Play'd

Starring:Rashaan Nall, Toni Braxton, Faizon Love, Sharissa, Merlin Santana, Raina Lewis, Philip Bolden, Lawrence B. Adisa, DeRay Davis, Kaleti Williams, Jacory Gums, Freedom
Director: Oz Scott
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking

Average customer rating:

Pippi is cool!
Pippi makes the kids say yippie
Coming into your town..
Well Deserved
Pippi Still Rocks

The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
Starring: Tami Erin , David Seaman , Cory Crow , Eileen Brennan , and Dennis Dugan
Director: Ken Annakin
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Pippi Longstocking Collection (Pippi Longstocking / Pippi Goes on Board / Pippi in the South Seas / Pippi on the Run)
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking: Adventures on the South Seas
Pippi Longstocking -The TV Series

ASIN: B000059H76
Release Date: 2001-04-24

Customer Reviews:

Pippi is cool!.......2007-05-29

My best friend and I have grown up watching this movie. Now that we're older, we have begun to notice some of the corny special effects and lines, but I still think The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking is cool!! I know that the way Pippi is portrayed in the movie is a bit of a character stretch, but, quite honestly, I saw the movie before reading any of the books. If it had been the other way around, I might not like the movie as much as I do. For me, this movie is a lot of fun memories.

Pippi makes the kids say yippie.......2007-05-13

My kids love this movie. They didn't want to watch it because "Dad that movie is old." Yes it is old as far as they (9 yr old boy and 7 yr old girl) are concerned but I bribed them into watching it and they loved it. My daughter watches this several times a week. I think my son has a thing for Pippi. This is a good family movie and unlike the "family" movies they put out today you don't have to hit the FF button because there are no family un-friendly parts. Buy this movie and spend an evening with the kids. You'll be glad you did.

Coming into your town.........2007-02-19

Worth it simply for the sentimental value. Seriously, it's pippy longstocking!

Well Deserved.......2007-01-31

This product was cheap and brand-new. I have no complaints. The service was quick.

Pippi Still Rocks.......2007-01-11

I couldn't find this movie anywhere. I had decided to dress up as Pippi for Halloween, and my children didn't know who I was talking about. When it arrived, I was so excited to share it w/ my children. They loved it. My oldest was singing the songs for days. I am so glad that something that I loved so much as a child is now loved by my children.

Average customer rating:

Great Almost Forgotten Cast Album
Part Rip-off, Part Astounding!
Brilliant rare documentary sneak-peek into cast-album making...
A great documentary by a great filmmaker
If You Like Broadway Musicals, You'll Probably Like This

Original Cast Album - Company
Starring: Teri Ralston , Dean Jones , George Coe , Charles Braswell , and Elaine Stritch
Director: D.A. Pennebaker
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Documentary | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Stephen Sondheim's Follies in Concert
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast)
Sunday in the Park with George
Into the Woods (Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00004YKS8
Release Date: 2001-01-02

Amazon.com essential video

While a proposed series of original cast recording sessions for documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back) never materialized, Original Cast Album: Company survives as the first and only entry, and it was fortuitous that its subject was the 1970 musical Company. Groundbreaking in its use of a series of vignettes rather than a conventional plot, it was also one of the earliest major works for composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the most important figure in musical theater over the last quarter-century. Unlike films, theater productions rarely have a permanent record, so a musical is preserved for posterity by the cast recording. This puts all the pressure on the recording session, as cast member Susan Browning explains during the recording of "You Could Drive a Person Crazy": a live performance can be imperfect, but "this is different. This is the definitive, it's the end-all and the be-all of this song, and... God, that could drive a person crazy!"

For this film, Pennebaker and his crew took three hand-held cameras into the studio and filmed the singers, the orchestra, and the control booth, then condensed the 18.5-hour recording session into a fast-moving 60 minutes. You can see the intensity and sheer enjoyment on the faces of the cast, and record producer Thomas Z. Shepard, show producer-director Harold Prince (both frequent Sondheim collaborators), and Sondheim (a notorious perfectionist) become alternately exhilarated and exasperated as they listen and try to solve various problems. Other interesting moments include an emphasis on the orchestra rather than the lead vocal in "Another Hundred People," and Elaine Stritch's exhausting take after take of "The Ladies Who Lunch." This is a rare look at an important moment in Broadway history, and obviously, it's highly recommended for Broadway fans. --David Horiuchi

Description

Called a "monumental achievement" by the Los Angeles Times, Company is the extraordinary documentary capturing the explosive recording session for Stephen Sondheim's landmark musical. On May 3, 1970, just a few days after its triumphant Broadway opening,

Customer Reviews:

Great Almost Forgotten Cast Album.......2007-02-16

I never saw Company on stage, but was introduced to snippets of it on a DVD about Broadway and realized I would probably like the whole album. So, I ordered it, and I did.
Then I rented the DVD that shows how the cast album was made. .and that was even better! So, I hope that someday Company will tour. . I think it may be doing a Revival on Broadway, but I'd have to check that out. . but whatever the case, it's an interesting and well done cast recording and if you are a Sonheim fan, a must for your collection.

Part Rip-off, Part Astounding!.......2007-01-04

What I expected from this album did not happen and for that I am sorry. You see, I am so old that back in the old, old sixties, I saw this show on the Broadway stage along with Dean Stockwell and broke out in goosebumps when Elaine Stritch sung her classic "Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch!" What's on this DVD is NOT the show, but merely sketches of the rehearsals, much like the beginning of "Follies in Concert." In "Follies" they went on to do the whole programme and went away satisfied. In "Company" that did not happen and when the rehearsal was over they all went home and that was the end of it! I was so shocked that they (the producers of the DVD) would do that, that I didn't believe it and went back to the scene selections looking for a show--there was none. It's not a question of space on the DVD as I stated, they followed that format in "Follies." So, in sum, I adore Stephen Sondheim and I liked the real show "Company"--but the DVD leaves me there wishing for the whole show. This DVD album is a ripoff!
Kris Kleeberg
[...]

Brilliant rare documentary sneak-peek into cast-album making..........2007-01-03

This rare treat from documentary filmmaker Pennebaker is a must-have for any Sondheim lover like me. Elaine Stritch's "hung-over" initial rendition of the classic song The Ladies Who Lunch is unbelievable. The late Pamela Browning sings Another Hundred People beautifully and we get to see most of Beth Howland's (Vera on the TV sit-com Alice) seminal rendition of the Sondheim gem Getting Married Today. I only wished that Pennebaker had released extra footage of more songs, more takes, more banter. The show is currently back on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in a wonderful redux revival starring Raul Esparza and Barbara Walsh directed by John Doyle. In this revival (cast album out soon I am sure) one gets to enjoy the music and lyrics in ways never before enjoyed because of the lack of focus on the visual aspects of the show. This DVD is a worthy testament to a brilliant classic multi-Tony-winning piece of marvellous musical theatre history.

A great documentary by a great filmmaker.......2006-02-28

I can't stop watching this documentary about the recording of the cast ablum of a wonderful musical Broadway show. And I found watching the film with the commentary was as entertaining as watching the movie without the talking heads. The film quality of the transfer to DVD isn't perfect, but it's a minor flaw. To top it off, you listen to great songs by the great Stephen Sondheim. I fully recommend it, especially if you're a fan of the documentary about Bob Dylan, "Don't Look Back," which was made by D.A. Pennebaker as well. Pennebaker just records what's in front of him and let's everything play out without manipulation. It's pure and simple and top-notch filmmaking.

If You Like Broadway Musicals, You'll Probably Like This.......2004-12-23

If you like Broadway, if you like Stephen Sondheim (or even if you don't), if you like behind-the-scenes looks at show business, you'll probaby like this DVD. It's a documentary of how the original cast recording of Company was put together a few days after the show opened in New York.

All one Sunday and through 4 a.m. Monday the tracks were rehearsed, changed, critiqued, redone until with one exception the record was finished. The exception was Elaine Stritch's recording of the big song from the show, "The Ladies Who Lunch." It's a dramatic show stopper, and Stritch just couldn't nail it. All the other cast members had been dismissed, so it was just Stritch, the orchestra, and the recording and creative teams. The more takes they took, the more flaccid her performance became and more tired her voice sounded. This section alone on the DVD is high drama. (They finally recorded the orchestra track and had her come back two days later--when she did nail it, to everyone's relief.)

The program takes less than an hour and there's no voice over (unless you access a fairly interesting interview made 30 years later by Stritch, Harold Prince, the show's Broadway director, and Pennebaker). You move from song to song seeing how adjustments were made, how help was given, how nuances became highly important. Interspersed are snippets of discussion by Sondheim and Prince of how the show came about.

Everyone was acutely aware that they were making the permanent recording of the show's score. The stress, no matter how professional the actors were, had to have been incredible. There's Dean Jones with a fairly brittle voice who was probably chosen for the lead because of his movie name recognition. He clearly looks uncomfortable throughout. At one point the recording supervisor, Thomas Z. Shephard, says to him, "You're very good and I don't want to spoil something that's potentially marvelous..." Uh oh. Pamela Meyers was a young singer in her first Broadway show with a big song to perform, "Another Hundred People." She looks a bit like Brigitte Jones. Sondheim works with her to get a single note where it should be. She is so serious listening to him and he takes the time to be gentle with her. And there's Stritch, an actress who seems unable to turn it off. She draws the center of attention to her just enough to be noticeable. Most things tend to be dramatic with her, and her struggle with "Ladies" is as much self-involved as it is her aiming for excellence.

I'm not one of those who thinks a great deal of Company as a show. I've seen it on Broadway and two or three times in rep. It's a musical about marriage and relationships and the inability to commit...or rather, it's a story about relationships and marriage amongst rather superficial upper-East Side New Yorkers. Those are easy targets and the point of view gets, for me, a little tiresome. But the songs are great, and the show was exciting and different when it opened.

As I said, if you like Broadway musicals, Steven Sondheim, and behind-the-scenes looks, you'll probably get a kick out of this.

Average customer rating:

Elaine's Pity Party
Perfection
Insufferable
A has-been
Defining a Legend

Elaine Stritch at Liberty
Starring: Elaine Stritch
Director: D.A. Pennebaker , Chris Hegedus , Andy Picheta , Nick Doob , and Rick McKay
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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Elaine Stritch - At Liberty (2002 Original Broadway Production)

ASIN: B0000C23HO
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Amazon.com

Star, legend, force of nature--whatever you call Elaine Stritch, it probably applies, and it's never more apparent than in her deeply personal one-woman show, At Liberty. With only an oversize shirt, black tights, and a chair, Stritch mesmerizes a full house at London's Old Vic Theatre with tales of her 50-plus-year career on stage and screen. It's a priceless glimpse of backstage theatre to hear her recount how she served as standby for Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam in New York at the same time she had a featured role in Pal Joey playing in New Haven, Connecticut. And she tells about the people she mingled with (Noel Coward, Judy Garland, Rock Hudson), her disappointments both professional ("I blew The Golden Girls!") and personal (her bouts with drinking). At Liberty is more of a monologue than a musical performance, though she does perform some of her signature songs like "Zip" and "The Ladies Who Lunch." At Liberty won a Tony Award in June 2002 for Special Theatrical Event, but Stritch's triumph was tempered when she was not allowed to complete her acceptance speech. Her response to it here is just one of the touching moments in a remembrance of a historic career. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Elaine's Pity Party.......2007-04-16

I have been an Elaine Stritch fan since 1970 when I was a freshman in college and saw her in "Company". Perhaps if I had seen "At Liberty" live rather than on dvd I would have had a better reaction to it. Perhaps what comes across as whiny, self-indulgent and disagreeable on dvd would have been electric and fascinating in person. I don't know. As it is I deeply regret having watched this. For the most part, I have never wanted to meet the performers whom I enjoy and admire, because I don't want a possible negative encounter to ruin my enjoyment of their performances. I've heard too many stories from people who have had dealings with singers or actors and regretted meeting them. That's a little how I feel about watching this performance. It is going to be a while before I can once again enjoy her other performances without being influenced by my totally negative reaction to this performance.

Perfection.......2006-11-10

I was lucky enough to see this show at The Old Vic theatre in London, which is where the DVD version was filmed. An incredible lady, an amazing performer, a magnificent show! Can't wait for her next venture...

Insufferable.......2006-08-12

I know, I know - Elaine Stritch is a "legend" - she makes sure you know it, believe me... Maybe I'm the only one in the universe who felt like smacking her, but, I felt like smacking her. She offers a few bon mots about Old Hollywood and Broadway, however the rest seems like a self-congratulatory vanity piece. I got the feeling that she's been practicing these "naked" little soliloquies for her audience of one, in front of the mirror, for years. Maybe that is the point of the show, I don't know. Perhaps some think she should be humored because she's 80, but crikey, I just found most of it insufferable. Sorry Elaine...

A has-been.......2006-06-16

The reviewers here are rating the performer, not the show. Stritch looks haggard, sings horribly, and most of her stories are only interesting to her. A dreadful performance all around.

Defining a Legend.......2006-04-23

Just about as honest, open, and vulnerable as a performer can be. I saw this show when it first aired and bought the DVD so I can watch it over again. The performance Stritch gives is greater than any of her other work because it incorporates the best of so much of her stage, screen, and TV work. I had the pleasure of meeting Stritch at a SAGE awards dinner in 2005. When I asked her to autograph my DVD she seemed genuinely flattered. The nakedness seen in this show is a glimpse into the personality of a truly gifted performer.

Average customer rating:

putting all there
On the Whole, Not Equal To the Sum of Its Parts
Great performances....
''It started out like a song'' Putting it Together
Totally Worth It!

Putting It Together: A Musical Review
Starring: Carol Burnett , George Hearn , Ruthie Henshall , John Barrowman , and Bronson Pinchot
Director: Don Roy King , and Eric D. Schaeffer
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B000IOM0S8
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Description

A humorous, poignant and sophisticated musical "review," Putting It Together is a thematic celebration of the stage and screen work of multiple Tony Award-winner Stephen Sondheim, the foremost theatrical composer/lyricist of our time. Featuring an award-winning ensemble cast headed by the incomparable Carol Burnett, Putting It Together weaves a lyrical story around the emotions and relationships of five guests attending a Manhattan cocktail party, studded with material from a number of Sondheim's original musicals and films including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, The Frogs, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Dick Tracy, Into the Woods and Assassins.

Customer Reviews:

putting all there.......2007-03-09

Having watched this DVD only once all i can say is it has lived up to the expectations i was expecting .The tour de force of Sondheims music is fun and the numbers are well executed. The highlight for me was Carol Burnett and the hilarious performance of "Everyone needs a Maid" Only Carol could perform this number with a touch of mad humour.
I do recommend this dvd and I look forward to veiwing the disc again on a cold wet night with a bottle of wine and a good fire going in the wood burner.

On the Whole, Not Equal To the Sum of Its Parts.......2007-01-10

Musical revues can be quite tricky. When a show celebrates the talents of a particular composer, having the material performed out of context is usually not a problem for the works of lesser composers. But in the case of Stephen Sondheim, it is very hard to appreciate the full force of his amazingly deft and intelligent lyrics (not to mention his subtle melodies) when the individual pieces are removed from the show for which they were written. I have seen, or at least heard, many, many musical revues of Mr. Sondheim's works. Sometimes they succeed brilliantly, but because of the high caliber of the material and intellectual connection with the source work, the producer and director of any musical revue of Sondheim must be very cautious. For these reasons, among others, I did not find this production of Putting It Together to be as completely satisfying as it should have been. And, as a Sondheim "purist", the first strike against this production was the fact that some of the lyrics were changed, which is always guaranteed to get me off on the wrong foot, at least, when dealing with Sondheim.

It has long been my considered opinion that, artistically, Mr. Sondheim can do no wrong. At his worst (if such a word could ever be applied to his output) he writes circles around every other Broadway composer of the 20th century. But, out of context, his material does not always come across, particularly his later works, which almost always require the accompaniment of the various subtle melodies that he intricately weaves throughout the course of any one show. Combining material from more than one Sondheim effort is risky, as his "voice" is never the same in any two successive theatre pieces, let alone five or ten. This is the true mark of a genius; the Grand Guignol atmosphere of Sweeney Todd cannot be expected to mix easily with the delicate waltzes of A Little Night Music, let alone the broad slapstick of Forum, the "70's Mod feel" of Company, the serious celebration of the artistic process that is Sunday In the Park With George, or the heartbreaking, stark nostalgia of Follies. From the tricky lyrics of West Side Story, through the folly of Anyone Can Whistle and right up through the achingly beautiful prose of Passion, it is best to experience Sondheim in the context of a complete piece. Not that it can't be done, mind you, but it is oh so tricky an undertaking to mix his bananas with his grapefruit.

The cast of this show are consummate professionals all, who, for the most part, are up to the task of interpreting Sondheim as he should be: minimally. Any amount of over dramatization or gesticulation in a Sondheim number will ruin it - his words are simply too powerful, too potent and too direct. I steadfastly believe that, in order to present Sondheim correctly, all any actor need do is simply sing his words. They take care of themselves, thank you, and do not require the slightest embellishment to maintain their brilliance. Exquisite diamonds rarely require magnifying glasses.

One of the problems, for me, is the tendency in musical revues to rely heavily on material that was cut from completed works. Whole evenings have been structured around Sondheim's "rejects". There are those who insist, and not without some merit, that the songs that Sondheim discards on his way to a finished piece are frequently superior to the final product proffered by certain other composers. True to a point, but I always like to think that there is a reason why songs are cut, and it's not always just because they don't quite fit. For example, there are those who think that the song, Happily Ever After, which was replaced by Being Alive in Company, is just as good as the final choice. I don't agree. Nevertheless, I don't object to a certain amount of "cut" songs in a Sondheim review, as long as they don't overpower the real stuff. After all, the finished scores for Follies, Sweeney Todd and Company alone could yield enough songs for a full evening's entertainment. Why do we need to "celebrate" Mr. Sondheim's rejects?

As for the performers here, let's start with George Hearn, who is easily one of the most successful interpreters of Sondheim to come along in the past 25 years. After replacing Len Cariou in the role of Benjamin Barker, Mr. Hearn so completely placed his stamp on the character of Sweeney Todd that many people erroneously believe him to have originated the role. Of course, there was nothing wrong with Mr. Cariou's performance, but Mr. Hearn established himself as the definitive Barker / Todd through the wonderful PBS production and subsequent DVD that was released several years ago. Here, as always, he often speaks as much as he sings, but there is an underlying comprehension and simplicity to his presentation that other actor / singers frequently fail to realize while performing Sondheim. His comfort level with the song, The Road You Didn't Take, from Follies, is such that you want to see him tackle the role of Ben, and his simple and poignant understating of Old Friends is no less skillful than his marvelously dry, deliciously comic reading of Have I Got A Girl For You.

As for the rest of the cast, well, Bronson Pinchot was a revelation. His perfect rendition of Buddy's Blues was the best I've seen since the original production of Follies closed in 1971. I saw that show three times during its original Broadway run, and I never expect to see the like of it again. Mr. Pinchot is in perfect character for every number assigned here, and he is truly a joy to behold. Just as able throughout were the performances of Ruthie Henshall and John Barrowman; Mr. Barrowman in particular sang with a sweet, clear voice, and he presented himself as sophisticated, handsome and poised throughout the evening.

This brings me to the performer that impressed me least - Carol Burnett. Throughout the 1960's and early 1970's, I was a great fan of her hilarious slapstick antics, as presented on her television show. I have also been aware for years of her fascination with Sondheim, but I just don't think that she has what it takes to do him justice. I saw her perform The Ladies Who Lunch on her variety show in the early 1970's - it left me cold then, and her rendition of it has not change one bit. She simply tries too hard to put it over, when all it needs is to be presented. Her performance of the biting, satiric classic, Could I Leave You, is even worse. Once again, her overreaching chews up the scenery completely, without managing to milk a single laugh from one of the great comedic songs of Mr. Sondheim's output! I will say that she succeeds a bit more with Getting Married Today, although she admits in the interview segment that she slowed it down. Of course, part of the charm of the original was the manic pace that Beth Howland brought to the song, and admittedly, the breakneck speed of the original would prove difficult for all but the most highly-skilled vocalist to match, let alone a woman of Miss Burnett's maturity. Carol Burnett's duet with Ruthie Henshall, Always A Woman, a wonderful song cut from Anyone Can Whistle, was quite funny, but with material like this it's hard not to be funny. Miss Burnett came across best for me on her rendition of Everybody Ought To Have A Maid, even though she destroyed the melody.

Finally, to read some of the reviews here, you would think that Carol Burnett's "blooper", which appears as a DVD bonus, was the funniest thing ever filmed before a camera. Sorry. This is Sondheim - the wit of his glorious lyrics should be the focus and main source of the laughs here, and I frankly don't believe that whoopee-cushion humor mixes at all well with the sophistication of Mr. Sondheim's wit.

Nevertheless, I give the production four stars, mainly for the material and George Hearn. If you want to hear the perfect Sondheim revue, check out the CD of the 1973 recording of Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute.

Great performances...........2006-10-08

Love this DVD. Wish it had a separate CD sountrack available.

If you only think of Carol Burnett for her comedy, you will be pleasantly surprised, she can sing, too. George Hearn is in fine singing form, as always. The two of them together looked and sounded like a real-life married couple. John Barrowman (from Doctor Who) is great, and watching Bronson Pinchot made you wish he had more solos.

Ruthie Henshall was in a way the weakest part of the show--her accent was somewhat annoying (on the order of Marina Sirtis' accent in Star Trek: TNG--if that grated on your ears, Ms. Henshall's will too), but she can sing and dance well.

I can't say that I liked all of the original shows (e.g. Sunday in the Park with George) these songs came from, but watching this DVD makes you want to seek out the original shows to view or re-view, as the case might be.

Well worth buying!

''It started out like a song'' Putting it Together.......2006-08-15

If you are a fan of Stephen Sondheim, or yet to discover many of his finest musical numbers, this show taped live in 2001 is a must.

A strong team, all class acts individually, take us through some of the highlights from Follies, Company, A little night music, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Merrily we roll along, Sunday in the Park with George, and more.

Arguably, some numbers work better out of context than others, but the production is strong and though a ''review'', based around an older couple and a younger couple, staged with minimal scenery and props, the concept works well and the cast are strong throughout.

Highlights are Burnett's ''Ladies who lunch'', who gets this number just right, finding seething frustration with the world, but thankfully not resorting to the wayward comedienne hectoring, yelling, and crass overacting of others in this number.

Henshall smoulders sensually in ''Sooner or later'', and Barrowman joins her effectively in ''I am unworthy of your love'' from Assasins, one of Sondheim's most lyrical creations. Bronson Pinchot has a fine comic gift and makes the most of it throughout.

George Hearn is the very model of Sondheim style, singing off the text in an easy, unaffected manner. His moving rendition of ''We had a good thing going'' from Merrily we roll along, is masterful, and worth the price of the disc alone. As the older couple, his scenes with Burnett are a joy throughout, and the relationship between them always feels genuine.

Other numbers worth mentioning here include Hearn and Barrowman, who make a fine job of ''Pretty Women'' from ''Sweeney Todd'' (about the best I've heard it done), and the ensemble numbers including ''Putting it Together'' and ''Being Alive'' work well. The notoriously difficult opening of Act 2 of ''Sunday'', ''It's hot up here'', is superbly handled out of context and delivered with amusing results.

This is a multiregion disc although recorded NTSC format. Considering this was taped live, the audio recording is first rate (5.1 surround), the voices are crisp and there is plenty of detail from the slick and sassy ensemble in the pit. Occasionally, some of the orchestrations sound a little thin with such a small scale band, but this is a marginal quibble. If you want to view an enjoyable retrospective of Sondheim's work, effectively staged and performed with skill, then don't hesitate to view this.

Totally Worth It!.......2005-10-12

I have to comment on the people complaining about the fact that there is no plot. This is a MUSICAL REVUE, which is, simply put, a PLOTLESS variety show with a unifying factor (in this case, Sondheim). The fact that there was a thin plot was nice, but not a requirement. Sometimes I am amazed at what people write, based on sheer ignorance. The cast was great, especially Burnett, who still has an incredible set of pipes for a woman her age. I found Ruthie Henshall to be a little irritating, though. True, she is pretty and can dance and sing, but the way she sings through her teeth half of the time, without opening her mouth, began to grate on my nerves a bit. But I'm nitpicking. Order this. Watch it. Love it. Oh, and Bronson is an absolute HOOT. Marginal voice but still a great performance on his part.

Average customer rating:

Mundae at her best!
adult movie
Classic Seduction Cinema!!!
One of the worst films I have ever, ever seen.
The wrongest cinematic 'ape' ever!

Play-Mate of the Apes
Starring: Erin Brown (II) , Darian Caine , Debbie Rochon , Anoushka , and Sharon Engert
Director: John Bacchus
Manufacturer: E.I. Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Spiderbabe
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ASIN: B00005YUNZ
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Customer Reviews:

Mundae at her best!.......2007-06-12

Miss Mundae is at it again. Best all natural porn star out there. She kinda has this Avril Lavinge thing going on. She is so beautiful and amazing. And there is a scene with her and a blonde haired women alone in the woods thats the best sex scene in the world.

adult movie.......2006-11-10

i never saw a move like this on dvd before,it was the best move i ever sawin my home and when i first saw it on cable, i decided to find out if was on dvd, when i saw it was i bought it and i watch it on a regular base's. the acting was well done and the wardrobe was the best i ever saw.

Classic Seduction Cinema!!!.......2006-08-07

I first saw this movie on Cinemax. Being that this is the first SC release (to my knowledge) to premiere on national TV, you know it has to be decent at best. But decent would be an understatement! Hands down, this is John Bacchus' greatest work to date. It is a no brainer that this is a spoof of Planet of the Apes. This parody is hilarious! John Bacchus shows his acting potential as General Laid with several humorous punchlines in much of his dialogue. As always, Misty Mundae and Darian Caine give outstanding performances. Mundae plays an Air Force pilot/ astronaut who along with her crew get captured by the Apes for trespassing so to speak. I think it would have been nice to see Ruby LaRocca or AJ Kahn but females casted were an excellent supporting cast. The female interactions were more erotic than I've ever seen in a Seduction Cinema film. There was plenty of hot, passionate kissing and the simulated sex was top value. I found the Polish sensation simply known as Anoushka to be rather sexy for some reason (perhaps because she is Polish). Overall, Playmate of the Apes is funny, sexy and entertaining and a great way to waste an hour and a half. IF John Bacchus would stick to the formula he used when working on this film, he would have a hit every time!

One of the worst films I have ever, ever seen........2005-07-05

Words all but fail me when it comes to attempting to convey how bad this thing actually is. Although it may claim to be "satire," one requirement of satire is that... there actually be some humor present. That would be difficult to achieve, since as far as I can tell the script was written by a misogynistic nine-year-old boy weaned on a steady diet of "The Benny Hill Show." Satire takes some actual brain-wattage; none is present here.

The actresses portrayed on the box art are *nowhere near so alluring* in the actual film, although to be fair there are women present who look even worse than they do.

So, in short, if you enjoy seeing physically unpleasing women continually make out with each other, [and generating all the heat of the average mini Christmas tree light bulb in doing so... and I mean just ONE BULB, not an entire string of lights] you may like this. A love of silicone implants and bad poetry will also stand you in good stead. Everyone else with a working brain, steer clear. It is one of those things of which may honestly be said, "I am now stupider for even having SEEN that."

The only reason it gets one star is because 0 stars is not an option.

The wrongest cinematic 'ape' ever!.......2004-08-05

I caught my first glimpse of this on some late-night premium cable channel over at the `rents' place some time back. It was just me & dad in the living room, and he was searchin' for something to watch. He eventually settled on this, and we laughed at the utter silliness of the weird-looking hominids before us. We were entertained by the pink-suited `poofter' ape, as well as the military leader ape who spouted off naughty British slang in a Cockney accent that gave me `Monty Python' flashbacks. Then came the big ape-vs-human fight/rap/dance scene in the middle of a forest that was so dumb that both me & pops couldn't help but laugh at its utter retardedness. But then came one of many nudie lesbo scenes between several of the silicone-enhanced human females, and the atmosphere in the living room got a bit, shall we say, uncomfortable. It's weird enough to be watching a mug-runching scene that borders on hardcore porn all by your lonesome; watching it with your father is just plain wrong. Fortunately, pops had the good sense to switch over to something a bit less provocative: `Real Sex XXXVIII' was playin' on the next channel up...

After this strange initial encounter I decided to hunt down a copy of `Play-Mate of the Apes' on DVD, and give the entire flick a look. What I ended up seeing was a few relatively brief so-dumb-it's-funny moments of `Planet of the Apes' satire with some of the hokiest-looking not-so-special visual effects couched between a half-dozen extensive scenes of lezzie lust. Oddly enough, I didn't find any of these naughty bits particularly, er, exciting, which is primarily due to the fact that the hardcore stuff I've been exposed to has pretty much spoiled me for any other similar form of, er, artistic expression. Ya know, I think I've told ya far more about me than you wanted to know, so I'll just cool down a bit, and devote the next paragraph to my thoughts on the disc's special features.

Needless to say, I was kinda shocked to discover this DVD actually had special features! These extras include a couple trailers for the movie-- both of which are chock-full of nudies-- a few behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the movie (including the filming of one of the naughty scenes), and interviews with the director (who plays the aforementioned Cockney ape) and principal... actresses (*Snicker*). As I expected, the cast members took way too seriously the whole experience making the movie, as if pretending to bump incompatible uglies is gonna cure cancer or something. And just what in the #ell did I mean by that last sentence, anyway? Sorry `bout that, folks-- this is the kinda weird shiznit I come up with when I'm writing an Amazon product review in the middle of the night while on two hours' sleep and buzzed on Jolt® cola. Sad thing is, I usually do my best work in this state...

`Late

Strawberry Shortcake - Play Day Surprise

Average customer rating:

Great Movie Kids Love it
good , clean fun with a message
Watch what your kids are watching
Strawberry shortcake-play day surprise
nice

Strawberry Shortcake - Play Day Surprise
Starring: Sarah Heinke , James Street (IV) , Rebecca Noddle , Hannah Koslosky , and Rachel Ware
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Strawberry Shortcake - Seaberry Beach Party
Strawberry Shortcake - Moonlight Mysteries
Strawberry Shortcake - Adventures on Ice Cream Island
Strawberry Shortcake - Best Pets Yet
Strawberry Shortcake: Dress Up Days

ASIN: B0006GAO86
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Product Description

Angel Cake in the Outfield : Angel Cake likes everything just so - and when things don t go her way, she s a pretty bad sport... until Strawberry & Apple Dumplin help her become the berry best of sports. Win Some, Lose Some : Peppermint Fizz is so determined to win the Nearly Once-A-Yearly Strawberryland Games, she resorts to cheating.

System Requirements:

Runnning Time 45 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Great Movie Kids Love it.......2007-03-09

The product was great and They love it. Really it's great for the younger to the much older kids as my older kids love watching it with the younger kids.

good , clean fun with a message.......2006-08-22

My sister LOVED Strawberry Shortcake as a child, although I was too old for it then. Now she buys the dolls and DVDs for my girls, ages 2 and 4. I have watched every DVD alone before showing them to my kids - I don't want them exposed to anything I find objectionable. There are many Disney movies that I won't allow the kids to watch! This video, while showing a character being petty and mean, teaches a valuable lesson about getting along and being a good sport. My preschooler experienced a similar situation at preschool after watching this DVD, and said she knew just how to handle it because she'd seen Strawberry and her friends deal with someone who wasn't being nice. While I hope that the lessons we teach her at home had something to do with her reaction, I know that favorite characters can also have an influence on kids' behavior.

One parent mentioned the use of the word "hate" as objectionable. I do not allow my kids to use that word, but they hear it from others and even read it in high-quality classic children's tales. For them to see a problem resolved and to see other children stepping up to help solve a problem is a good thing. Perhaps we need to watch the entire show to see if the whole picture is one we want our kids to see, not just one part taken out of context. When my husband caught the scene mentioned, where the word "hate" was used, he called me in to the room and asked me if I knew what the kids were watching. I encouraged him to sit and watch with the kids, talk to them about what they were seeing, and watch the entire show to see how it was resolved. He ended up agreeing with me that the message was clear and the "problem" character reformed.

Watch what your kids are watching.......2006-04-19

Like many other Strawberry Shortcake videos, I tuned this one out while my daughter watched it, not because it's not good. I'm just not a Shortcake fan. My attention was yanked back when I heard a character in this episode use the word "hate" multiple times. Most of the S.S. videos are good, but I threw this one out. My daughter will most likely be exposed to hate in many other places. I don't need to hear it on her children's videos.

Strawberry shortcake-play day surprise.......2006-03-14

My daughter loves this movie. It's all bout being a good sport. Lots of music and fun

nice.......2005-07-20

This movie was nice but one thing Strawberry was overly sweet and sugary, that's not very realistic.

Average customer rating:

Cute but Why?
Lousy movie overall, but Master Little alone gives it 4 stars!
Not that if you look at it through a kid's perspective
High-Quality Family Movie at a Bargain Price!
It's bad enough it's a remake, but...

The King and I
Starring: Miranda Richardson , Christiane Noll , Martin Vidnovic , Ian Richardson , and Darrell Hammond
Director: Richard Rich
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

3-6 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Adapted from Books | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Fantasy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Kids & Family | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)
Quest for Camelot
The Swan Princess / The Swan Princess III - The Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure (Double Feature)
Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (Widescreen Edition)
Thumbelina

ASIN: 0790742586
Release Date: 1999-07-06

Amazon.com

For no apparent reason, 1999 became the year of The King and I. The 1956 version with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr received a glorious digital transfer on video, and Jodie Foster starred in a new, nonmusical version of this story of the King of Siam and the English schoolmistress hired to teach his children. The oddest rendition of the story is this animated version, complete with the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical numbers. Richard Rich's (The Swan Princess) animation is on par with most non-Disney features, but the film is chock full of dull villains, playful animals, and ridiculous action sequences. It's a good introduction into this culture for kids who will watch only animation, but the question remains, "Why was this made?" The 1956 version has aged very well, and is fabulous family entertainment. Still, the animated version is nearly an hour shorter, and for those who want hot-air balloon rescues, this would be the version to keep. --Doug Thomas

Description

One of the most celebrated Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals of all time is now a magically animated musical adventure certain to have the entire family "Whistling a Happy Tune!" Traveling to the exotic kingdom of Siam to instruct the Royal Children, English Schoolteacher Anna Leonowens soon discovers that her most difficult challenge is the stubborn, imperious King himself. But even as a wondrous friendship grows between Anna and the arrogant monarch, an evil sorcerer is conjuring up a plot to steal the throne! Sparkling with playful new characters kids will love, it's an enchantingly animated tale of royal romance, courtly intrigue and timeless musical favorites, including the timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Getting to Know You," and "Shall We Dance?"

Customer Reviews:

Cute but Why?.......2007-01-13

I bought this film on VHS many years ago, I guess shortly after it was released. THE KING AND I has always been my favorite Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, and I have probably a dozen recordings of the score. I also own the 1956 masterpiece film version in a couple of formats.

When I spotted this one, I added it to my library, but I must say I was shocked. My first question is: Who at the R&H Organization was out sick the day this project was green-lighted? I've been a musical director for many years and I know from experience that R&H are sticklers for adhering to the original script and score. Any alterations must be approved. So how did this thing happen?

It's almost totally devoid of any redeeming qualities. I must admit I think the idea of making Prince Chulalongkorn the secret lover of Tuptim was interesting, adding a layer of friction between him and the king. Perhaps Oscar might have approved of that, although he would have written it better, of course. But cute animals and curses and all that crap? Come on!

As one customer wrote, the idea of animating classic musicals is interesting...if done by the right talent. Obviously that talent is not evident here.

Lousy movie overall, but Master Little alone gives it 4 stars!.......2006-08-14

This movie is only a shadow of the wonderful musical. The palace might be nicely animated, but it is spoiled by the plot itself. For example, the characters are all one-dimensional with only one intention the whole movie. I thought the songs were un-catchy and lame. However...
MASTER LITTLE!!!!
He, the sidekick to the villain, is positively the best character in all movies ever made; he is soooo funny! I get laughs from him even after watching him twenty times. His wimpy voice and funny appearance (short stature, gigantic belly, smile that takes up half his face) add to the tasteless hilariousness. He also loses teeth through the course of the movie in the funniest ways. This movie gets its four star rating from Master Little alone. I even recommend this lousy movie because of him.

Not that if you look at it through a kid's perspective.......2006-01-01

It was definitely made for the kid's toon audience,
but I have to say I liked it for the most part.
The animation isn't too shabby, the musical
scores and scenes are good. I guess what takes
people the wrong way is the use of comedy,
and fantasy (the cat tearing up the statues
while the King sings) and some other issues
with characters.

Yes it's not the 1956 version with Yul, nothing
will top that but it's still not that bad as
far as remakes and different versions go.

I would recommend if you have kids and you want
to introduce to a fun film with references
to the original which blends in some Middle Eastern
culture and values.

High-Quality Family Movie at a Bargain Price!.......2005-02-23

A triumph for Richard Rich! This film brings art, music, history and culture to a child's level, yet is captivating enough for a mature adult to enjoy. Planet Earth needs more films like this. A+++++

It's bad enough it's a remake, but..........2004-05-16

You know, there are some days when I watch a Miyazaki film, or I catch one of the old Looney Tunes from the 40's or 50's and I feel glad that I'm into animation. And then there are days when I see movies like this...and I wish I could go back in time and poke out Winsor McCay's eyes with his own ink pen.

I seriously doubt the writers for this film ever saw the original "The King and I," which holds up to audiences even today. What they did watch apparently was "Aladdin." Don't believe me? Let's see...an evil court advisor and his comedic sidekick planning to take over the government, a pet cat in the royal palace, a young man lying about his identity to get the girl, a ruler who changes the marriage law at the end so the boy can get the girl, a romantic conflict of royalty versus peasantry, a boy and his pet monkey...no that's not like Aladdin at all.

But what really bugs me about this film is the story. Why was so much changed? Why did they introduce the conflict of a villain? Why did they include that love story between the Burmese girl and the prince? The original love story between Anne and the King becomes irrelevent and poorly developed, and the movie gets lost in all it's unnecessary subplots. By the end you practically forget there was a love story between those two at all, and when they try to conclude it you're left unsatisfied.

Also, I don't want to hear any one saying this film is good because of the music. Yes, the music is good, but the people who made the film didn't orchestrate it, Rogers and Hammerstein did. I could remake "The Sound of Music," leave in all the songs, and turn it into a porn movie. Does that mean it's a good film? Besides, the songs are often ruined by the sight gags they have going on at the same time. The "Getting to Know You" scene is especially true of this, as for the song's entire duration all we see are the stupid fights between the monkey and villain's sidekick over the singing. And I mean this is during the WHOLE SONG.

Oh yeah, and what was up with all the animal sidekicks? There's like one for every character! First there's that monkey, then the cougar...and then an elephant? Did we really need the elephant? That was just overdoing it. And while we're talking about sidekicks...the villain's sidekick was very offensive. He's an Asian stereotype that I would expect in a 1930's film, but in this day and age, come on.

Product Description

Discover the breathtaking know-how and special tricks that will set off fireworks in your bedroom. Experienced couples reveal wicked pleasures of role-playing, the naughty excitement of quickies in unusual places, the delicious pleasures of anal sex and why sex toys are an absolute must for all adventuresome lovers. Plus, take an insider peek into the adult industry. See what a steamy adult couple has to reveal.

Average customer rating:

Almost TOO smart for it's own good!
Horrendously overplayed, wildly unsuccessful
Inticing the Senses...
Watch again and again
dull backstage drama

Illuminata
Starring: Leo Bassi , Henri Behar , Maurizio Benazzo , Fernando Bolles , and Katherine Borowitz
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

In a Savage Land
Carrington
Twenty One
Dark City (New Line Platinum Series)
Cold Comfort Farm

ASIN: 0784013411
Release Date: 2001-02-20

Amazon.com

John Turturro's homage to the world of theatrical make-believe may fall short of the shining beacons of this Shakespearean genre--Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander and Jean Renoir's The Golden Coach, for two--but his Illuminata casts considerable sweetness and light of its own. Mostly set in a teeming warren of private and performance spaces within a turn-of-the-century theater, the film follows the fluctuating fortunes of playwright Tuccio (Turturro), his lover-muse-leading lady (Katherine Borowitz, Turturro's offscreen wife), and their colorful company: Rufus Sewell and Georgina Cates, youthful, less wise projections of playwright and muse; Ben Gazzara as a grizzled old thespian forgetful of the line between reality and performance; Bill Irwin as the naive bit player who catches the hungry eye of Christopher Walken's deliciously over-the-top, acid-tongued critic; Susan Sarandon as a calculatingly seductive diva fighting her age; and commedia dell'arte types Aida Turturro and Leo Bassi. Tuccio's dying to get his play on the boards, but as theater owners Beverly D'Angelo (she of the endearing overbite) and Donal McCann (late star of Irish cinema, and of John Huston's The Dead) reasonably point out, his delicate fantasy about love and illusion lacks an ending. Zigzagging through Midsummer Night's Dream misunderstandings and misalliances, slipping seamlessly from mundane into artifice and back again, Illuminata wends its way toward Tuccio's bittersweet denouement. In Mac, his directorial debut, Turturro paid heartfelt tribute to his own blue-collar dad; this sophomore effort (cowritten with friend and fellow director Brandon Cole) glows with warm affection for audiences, actors, and those who dream their plays. --Kathleen Murphy

Customer Reviews:

Almost TOO smart for it's own good!.......2007-02-26

Beautifully and artfully conceived and filmed,ILLUMINATA, which hosts an incredibly diverse and multi-talented cast under the direction of John Turturro,is magnificent and yet horribly convoluted.Do not bat an eyelash or you will miss something in this dialogue-laden,multi-character driven farce about the bizarre world of live theatre.It all comes together in the end,but getting there can be a bit dodgey at best.ILLUMINATA may just be a little TOO smart for it's own good.Definitely not light and frothy entertainment, but a highly complex film that requires the utmost of concentration. [...]

Horrendously overplayed, wildly unsuccessful.......2005-11-11

How can a film with such a cast be so little known? Well, sadly because it just isn't any good. And equally sadly, the blame seems to rest fairly and squarely on John Turturo's shoulders, who fails as co-writer, leading man and director to ever bring a cohesiveness to his material. To call it disjointed is being kind.

Illuminata is one of those films where you can see what the original appeal was but which just wears you down as it gets worse and worse and worse while intermittently throwing you a bone only to snatch it away. The screenplay is a complete mess, John Turturo's direction extremely poor and the tone horrendously uneven, not simply from scene to scene but from actor to actor: some of them don't even seem to be acting in the same movie. With the very honorable exceptions of Katherine Borowitz and Rufus Sewell, most of the stellar cast embarrass themselves on a regular basis with outrageously unfunny OTT performances that are out of place even in a backstage period piece.

It's easy to imagine Woody Allen circa Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy being able to tame the material and bring out its strengths, but Turturo just lets it run all over the place, with the bad all too often swamping the brief passages of good dialog completely. A pity.

Inticing the Senses..........2004-02-11

This is a movie of free spirits, truely for romantics who can appriciate the brilliant colours and scenery, which this movie supplies. It has witty dialoge and will be sure to grab all of your senses. It is sensual and magnificent. Reds of pomegranate, and blues of lover's eyes... everything beautiful and pure. This movie is not dull, but subdued. If you are not in love, you will want to be.

Watch again and again.......2000-08-28

A very interesting movie that needs to be watched more then once because of the different genres that reside in this movie. Having been on the set and watching the film build and unfold, it is a beautiful movie with its wonderful costumes and ideas.

Don't rate this movie by what we, the reviewers have said, rather watch the movie yourself and see what you get out of it. It is hard to understand at times but sometime movies need to be deeper then the fashes of action and explosions that catches our "attention span of a tick." Sit back and just enjoy something that is either meaningless or thought envoking.

dull backstage drama.......2000-07-28

"Write about what you know" has long been the dictum for writers ranging all the way from accomplished published authors to struggling composition class students; is there a playwright then who can resist the temptation to compose a play about composing a play? It has, of course, been done countless times in the past ("Shakespeare in Love" being but the most recent popular example), but, alas, rarely as dully as in "Illuminata," Brandon Cole's tale of a turn-of-the-century repertory company struggling, amid personal conflicts, theatrical roadblocks and even death, to produce an original work (itself entitled "Illuminata"). Cole, along with co-writer and director, John Turturro, centers his story on the playwright, Tuccio, (also played by Turturro), as he copes with temperamental actors, theatre owners and critics, all of whom conspire, intentionally or unintentionally, to sabotage his work.

Like so many films that attempt to deal seriously with the creative process, "Illuminata" seems naively to suggest that inspiration can only be achieved after the creator has undergone a series of concomitant life experiences that somehow illuminate the truths hitherto obscured in darkness. Thus, since, in this case, the play-within-the-play deals with the issue of marital infidelity, it is only after the entire cast and crew of the production have participated in a night long sexual roundelay (which consists essentially of switching partners in a style too cute for words) that the play (which failed in its first performance the night before) can come to complete artistic fruition. This cloying and cliched view of theatre as merely a reflection of life (or vice versa) might have been acceptable had the script provided any truly interesting characters, profound insights or satiric wit to carry us through. As it is, though, the characters are both unappealing and woefully underdeveloped, the insights consist of mere self-indulgent paeans to the glory of artistic creation and the humor rests mainly in a series of surprisingly crude illustrations of sexual activity. Furthermore, Turturro is such a dull, uninspiring lead, with his constant sadsack expression and look of pained bewilderment, that he conveys no sense of the dynamism essential to a person capable of producing a work of genius. This leaves the rest of the cast, some of whom are very good, pretty much adrift as they thrash about looking for something solid in the way of character development to hold onto.

Amazon.com

In 1995, Carol Burnett returned to Broadway after an absence of three decades to costar in Ken Ludwig's comedy, Moon over Buffalo. Legendary documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker and his wife, Chris Hegedus, enjoyed extraordinary access to capture the nuts and bolts of mounting a Broadway play in this video equivalent of a backstage pass. It is more entertaining than the strained farce we glimpse onstage.

Like Pennebaker's cinéma vérité masterworks, the filmmakers do not impose themselves on the proceedings. There is no narration. The cameras record the process, from the introductory press conference to the anxious anticipation of the opening night reviews.

The play's director, Tom Moore, certainly has his hands full. Ludwig (who hit it big with the play Lend Me a Tenor) bemoans what the actors are doing to his words. "It's like a pact with the devil, having to cast stars," he complains. He must massage the actors' egos (the play's ingenue dislikes the picture of herself displayed outside the theater) and assuage their insecurities. Observe how he deftly and delicately reins in Burnett, who initially falls back on shtick to get a laugh. In one tense moment, Philip Bosco, Burnett's esteemed costar, becomes flustered when he believes his input is not appreciated. "Don't you want the benefit of our years of experience, of our sense of comedy?" he demands of Moore. Moon over Broadway is just the ticket for theater buffs. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Hailed as "irresistible" by the New York Times, Moon Over Broadway is a no-holds barred, behind-the scenes look at the making of the Broadway comedy, Moon Over Buffalo, starring TV sensation Carol Burnett. Revealing what really goes on before the curtain

Customer Reviews:

BS Over Broadway.......2003-12-30

Everyone who's reading this already knows the premise of this documentary about the backstage machinations of Broadway show biz: One of America's best loved television stars agrees to make her Broadway comeback in a half-assed dinner theatre-calibre comedy, ultimately rising above her third-rate material and the fourth-rate "creative" team (playwright, director, producers)who attempt to thwart her at every turn. Fascinating stuff! The behind-the-scenes honchos (and playwright Ken Ludwig, in particular, whose comic "masterpiece" borrows a central plot device right out of an old "I Love Lucy" episode!)--are so wrapped up in their self-importance that don't seem to know--or care--how ludicrous they sound dissing their star on camera. Still, one big question goes unasked--or answered: What was Burnett thinking when she signed on for this turkey??? From all available evidence, there were more laughs in her weakest TV sketch than in this entire overblown production. Ironically, one of Burnett's most crowd-pleasing on-stage moments in the documentary comes when a backstage technical snafu forces her to break character and simply chat with the audience until the glitch is fixed. What a pro! (This review is based on VHS version.)

A well documentary and someone should be embarrassed..........2003-04-06

The film went into unexpected details about the whole Broadway process. What is most interesting is the arrogance of the playwright: a man who seemed obsessed with the thought of being embarrassed by actors who apparently were not treating his masterpiece properly. Well he need not have worried; the man's own gross behavior was an embarrassment and actually difficult to watch. Unfortunately I did not have access to DVD version; I look forward to seeing the commentary.

Two films in one..........2002-10-03

Chris' review has it right: this DVD contains one of the best uses for a Commentary track yet devised.

The film itself is a feast for any theater fan. DA Pennebaker has complete access to the actors, playwright, director and producers during the rehearsal process for the play, both out-of-town in Boston, and then during its entire Broadway run. After seeing it, many may wonder how it could ever be worthwhile producing a play, but that's always been true of working in the theater: you don't have to be crazy, but it sure helps.

As for the DVD commentary, it literally gives you 2 films for the price of one. There is so much more information about the making of the play, and of the participants' true feelings about each other after the fact, that it almost could have been used as the actual voiceover track for the film. I watch this DVD repeatedly, and most of the time, I turn on the commentary track. It's so much more juicy, it makes the on-camera backstabbing seem pleasant by comparison.

God Bless Her.......2001-04-12

God bless Carol Burnett.

The fact that she was saddled with a mediocre play, a mediocre playwright, and a mediocre director did not ruffler her professional feathers.

No matter what crap she contends with, she is calm, cool, and funny.

The playwright is a pretentious bore who can go and write Feydeau till he is blue in the face.

One of the Best DVDs Commentary Tracks EVER........2000-12-21

Moon Over Broadway co-directed by legendary documentary director D.A. PENNEBAKER and his wife Chris Hegedus, is a behind the scenes documentary of the making of the Broadway Show Moon over Buffalo which starred Phillip Bosco, and Carol Burnett and was written by Ken Ludwig. From the announcement of the play being produced, to the beginning of rehearsal, to the disasterous Boston run, to the opening on Broadway. The access to the creative process the film-makers got is pretty amazing and what they captured is a rare behind the scenes warts and all glimpse of how a Broadway show is shaped. It doesn't take us long to realize we seem to be watching a train wreck occurring in slow motion.

Well things perhaps don't turn out as bad as you might believe. The show did wind up being moderately successful and audiences seemed to enjoy this bit of theatrical fluff.

Particularly interesting is the inter-play between the writer Ludwig, director Tom Moore, and the stars. There's a few truly candid moments caught with the producer and some of the show's backers as well. Being privvy to the whole process is a fascinating and educational experience.

But if you are lucky enough to have the DVD of the film, we are from over. As Paul Harvey would say... and then there's The Rest of the Story. . . .

The DVD has a commentary track that is no holds barred and reveals much more than the film ever could. The commentaries from the various actors, directors and producers, two to three years after the show closed, and a year or so after the documentary was released are remarkable frank, candid and revealing. Carol Burnett does contribute (via phone calls) to the commentary track as well. You'll gain even more insight and realize how deep wounds go by re-watching the film with it's invaluable commentary.

The movie is very good. The DVD package is remarkable.

Chris Jarmick Author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder - A steamy cyber thriller. Available January 2001. Please order today. Thank You.

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