Stage Ghost

Starring:Christopher Atkins, Edward Albert, William Sanderson, Keith Ewell, Dan Coplan, Griff Furst, Celeste M. Purdy, Darryl Chan, Tom Seiler, Mark Brooks, Roger Velasco, Terry Moore, Dana Barron, Tad Griffith, Paul Gallant, Fredrick Burton, John Vernon, Dennis Hayden, Sonny D'Angelo
Director: Stephen Furst
Studio: Spartan
Product Type: DVD

Hamlet / Kline, New York Shakespeare Festival (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Average customer rating:

Kline is famous but not the best
I've Waited For This For Over 10 Years
Mixed Matter
From the Broadway theater archive
A fine and personal (not political) Hamlet

Hamlet / Kline, New York Shakespeare Festival (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Starring: Leo Burmester , Bill Camp , Reg E. Cathey , Joseph M. Costa , and Michael Cumpsty
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005NG0C
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com

Kevin Kline directs and stars in this first-rate production of Shakespeare's most famous play. Originally produced by Joseph Papp for the New York Shakespeare Festival, this version was adapted by Kline and television director Kirk Browning for PBS. While one occasionally longs for the live audience reaction, the television production does offer the advantage of seeing Hamlet with close-ups. The design is beautiful, with sets full of dark, gloomy halls and characters in elegant modern dress. Kline's interpretation of Hamlet is an enjoyably accessible one; he never lets melancholy obscure Hamlet's wit. Veteran stage actress Dana Ivey is an excellent Gertrude, pliable without ever straying over into idiocy. This production is equally enjoyable as an introduction to Hamlet or as a fresh interpretation for those long familiar with the tale. --Ali Davis

Description

With a daring and depth few of his American contemporaries seem prepared to match, Kevin Kline stars in and directs Hamlet for the New York Shakespeare Festival. Now with the felicitous addition of Kirk Browning as co-director, he has brought his indelible Hamlet to television where, as The New York Times stated, "It is eloquent, moving and at times thrilling. The shrewdly edited version uses tight close-ups and captures small crowd scenes without a sense of confinement. The teleplay flows with commendable grace from beginning to end, all urged on by Kline's intelligent interpretation."

Customer Reviews:

Kline is famous but not the best.......2007-03-28

The production is well organized and well filmed and generally well acted, but I find Kline's Hamlet slow & indulgent, technically tearful but ultimately unconnected. Get your hands on Derek Jacobi's for some real excitement.

I've Waited For This For Over 10 Years.......2006-08-07

As it says in my profile, I love almost everything Shakespearian. I saw this production on PBS's Great Performances, back in 1990, & I've been looking for it in some form ever since. So when I found it on DVD at Amazon.com I leaped at it.

Hamlet (Kevin Kline) Prince of Denmark, returns home when his father is killed. There he learns that his ambitious uncle has married the widdowed Queen & claimed Hamlet's throne for himself. Haunted by his father's ghost & his own need for revenge, Hamlet's torment leads to the most inspired poetry in all of Shakespeare.

I loved the modern dress & that there are some African-American cast members.

The only problem I find with the DVD is that there are no real special features. They give you a filmography of the cast, but that's it.

But the play is brilliant! Well worth the price!

Mixed Matter.......2005-09-23

I have mixed feelings about this Hamlet; there are some things about it I emphatically do not like, and others I emphatically do like.

I DO like the fashion in which is was cut. Rozencrantz & Guildenstern, for instance, were kept in, as well as Fortinbras. There are important scenes and stories with both so I was glad to see them there.

I also like Kevin Kline's Hamlet. At first I thought I wouldn't, because in his first scene ("little more than kin & less than kind"), he didn't seem bitter enough to my taste. I also though that, as an actor, Kline sometimes over did the crying. But as he eased into the role and I grew used to it, I began to like his interpretation. He was very good at personifying Hamlet's merry but oh so bitter madness.

Everyone else was, I thought, well cast, which the exception of Ophelia. How lamentable, especially when her brother was so well played! Apparently she was trying to give a new interpretation of an Ophelia more wayward and rebellious than usual...but Shakespeare wrote Ophelia, and he made her gentle,not wild (until that madness sets in and that's for contrast); timid, not self-assured. "I will the effect of this good lesson keep" was spoken with sarcasm! Sarcasm to Laertes from Ophelia? What is the point in life? Admirably, however, Laertes and Hamlet both played their scenes with her excellently in spite of her shortcomings. There was a LOT of physical action during Hamlet's scenes both with his mother & Ophelia; a bit more than I'm used to, but it seems to be Kline's strong point.

I have to admit that modern dress in Shakespeare always gets under my skin. Why are they in post-victorian dress and speaking in "thees & thous"? The grandeur of Elizabethan costume that so sweeps the audience in is not good enough for them? But this Hamlet was very well performed, and though the clothing still clashes with its historical context, I had forgotten about it fifteen minutes into the play.

Oh, dear, I'm giving this four stars. I'm just so in love with Hamlet I can't nitpick such a good production apart. This is excellent, maybe not for a first viewing (and I only say that because of Ophelia), but a definite should-see.

From the Broadway theater archive.......2004-05-13

William Shakespeare's Hamlet directed and starring Kevin Kline.

We have seen this play many times, sometimes abridged, and many adoptions by various artists and groups, such as Sir Laurence Oliver, Richard Burton, Dame Judith Anderson, Nicol Williamson, Richard Chamberlain, Derek Jacobi, Campbell Scott, Mel Gibson, even (icky poo) Ethan Hawke. Each brings a unique plus that makes it hard to say which is best. And threatened to be played by Shelley Long in "Outrageous Fortune"

That said Kevin Kline is top notch. One attribute is that this version seemingly uncut is spoken clear. Maybe because it is a stage version filmed close enough that they did not have to shout.

When Kevin builds up in the close-up you forget all the trivial things like Hamlets age. And you actually feel that you are there.

Prince Hamlet loses his father the king. It is unnerving to him that his mother should marry his uncle so soon that the funeral baked meat set the wedding table. Then comes the shocker. His father's ghost suggested that the uncle and wife did him in while asleep. How will hamlet handle this news and what consequence will it have on the people around him?

A fine and personal (not political) Hamlet.......2004-02-27

No filmed version of "Hamlet" is entirely satisfying. The play is too rich to be reduced to a single definitive interpretation. But Kevin Kline's production of the more accessible of Shakespeare's two greatest tragedies ("King Lear" is equally great but sparer and more difficult) is one of the better versions available. Hamlet may be the most intelligent and verbally-skilled character ever written, and sometimes the wit and depth of his lines can obscure the real tragedy of his situation. Kline plays the character as deeply sad as well as intelligent. His reading of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, for example, is masterful: we witness someone who is not just considering suicide as an intellectual puzzle, but is despairing enough to be seriously considering it. This is a human and emotional Hamlet, in contrast to Branagh's (who even in the worst straits seems almost to be enjoying himself), Gibson's (alternately frightened and enraged), Williamson (existentially disgusted), or Olivier's (weak and indecisive, and in my opinion the only indefensible choice here).

Kline has some wonderful bits of "business," too: tearing the page out of the book and sticking it on Polonius's forehead, pointing to the book after Polonius hears him say "tedious old fools" as if he is merely reading, clasping Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's heads to his chest once he has decided he cannot trust them -- all very clever. (However, the scene where he dangles Ophelia like a puppet is a bit overdone.) Laertes cutting Hamlet on the hand during a break is a good choice too (Laertes should not be able to lay a glove on Hamlet without cheating). On the other hand, Kline's version of Hamlet's feigned madness seems quieter than the "antic disposition" the character claims he will "put on."

The rest of the cast is not as strong, unfortunately. Josef Summer captures Polonius's egotism and foolishness, but we get no sense of the cunning that has made him a power at court. Diana Venora plays Ophelia with a little too much self-awareness and resignation for her mad scene to be believable when it arrives. Dana Ivey is a fine Gertrude, but the role is not one of the play's strengths. Worst of all, Brian Murray hardly registers as Claudius, who can be played as purely evil, as tormented by guilt, as a decadent drunkard, or even as a reluctant murderer, but here is a puffed non-entity.

Most productions of "Hamlet" make cuts, and Kline's choice is to remove all the politics. An actor is listed playing Fortinbras, but I cannot remember him (though it has been a few months since I have watched this version). We neither see nor hear much about him, which robs the play of some of its power: Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes are three men in the same position; their differing responses -- respectively that of the Renaissance philosopher and poet, the modern military man, and the hothead -- provide one of the most basic themes of the play.

But "Hamlet" is not merely a personal or family play; it is also a play about nations, about the damage a ruler of bad character does to a country's reputation. As the gravedigger tells us, Hamlet was born the day his father slew the elder Fortinbras; Hamlet's life exactly spans the period of Denmark's ascendancy over Norway. In a sense, he is born to remedy a cosmic error. All of that is gone (as are other more minor but still missed elements such as the character of Reynaldo, and some of the comments on acting and the theatre). Fortunately, Kline rejects any facile Freudianism, such as we see in the Gibson/Zeffireli version.

The staging is simple. About the most you can say of it is that neither it nor the costumes distract us from the acting. The lighting, however, is quite elegant, and the camera work intimate without causing claustrophobia.

Overall and despite its flaws, Kline's "Hamlet" remains a skillful and moving effort, ennobled by the actor's sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of literature's first and greatest modern man.

Kronos Quartet - Kronos on Stage (Black Angels / Ghost Opera)

Average customer rating:

?
Great sounds

Kronos Quartet - Kronos on Stage (Black Angels / Ghost Opera)
Starring: Kronos Quartet
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Kronos Quartet - In Accord
Tan Dun: The Map
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

ASIN: B000069HZH
Release Date: 2002-08-13

Description

Combining a fearless dedication to experimentation and a fresh emphasis on visual presentation, the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet has emerged as a leading voice for new music. Its eclectic body of work, unparalleled in its range of expression, has captured the attention of audiences worldwide and earned five Grammy Award nominations. This dynamic recording features the Kronos Quartet playing George Crumb's musical response to the Vietnam War, "Black Angels," in which whispered and shrieked texts, demonic fiddling, and solemn episodes of piety express the relentless horror and senseless grief of war. The quartet also performs Tan Dun's "Ghost Opera," a blend of sophisticated techniques with folk traditions which required the musicians to become peformance artists, chanting text and playing a variety of instruments from gongs dipped in water to finger-cymbals. An electrifying theatrical experience!

Customer Reviews:

?.......2002-10-23

There is truly great music being performed on this DVD - both works, especially the Crumb, are landmark pieces of the 20th century string quartet repertoire and are given relatively admirable performances here by Kronos. In addition, the visual aspect of Kronos' performance surprised me by being quite striking and interesting, and not nearly as cheesy as I had previously suspected it might be.

So why only 3 stars?

Unfortunately, the visual aspect of the performance and the musical performance itself were quite clearly taped separately, and the overdubbing is simply awful. On multiple occasions you can see the bows and fingers moving either before or after the sound has started. String players and many other musicians watching the performance will note the many occasions that you can hear an audible shift and see a string crossing, or vice versa. It is not consistently imprecise - but it happens far too often for ayone who has played this music (or plays an instrument at all) to be truly satisfied watching it. The visual faking is not as bad as, for instance, Brent Spiner as Data pretending to be a violinist on Star Trek, but the comparison would not be entirely unreasonable.

Finally, a few quibbles about the aural performance itself:
1) Crumb wants pure amplification. Kronos adds distortion, which certainly makes those insects sound more electric, but that's not necessarily what the composer wanted (and Crumb is a pretty smart guy).
2) Kronos didn't pay attention to Crumb's request on tam-tam size.
3) The thimbles in the 13th section produce far too much tapping noise, and largely obscure the Sarabande that should be produced by the left hand.
4) Instead of bowing behind the fingers on the Pavane and the Sarabande, they stick on practice mutes. I know Crumb approved the process for the Concord Quartet back when the piece was first recorded, but it's still cheating, and the effects are not identical. Real quartets still have to suffer through the ordeal of learning how to do that, and Kronos should as well.
5) A friend tells me that the Hungarian being spoken is being terribly mispronounced. I can't back that up, but I'll take his word for it.

Great sounds.......2002-08-20

It was in the early 1970's when I first heard a recording of George Crumb's "Black Angels" and was knocked out by it. So I was really excited when George Crumb visited the University where I was studying at the time and spent an afternoon talking about this piece. (Despite what is stated on the DVD case, he never mentioned the Viet Nam war, nor can I recall any explicit references to that war or any other war in the piece itself.) Like most of Crumb's works, this music employs unconventional but beautiful and innovative means of sound production. The instruments are electronically amplified (although I scanned the video in vain for electronic pickups on the fiddles). At one point the players strike the strings with thimbles on their fingers (I recall that the composer cited this passage as being especially difficult). In another section, they bow the rims of water glasses, making sounds even more beautiful than those of a glass harmonica. They also perform on gongs, both bowing and striking them, and make vocal sounds. The composer made use of quoted materials (there is an extended passage from Schubert's "Death and the Maiden"). There is also a lot of numerology in the organization of the piece (having to do with the numbers seven and thirteen). I think that "Black Angels" is one of Crumb's best pieces, both for the sounds themselves and for the (unusually for him) tight structure.

Tan Dun's 1995 "Ghost Opera" (which is NOT an opera) also employs unconventional means of tone production. Sounds of dripping water are employed, and gongs are bowed and then dipped in water. A fifth performer sings a little and plays a lute-like instrument that I presume is Chinese. All the performers vocalize extensively. It sounds very beautiful, but the piece has less contrast and excitement than Crumb's and rambles a bit.

Customer Reviews:

jumping to conclusions.......2007-07-01

As the writer/executive producer of STAGEGHOST,I feel justified in objecting to some of the comments directed at the picture. I do not quarrel with someone disliking the picture, thats the viewers privliage. However, one of these reviews suggests that there are trucks in the background. This is NOT TRUE. I have gone over this picture frame by frame and there are no trucks, cars, RV's or any other conviance but a stage coach in this picture.

As to the cover/box art being deceptive, I agree it is. This is the fault of the distribuitor who insisted on a name change. The original title of the picture was ADOBIE STATION. It was ment to be a straight western homage to some of the saturday afternoon serials from the 1930's.

For the very low budget I had, I think we have an outstanding cast. Most low budget film are lucky to have two name actors. STAGEGHOST has 5. I felt privliged to have the great John Vernon in one of his last films,Edward Albert, Chris Atkins, the marvelous William Sanderson and the very talanted Dana Barron. And should I have the budget for future films you may expect to see Chris and Dana and Bill Sanderson again. Oh, and we also had Terry Moore, Acadamy award nommine for COME BACK LITTLE SHEBIA, opposite Burt Lancaster.

Someone critized the editing. The editor won the Canadian Oscar for editing so I must assume he knows his business.

It is easy to critizise a picture. But no one sets out to make a bad film. I know we didn't. Could it have been better? Sure it could. I might have written a better script. I have since. But all in all, I am proud of STAGEGHOST, and I am especieally proud of the cast. There are some good things in this picture and the credit for that goes to them.

WOW.......2007-03-01

This movie must have had a very low budjet due to the fact that the special effects are so horrible! I would never watch this movie again if I wasn't in love with Roger Velasco!!!

Bad Low Budget.......2006-07-17

I don't know which was worse in this film, the story, the acting, the special effects, or the poor editing. I am glad I work in a video store and can rent films for free. All I wasted was my time watching it. If I paid even $.50 I would have been horribly overcharged. The special effects was just guys in costumes shot in black light. Ohhhh.... So scary.... Not. And my gosh, you can see Semis driving in the background! Now I'm not much of a history buff but I know they did not have cars in the old west. Sheesh. Don't waste your money on this terrible film.

A majorly weird experience!.......2002-08-31

Yowza! It's been, what, 20 years since Dana Barron played the very first Audrey in the original National Lampoon's Vacation flick? I can't believe she still looks sooooooo hot! And I normally DO NOT go for women who are older than me. Sadly, the gorgeous, and apparently unaging Dana is nearly the only thing this movie has going for it. Well, it's really not all THAT terrible. Actually, it's kinda fun to watch, but part of the fun comes from seeing all the things wrong with this film.
The first shock you'll get from watching Stage Ghost, is realizing it has nothing to do with the video box. Stage Ghost really has nothing at all to do with the gruesome skeleton creature on the cover, and I'm not sure I recall any real ghosts in the film at all. The basic story goes like this: In the old west, a marshal enters an eating establishment in the middle of nowhere, dragging a handcuffed prisoner along with him. Within the restaurant they meet various travelers, including a pretty, young teacher (Dana Barron), who takes a fancy to the young man in handcuffs. Not long after, a mysterious stagecoach arrives outside with absolutely no one on it, not even a driver. The coach is stained with blood, and attacks on the customers and proprietors of the little restaurant quickly follow. The survivors of these attacks begin to form a close bond as they try to figure out what to do. Their attackers come in the form of Indians firing arrows, AND men in green-glowing costumes firing bullets. The only clue the victims have to what might be going on is the recurring message they find on notes tied to arrows, reading, "Give it back!" As their numbers begin to dwindle, they decide it's time to make a run for it, and they all load up on the stagecoach that first kicked off the grim situation. The problem with their plan is that their mysterious attackers are following them all the way.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, Stage Ghost does have the fun feeling of watching one of those old-time Saturday Matinees. But it's got a lot of the same problems too. The film suffers from a VERY low budget, flimsy script, bad editing, and bad acting. Luckily, there's some really good acting too, and this is part of what saves the film from being horrible, and allows it to just be a fun, LOW budget flick. Sure, horses disappear and reappear from the stagecoach team, the music is entirely laughable, and the characters are western cutouts, just like the story, but it's all good fun if you have nothing better to watch on a Saturday night. And hey, you could also just watch it to take in the beauty of Dana Barron. It's as good a reason as any.

not bad.......2002-08-08

I saw this picture in DVD and I enjoyed it. It harkened back to the Saturday Matinee days. It was an interesting plot and I thought the acting was pretty good, especieally Christopher Atkins and Dana Barron. Edward Albert was good as the square jawed Sheriff. It is an old fashioned western, the kind they don't make anymore, a bit slow but well worth the effort.

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