Dutchman

Starring:Shirley Knight, Al Freeman Jr., Frank Lieberman, Robert Calvert (II), Howard Bennett, Sandy McDonald, Dennis Alaba Peters, Keith James, Devon Hall
Director: Anthony Harvey (II)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Description

Capping a year of touring which took Andre and his orchestra around the world The Flying Dutchman was filmed in the Kerkrade, Holland soccer stadium and celebrates his return home. This blockbuster program presents a dynamic concert featuring guest artists, equestrian riders, fireworks and a delightful collection of musical favorites performed by the incomparable Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Customer Reviews:

Andre Rieu- The Flying Dutchman.......2007-03-09

This DVD is most enjoyable. Made me laugh most of the time and also brought tears to my eyes. You can feel the joy he and his musicians have for what they can share with us their viewer. It is a feel good kind of entertainment.

Andre Rieu is AWESOME.......2007-02-10

I bought this since I have become an Andre Rieu fan. I Love his music and I am going to his concert in April

Andre Rieu- The Flying Dutchman.......2007-02-08

A good mix of classical music and humour. Have watched it twice now and will have no difficulty watching it again. I am not usually a person who will watch or listen to classical music but this is good.

I Give It 5 Stars BUT.......2006-05-25

I gave this DVD 5 stars for the MUSIC, but when I had
watched it on television it had English Subtitles and so
I assumed this one would, especially since I was buying
it in the United States!!

It DOES NOT have English Subtitles and although you can
enjoy the music ... without knowing what Andre is saying
you have no clue what's going on, not to mention you miss
out on his charm and humor which is so much a part of his
live concerts ...

I would not recommend buying this DVD from here at all and
would strongly suggest ordering it from Andre's Homepage ...
THAT one has the English Subtitles! (As this one SHOULD have!)

Great DVD but BE WARNED!!.......2006-04-26

This dvd is a five star production and I enjoyed it immensely.

I gave it three stars however because when I received the dvd it was very poor quality, it was pixelated most of the time. I noticed on the back of the dvd sleeve that it was a single layer dvd which means they compressed 160 minutes of footage onto a single layer instead of a double layer hence the poor quality. I wrote an email to denon to complain about this and they apologised and admitted their mistake and promptly sent me a proper dvd, they also pointed out that this had nothing to do with Andre himself.

But all this aside, this is a terrific Andre Rieu concert dvd and well worth a look. His live performances are colorful and joyful, all the performers look like they are enjoying themselves and the crowd really gets into it. The choice of music is also excellent. You will absolutely love the 3 year old violinist, absolutely priceless. If you want to put a smile on your dial check this one out.

Average customer rating:

Horrible DVD color transfer
Beautiful Ava !!
Ava à son zenith
Romantic dream
Timeless Beauty, Mystery and Romance

Pandora and The Flying Dutchman
Starring: James Mason , Ava Gardner , Nigel Patrick , Sheila Sim , and Harold Warrender
Director: Albert Lewin
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Barefoot Contessa
Mogambo
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
The Night of the Iguana
Gilda

ASIN: 6305848750
Release Date: 2000-05-23

Amazon.com

There are few films that can be acclaimed as truly mad, but Pandora and the Flying Dutchman stands rather wonderfully in this category. Its combination of lust and erudition is inspired by mythology but seems peopled by characters from some hybrid novel co-authored by Somerset Maugham and Ernest Hemingway. Pandora Reynolds (Ava Gardner) is a singer in a coastal town in Spain, where her hobby is attracting the devoted love of powerful men made helpless in her presence. (A race-car driver blithely pushes his one-of-a-kind vehicle over a cliff, just to earn her trust.) While fending off other suitors, including a bullfighter, she becomes intrigued by the mystery man (James Mason) whose yacht is moored offshore. Since he is Dutch, perhaps he is related to the mythical, immortal Flying Dutchman? Don't think it can't happen in this overheated affair. Gardner and Mason are not at their best (she looks ultra-glamorous, of course), but their movie-star wattage is high. The real star is the Technicolor cinematography by the great Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes); the throbbing colors are just right for the unreal scenario playing out before us. Writer-director Albert Lewin, probably best known for his Picture of Dorian Gray, had a literary bent, and in this movie that means people are constantly planting their feet and reciting snippets of poetry toward the moonlit sea. Somehow this fits in perfectly with the rest of the delirium. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Horrible DVD color transfer.......2007-06-22

Albert Lewin's 1950 PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN comes from that weird period in the late studio era when filmmakers were fascinated with romantic poetic allegory: it might be classified with PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, and THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR, and THE RED SHOES. Glamorous ex-patriate Pandora Reynolds (Ava Gardner), originally from Indianapolis, but now whooping it up on the Spanish Riviera, destroys every man who falls in love with her until she comes across--of all people--the Flying Dutchman (James Mason). As if the Pandora and Flying Dutchman legends were not enough, Lewin adds elements to the film as well from Hemingway's THE SUN ALSO RISES and Merimée's CARMEN into this strange hodgepodge: when Pandora's friends celebrate a racecar victory by dancing on the sands, it seems appropriate they would dance on the beach among statue fragments from about twenty different cultures. The film is perhaps more confused than it should be, and there's not simply a romantic triangle but something more like a pentagram, with Gardner, Mason, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim (incredibly annoying), and Mario Cabré (a worthy romantic foil for Gardner) occuping the five vertices. There are some moments that will really make you hoot, such as the painting of the mythical Pandora Mason executes that was really painted by Man Ray to look like a Dali by way of De Chirico, but everyone seems much too confused for the film to be a true camp classic. The best things this film has going for it are Gardner's and Cabré's beauty and its famously lush cinematography; unfortunately the DVD transfer here is wretched, with multiple skips and faded colors. It really cries out for an AFI or Criterion full-scale restoration.

Beautiful Ava !!.......2007-06-10

I love the movie and was wery pleased when it was on DVD !! Ava is as sexy and beautiful as ever !!

Ava à son zenith.......2007-05-20

(Sorry for my bad english, it's not my native language).

Pandora is the second movie (and the best) of the informal art/fetishism trilogy of Ava Gardner (One Touch of Venus, Pandora and Barefoot Comtessa).

Behind the romance between Pandora and the Dutchman, this movie is a reflexion on art and it's relation with religion/mythology. A bit hard to understand at the beginning, it's possible you need more than a single view to catch all the meanings.

For fans of Ava: Pandora is the movie where she's the most pretty. And the cloths she wear are marvellous. Look at black robe at the end: all the girls I know are mad of jealousy at the sight of this chef d'oeuvre of fashion.

Pandora est définitivement mon film préférée de la belle Ava. Un peu compliqué à suivre, ce film se veut une réflexion sur l'art fétichisé et sa relation avec la mythologie (reproduction du corps d'Ava sous forme de statue, comme dans One Touch of Venus et Barefoot Contessa, peinture représentant Ava comme la Pandora mythique avec sa boite, etc).

Pandora est définitivement le film où Ava est à son mieux. Elle est incroyablement belle et ses fringues sont renversantes (tout particulièrement la robe noire qu'elle porte vers la fin)

Romantic dream.......2006-09-26

Pandora is the story of the Flying Dutchman who, condemned to eternal life, must sail forever on his boat, alone. He will be released from his curse only the day he will meet a woman ready to die for him.

More than the mythological story, what makes this movie interesting is its remarquable, strange, mysterious, dreamy, totally surrealist atmosphere.

Not an easy movie, but a fascinating one.

Timeless Beauty, Mystery and Romance.......2006-02-01

This is one of a handful of films from this period of saturated color and the gorgeous cinematography of Jack Cardiff. Many of these films incorporate within their story and script elements of literature, art, mystery and timeless love that transcends death. This one delivers all.
Ava Gardner's character is beautiful and untouchable in this film, her heart is as cold as the statues she caresses, her attention as bloodthirsty as the bullfights of her ex-lover... one of many we discover. Her requirements of a lover are that she be given all, and of course, no one can deliver. The story begins in one of these trite vacation atmospheres - playground of the very rich dilletantes. We are told she was a singer - not a very good one by her own admission. We are treated to Gardner's real singing voice, which is not cultured, but unique and husky (too bad they didn't let her sing all her own stuff in SHOWBOAT - it's the right voice for that character). She seems to get by on her beauty, which is immense, and her capriciousness. She is not particularly likable, but she doesn't pretend to be better than she is, and that is interesting. Then a mysterious boat appears, with a sad handsome man who is working on a painting of Pandora... which bears a resemblance to her.
At this point the movie moves from the mundane into the magical, with tormented love at its most operetic. This movie was an artistic enterprise, with high emotions, high risk. If F.Scott Fitzgerald's characters interbred with Greek mythology, this is the child they would create. It has some faint awkward moments of voiceover and explanation, but it is magical in it's look, and moreover, it is, like many other Jack Cardiff films, simply one-of-a-kind. The perfect rainy day movie. Very watchable.

Glamour Girls (Love Me Tonight / The Blue Angel / Pandora and the Flying Dutchman / The Good Fairy / Lured)

Average customer rating:

Beware! No German Blue Angel

Glamour Girls (Love Me Tonight / The Blue Angel / Pandora and the Flying Dutchman / The Good Fairy / Lured)
Starring: George Sanders , Lucille Ball , Charles Coburn , Boris Karloff , and Cedric Hardwicke
Director: Douglas Sirk , Albert Lewin , and William Wyler
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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TCM Archives - Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Vol. 1 (Waterloo Bridge 1931 / Baby Face / Red-Headed Woman)
Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)
Literary Classics Collection (Madame Bovary (1949), Captain Horatio Hornblower, The Three Musketeers (1948), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions), Billy Budd)
Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection (Angel Face / Macao / The Sundowners / Home from the Hill / The Good Guys and the Bad Guys / The Yakuza)
The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)

ASIN: B000IONJLA
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Amazon.com

Five different Hollywood queens are represented in Glamour Girls, a fun Kino compendium of Golden Age titles. The entertainment value of this batch almost makes you overlook the fact that the movies have nothing to do with each other. The oldest film is The Blue Angel, the legendary 1930 classic (filmed in Germany by American director Josef von Sternberg) that made Marlene Dietrich an instant star. The story of an eminent professor (Emil Jannings) brought to his knees by seductive showgirl Lola Lola (that's Marlene) never loses its power, and von Sternberg's eye for voluptuous chiaroscuro and exquisite sado-masochism is fully expressed (he and Dietrich would make six more films at Paramount in the following half-decade). One important note: this is the English-language version of the picture (not dubbed, but shot concurrently with the superior German-language version).

Love Me Tonight is the best movie musical you've never heard of, a deliciously clever 1932 romp with Maurice Chevalier as a poor Paris tailor and Jeannette MacDonald as a wealthy aristocrat. Rouben Mamoulian's direction is a landmark of early-sound ingenuity, and the Rodgers and Hart score includes such goodies as "Isn't It Romantic?" (given an epic treatment here), "Lover," and "Mimi." The Good Fairy, from 1935, showcases the wonderful Margaret Sullavan, the throaty-voiced actress whose quicksilver reactions look as fresh and delightful today as they were 70 years ago. Sullavan begins the comedy as an orphan, becomes a theater usherette, and eventually becomes involved with meatpacking magnate Frank Morgan and bewhiskered lawyer Herbert Marshall. The matching of director William Wyler and screenwriter Preston Sturges is not a natural one, to be sure, and Wyler's direction tends to weigh the film down (he was, however, enchanted by Sullavan, whom he married--briefly). The great Sturges patter shines through, and you'll adore Sullavan.

1947's Lured puts pre-TV Lucille Ball in London, where a murderer is killing women he meets through the personal ads. The whodunit isn't difficult to guess, but director Douglas Sirk brings his elegant German precision to the proceedings, and George Sanders and Boris Karloff head a nifty cast of supporting folk. Finally, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) matches Ava Gardner and James Mason in a daft blend of mythology and Hemingwayesque Lost Generation stuff. Ava is surrounded by dashing suitors, but Mason's mystery man lures her into the realm of myth. The movie's got giggle-worthy plot twists and great Technicolor, to say nothing of glamour. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Beware! No German Blue Angel.......2006-12-07

This set only contains the English version of the film. You still need to shell out $31.00 for the earlier KINO release of the film that has both the German and English versions. If the superior German version had been included, this set would have received a 5 star rating.

Average customer rating:

Lost Treasure

TREASURE!: THE LOST DUTCHMAN MINE

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Treasure Secrets of the Lost Dutchman
Cracking the Golden Egg: In Hot Pursuit of the Lost Dutchman Mine
The Sterling Legend: The Facts Behind the Lost Dutchman Mine
Treasure Signs, Symbols, Shadow and Sun Signs (Prospecting and Treasure Hunting)
Quest for the Dutchman's Gold: The 100-Year Mystery : The Facts, Myths and Legends of the Lost Dutchman Mine and the Superstition Mountains

ASIN: B000E372F4
Release Date: 1998-03-29

Description

In 1861, a German prospector named Jacob Waltz known to all as the "Dutchman" lay dying on a bed in the Arizona home of Julia Thomas. Underneath the bed was 48 pounds of rich gold ore, which he claimed to have extracted from a vein he discovered in Arizona's Superstition Mountains. Before he died, he whispered tantalizing clues to Thomas about the location of the mine. THE LOST DUTCHMAN MINE tells the story of Thomas and the thousands of others who have since searched for Waltz's mine. None have ever found it, and many have met their death looking for it. Among the unlucky were Adolph Ruth in 1931 and James Gravey in 1947. Their steps are retraced here, as we go into the wilderness in search of the fabled mine. Did Waltz really mine a secret lode for over ten years, and if so, how did he keep its location from others for all that time? And just what did he did he tell Thomas before he died? These questions and more are explored in this fascinating look at one of the Southwest's enduring legends.

Customer Reviews:

Lost Treasure.......2006-05-30

Because I live and work at the base of the Superstition Mountains
and know all of the persons personally in the documentary I wanted to hear their views on the Lost Dutchman Mine since we
have so much history relating to it in this area. It was
fascinating.

Wagner - The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollander) / Backman, Behrens, Grundheber, Savonlinna Opera Festival

Average customer rating:

Turn Off The TV
Not Perfect, But Definitely Worth It
A superb cast brings this "Dutchman" to llife!
Vocally enthralling, visually atmospheric Dutchman
All the problems of outdoor production plus a TV video

Wagner - The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollander) / Backman, Behrens, Grundheber, Savonlinna Opera Festival
Starring: Hildegard Behrens , Franz Grundheber , and Matti Salminen
Director: Ilkka Bäckman
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Wagner - Tannhauser / Mehta, Kollo, National Theatre of Munich
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Wagner - Der Fliegende Hollander / Estes, Balslev, Salminen, Schunk, Schlemm, Clark, Nelsson, Bayreuth Opera
Wagner - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / Heppner, Mattila, Morris, Pape, Allen, Polenzani, Levine, Metropolitan Opera

ASIN: B00023BN56
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Amazon.com

Vocally, it would be hard to find a better Flying Dutchman. Hildegard Behrens, Matti Salminen, and (most important in this 1988 production's title role) Franz Grundheber were among the finest Wagnerian singers of the late 20th century, and all were in top vocal form on this occasion. They have an excellent supporting cast, and a chorus that sings with musical vitality and acts with theatrical vividness under Illka Backman's expert direction. And Leif Segerstam's conducting is superb, keeping the performance unified and propelling it forward with dramatic urgency.

Wagner's drama of a sea captain, cursed to wander the ocean forever until he can be redeemed by the love and self-sacrifice of a good woman, is a relatively early work, still in touch with traditional operatic procedures and accessible to people who are not hard-core Wagnerians. In this production, it comes across with strong impact.

The performance is staged outdoors in the courtyard of a 500-year-old Finnish castle, which contributes to its atmosphere but sometimes makes the lighting less than ideal. Lacking the scenic effects of a staged, indoor production, the video uses rather generic projections quite frequently, including the climactic last scene when the Dutchman's ship goes down. The sound is good but not outstanding by 21st-cenury standards, and (as happens in live recordings) there are a few glitches in the orchestra and lapses in sound-picture synchronization. These are minor considering the disc's positive values, but must be mentioned. In sum, not a perfect Dutchman but, musically and dramatically, a very satisfactory one. --Joe McLellan

Description

Ilkka Bäckman's acclaimed production of Wagner's classic opera takes place outdoors in the huge courtyard of Finland's 500-year-old Olavinlinna Castle - a majestic and impressive setting, which gives the production an atmosphere and realism almost impossible to create in a conventional theatre. Hildegard Behrens, at the height of her career, is the tragic Senta, whose destiny is to redeem the Dutchman from his fate. The German bass-baritone, Franz Grundheber, sings the title role, and Finland's own Matti Salminen is the Norwegian sea captain, Daland. From the Savonlinna Opera Festival.

Customer Reviews:

Turn Off The TV.......2005-06-15

What is the point of buying a DVD if you can't enjoy what you SEE as well as hear? I liked what I heard well enough, but visually, the production is stupid. The costuming is simply awful! Senta, for example, wears a silk and velvet dress (for spinning?!?) As has been mentioned in other reviews, the constant scenes of a pen and ink drawing of the Dutchman's ship superimposed over waves every time nobody is singing are more than annoying. The scenes of the (Finland's Olavinlinna)castle grounds at other points during the opera obviously have nothing to do with the story. The camera work is especially awful. Extreme close-ups of chorus members are pointless and the close-ups of main cast members are a mistake because of the heavy make-up they wear. Why the director decided to give the Steersman a fancy blanket for his nap is a mystery. Moreover, the Steersman's pawing over the treasure is a new story not invented by Wagner. If you want to film an opera in an outdoor setting, this is an example of how NOT to do it. We see the Dutchman's crew - they wear spandex outfits with nets over their faces - apparently the newest thing in attire for the dead. But, we see them entirely only when the carry the treasure chest for Daland to inspect. The rest of the time, we see only their arms waving through holes in their ship. What a strange thing for ghosts to do! The only thing worse that could happen to Wagner than Finland is Kupfer.

Not Perfect, But Definitely Worth It.......2005-04-29

I first purchased this DVD for two reasons. First, I was about to be in a production of Der Fliegende Hollander (in the chorus) and I wanted to get a feel for the story. Second, I wanted to hear Matti Salminen, the Finish Bass whose deep, sonorous voice is so compelling. Overall, I was not disappointed. This is a good production of one of Wagner's more accessible operas. The staging is different. Filmed inside of a Finish castle, it looks a bit odd at times. I would have preferred a more traditional stage, but I found myself getting used to it as the production went on.

Salminen is first rate as the captain and father, Daland. The hard walls of the castle really show off his resonance and power, and his acting is good (which is not always the case with many big name opera stars). Daland is really more of a supporting character in the opera, and Salminen handles it well without overshadowing the two main roles, Senta and the Dutchman.

Bass-Baritone, Franz Grundheber does a great job in the role of the tortured Dutchman. He has a power and presence that lends itself to the dark music and drama that this role demands. This is a role that can overwhelm lesser voices and actors, but Grundherber makes a believable, even sympathetic Dutchman. This is, to me, the true core of the character. He is more multi-leveled than many portray him. He is not a one-dimensional "baddy" but a sorrowful soul desperately seeking redemption.

I have other recordings with Hildegard Behrens and I must say, I have heard her better. But even with that, she is not bad and does a passable job as Senta. She is by no means a huge disappointment or a distraction, but I would say she is the weaker link in this phenomenal cast.

The chorus is also solid. The fishermen are hearty and lively and sing their chantey section quite well, and the women do an exceptional job with the "spinning chorus". I found the staging for the "ghosts" a bit odd, however. They are never actually seen, only as arms the wave from the hull of their ship. That is part of the production quality that I did find distracting. Since this was originally a television production, some of the quality and the choice of camera shots were questionable, if not down right dumb. There is lots of cutting away to graphic representations of the Dutchman's ship, which I thought looked corny.

Overall, I would recommend this DVD. It is, as I said, a great introduction to Wagner. It is a smaller opera by Wagnerian standards, the story is pretty straightforward (especially for Wagner) and the music is first rate. While not perfect, it is definitely worth it.

A superb cast brings this "Dutchman" to llife!.......2005-03-25

The best sung "Flying Dutchman" available in any format. Every CD set has a serious flaw with at least one singer in the cast and that usually being a squally Senta. The Dorati set on London has a wonderful cast but nothing comes to life. On Myto the same Senta and Dutchman are superb but the sound is poor. Some Reviewers have criticized this Savonlinna production and some rather scathingly but we are in debt to Kultur for making this production available. Behrens, Salminen and Grundheber produce beautiful sound, unstrained power and great interpretation. The Naxos recording is quite good maybe a little overrated but well sung. Gramophone refers to a Sawallisch recording on EMI but I haven't heard or seen that recording. I don't expect to
hear a better sung "Dutchman", certainly in the near future. This belongs in
your collection for its beautiful, exciting and equally inspired singing as well as for the superb playing of the orchestra conducted by the inspired Leif Segerstam. When Behrens was in good voice, she was, as here, thrilling.

Vocally enthralling, visually atmospheric Dutchman.......2004-12-30

Wagner's Der Flieglande Hollander is probably his single most effective piece of theater. It's relatively short, and the opera moves along at an astonishingly fast clip. At this stage Wagner was not fond of sprinkling his works with long, "profound" monologues (think of Wotan's 40 minute narration in Act 2 of Die Walkure).
This performance took place at an ancient Finnish castle, and the directors obviously love the atmospheric setting as there are many shots of the outside waters and the craggly staircases of the castle. I rather like this -- for a film, it's a wonderful setting. The performance is live though, with a clapping audience, so there's no "lip-synching" that ruins so many operatic films.
Vocally this Dutchman is hard to beat. Franz Grundeheber is a genuine Wagnerian bass baritone, with an extremely dark vibrant tone. The closeups do not flatter him visually -- he's a "side" singer, and he sweats so much during the performance that his eyeshadow and mascara smear all over his face. Strangely the Dutchman is costumed in medieval armor, which doesn't really make sense. I mean, he's a sea captain. He's not Lohengrin. But this is a world-class Dutchman, and his thrilling Narrative is one of the video's highlights. If I have *one* quibble with Grundeheber it's that for a doomed sea captain he seems way too robust and vigorous. He doesn't really have that haunted, desperate quality that perhaps would make his portrayal richer.
Hildegard Behrens as Senta is also caught in her all-too-brief prime. She's lovely to look at, and a sensitive nuanced actress. Her voice already sounds a bit shrill under pressure, but it's not yet intrusive. Matti Salminen is also a vocally wonderful if stolid Daland.
The orchestral playing is disappointing. Brass is way overplayed and shrill. More distracting are the video "enhancements" like closeups of singers superimposed over shots of the ocean waves, often in the MIDDLE of a scene!!! Still, the performance is vocally so valuable these are mere annoyances in one of the best examples of Wagner on video.

All the problems of outdoor production plus a TV video.......2004-11-01

From Savonlinna. It's an outdoor performance and re-inforces my prejudice against them. Minimal scenery. Not even an attempt to play out the last scene. Plus the whole thing is lip sinc and although the soloists manage all right the chorus doesn't even make the attempt. Musically, the orchestra is a little raw. They play the first act and pause but then run acts 2 and 3 together. Grundheber, Behrens and Salminen and very good. On the whole I would hold out for Kupfer or some other indoor production.

Average customer rating:

Explosive Drama
1 Hour of '60s Magic

Dutchman
Starring: Shirley Knight , Al Freeman Jr. , Frank Lieberman , Robert Calvert (II) , and Howard Bennett
Director: Anthony Harvey (II)
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Purlie Victorious
The Piano Lesson
Dutchman and The Slave: Two Plays
Death of a Salesman (Broadway Theatre Archive)

ASIN: 6305907684
Release Date: 2000-07-04

Description

A young, conservative black man, minding his own business, rides on an all-but-empty subway car. The only other passenger, a blond vixen, is looking his way and looking for trouble. Sexual tension, racial bigotry and righteous fury collide in a razor's edge confrontation. Writer LeRoi Jones' powerful and controversial play is faithfully adapted in this dramatically explosive and emotionally raw film made at the height of civil unrest in the '60s, with just as potent a message for today's audiences. Al Freeman, Jr. (Malcolm X) and two time Academy Award-nominee Shirley Knight (The Dark at the Top of the Stairs) sear the screen in this highly acclaimed award-winner from Oscar-nominated director Anthony Harvey (The Lion in Winter), with a ominously knowing score by Academy Award winner John Barry (Dances with Wolves).

Customer Reviews:

Explosive Drama.......2003-03-15

With a running time of just under one hour, DUTCHMAN has enough dramatic explosiveness to rock a movie theatre to pieces. Based on the play by LeRoi Jones (before he changed his name to Amiri Baraka), DUTCHMAN tells the story of Clay (Daytime Emmy Award-winner Al Freeman, Jr.), a seemingly mild-mannered black man that encounters an uninhibited white woman named Lula (two time Academy Award nominee Shirley Knight).

While sitting in a subway car, Clay glances out the window and catches the eye of Lula. Before long, Lula is in the subway car and the fireworks begin.

Like many plays of the 1960s, DUTCHMAN is not afraid of being provocative. It deals with not only issues of race, but sexuality in a very frank manner. Despite being made before the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) started their ratings system, the film has a frankness that would still make it provocative to even today's jaded audiences.

Shirley Knight gives a livewire performance that is absolutely fearless. Al Freeman, Jr. plays his character honestly and with complete conviction. Both actors are unafraid to explore the inner depths of this material. The result is absolutely riveting.

Today, when even an actor of Denzel Washington's stature will not be seen kissing a white woman on screen, Freeman and Knight pull few stops here. The result is a film that dares to make the viewer uncomfortable. Recent independent efforts like MONSTER'S BALL, L.I.E., STORYTELLING and IRREVERSIBLE might go there, but don't expect to see this in a mainstream film of today.

Adding to the film's intensity is the fact that Clay and Lula are the only characters that speak in the film. Also, all of the action takes place inside a hot subway car giving the film a claustrophobic feel. Without revealing too much of the dramatic details, things get pretty intense inside there.

Despite being filmmed in Britain with a more polished look, the DUTCHMAN is clearly within the tradition of the maverick independent films of the early 1960s like SHADOWS and THE CONNECTION.

For her work in the film, Shirley Knight won the prestigious Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1967 Venice Film Festival. Anthony Harvey, future Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for THE LION IN WINTER directed the film. Multiple Academy Award winner John Barry did the haunting score.

If you're looking for light, Disney fare, you're best to stay away. However, if you're looking for a film that will stir your intellect as well as your emotions, DUTCHMAN should definitely be high on your viewing list. Just be prepared for the ride.

1 Hour of '60s Magic.......2000-07-05

Dutchman is a play by LeRoi Jones (aka Amiri Baraka) set to this 1966 film starring Shirley Knight. First thing that strikes you is Knight's Sexyness with a capital S. She's all over the screen and Al Freeman Jr. as well. The whole hourlong Kerouacesque meditation on life, sex, and race plays out in black and white (pun intended) in a subway car. Bears some similarity to its contemporary, The Incident (Martin Sheen), but Dutchman goes far deeper in its artistic eloquence.

Description

This moving tribute, narrated by Christopher Reeve, examines the sensitive humanitarian soul behind the strange, tragic life of artist Vincent Van Gogh. This program brings to life the passion and artistic genius of the enigmatic artist. Vincent: A Dutchman reveals the gentle, feeling soul beneath the much-publicized violent outbursts, self-mutilation and insanity.

Customer Reviews:

Not recommended.......2006-06-18

I got this DVD in anticipation of an upcoming trip to the Netherlands, and was sorely disappointed. The title - 'A Dutchman' - was misleading, as it mentioned only in passing Van Gogh's nationality, instead focusing on his life in France. Most of the documentary consisted of a very bored-looking Christopher Reeve narrating, reading from a teleprompter or cue cards placed about knee-height. You can even see him stifling a burp at one point, and a jump cut in narration was, unfortunately, the highlight of the production (along with the menu screen). Halfway into the documentary, we'd only seen about half a dozen paintings; the rest was Chris.

Even though it's clear that this documentary is aimed at middle-school students, it is unique in that it makes a great artist out to be very dull and uninspiring. I've taken art classes in college and slide presentations at eight a.m. were more gripping.

Additional caveat: It's obvious this was sloppily transferred from the VHS original. Not only is the documentary poorly done, it looks terrible too.

Average customer rating:

Hit Dutchman
Starring: Hit Dutchman
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Pandora and the Flying Dutchman [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman [Region 2]
Starring: James Mason , Ava Gardner , Nigel Patrick , Sheila Sim , and Harold Warrender
Director: Albert Lewin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VY4C

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