, set in the South during the Civil War. Though they tried hard to incorporate the characters and did a fairly well job at that, there was very little left of the original Shakespearean play. The purpose of the story seemed to be to fight for your future not hide away like a hermit. In the original play, it was about forgiveness and healing relationships. There is a slight difference there.

I also didn't like the heavy black magic. Yes, magic was part of the original play but there wasn't so much incantation and most of it was off stage. The magic in this movie seemed to be very prominent. The characters also seemed silly, especially the love story. The character of the brother was changed too; and no resolution took place between them. The war diverted them onto a few rabbit trails that seemed to be there just to fill in time. Finally at the end, they actually tried to quote a little Shakespeare. A little too late IMO though.

If you've never read Shakespeare this movie probably won't bother you as much as it did me. It isn't destined to be a classic but could be entertaining if you just want something to watch.

This is a German Language import in PAL FORMAT???.......2006-07-01

This is odd this is reading as a PAL DVD?
ALSO in German!
NO AREA CODING (IE 1 or 2,)listed, BUYER BEWARE!!!

If anyone is interested this TV play while being NON-TRADITIONAL
is well acted. Think of it as Mark Twain or maybe Wittman meets Prosper!

The Tempest.......2005-11-14

I thought this was a very good movie even though i saw it only once i've been trying to find this movie to purchase. When i saw it the first time i became a true fan of Harold Perrineau.

Missing the Point.......2004-10-25

The point of this film is not to be a direct manifestation of Shakespeare's written word but to be an interpretation on one of Shakespeare's themes. Caliban is believed to be Shakespeare's take on slavery in America. The film centered around this theory.

Not Shakespeare.......2002-01-25

Despite the title, this film contains none of Shakespeare's language except random words like "daughter," "the," and "and."

For NON-Shakespeare buffs, I'd say it's a decent tale, setting the play's retold events in the American Civil War. It's a good combination, since we understand the emotions of the tale better in a known context, while the story shows us a different angle on the war. Overall, though, the combination doesn't quite jell.

Some things work very well. The portrayal of Ariel as a black slave is meant to set viewers on edge, especially since Prospero (I'm sorry, that's Gideon Prosper) refuses to set him free for most of the film--one of the clearer signs that Prosper is not just a wronged hero but a driven man who hurts others with his singlemindedness. Judging by other review comments, the director succeeded in making his point.

However, Ariel sounds and acts so clearly like a modern urban black man that it's hard to feel he was raised a slave and a member of a very different culture.

Peter Fonda does a good overall job with Prosper, but the director (and/or scriptwriter) doesn't convince us either why Prosper took up Voudun in the first place or why he gave it up in the end, which limits our understanding of the character.

But the loss of Shakespeare's language, in exchange for modern clarity of a tale that doesn't make that much sense without it, adds up to a film I certainly don't plan to keep.

DVD:

DVD

Hell's Kitchen (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Gladiators - 4 Movies

Crown Of The Year