China and The Forbidden City

Starring:China & the Forbidden City
Studio: Monterey Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
The first Westerner, man or woman, to film inside Communist china was Lucy Jarvis. Her unique blend of journalism and film making brings us a very special insider's look at the mystery, opulence, and grandeur of one of mankind's greatest treasure: a city, Peking, and a civilization that has survived and endures. We are treated to never before filmed sights and marvelous entertainment sequences.

Directed By: Tom Priestley

DVD Features: Peking to Beijing, Ancient City Facts, Tour of China Photo Gallery

Amazon.com

The first DVD edition of Puccini's last opera (left not quite complete at his death) immediately becomes the best available in any video format. It is likely to keep this status for quite a while, though the music comes across more powerfully in several audio-only editions.

The visual challenges of Turandot are formidable, and they are met spectacularly in this production, filmed on location in the Forbidden City, where the story takes place. Turandot is a princess to die for. Dozens of foreign princes have literally lost their heads after seeking her hand in marriage and failing to solve three riddles. Ideally, a Turandot should have the voice of Birgit Nilsson, she should have the looks and acting skills of Teresa Stratas in her prime, and it's nice if she at least appears Chinese. Soprano Giovanna Casolla scores a B-plus on these requirements, and that's about the best we can expect. Among other principals, tenor Sergej Larin sings well, looks right, and doesn't really try to act (probably a wise decision). Soprano Barbara Frittoli is superb and the supporting cast is generally good. But what makes this production unique is the setting; you are there in ancient Peking, with its real buildings, flags, armor and uniforms, costumes, and statues of dragons and other legendary monsters.

This is one of the first operas intended for original release on DVD; others were initially issued in more limited formats and have kept their original limitations in the new format. The wider range of options on DVD is significant. Those who will settle for audio-only recordings, which cost about the same and offer much less, should try either of Birgit Nilsson's CD editions (with Björling or Corelli) or Joan Sutherland's. Both of these great divas are, alas, visually inappropriate, offering another argument for this striking visual re-creation. --Joe McLellan.

Customer Reviews:

B-list cast in stunt production.......2007-02-23

Nine years down the road, this production strikes me as neither particularly good nor particularly bad.

In performance quality, it is typical of the sort of thing one sees from second-string companies, such as--alas!--my own local company, the Vancouver opera. The cast--satisfactory enough for that level--is resolutely, steadfastly B-list, with Frittoli perhaps aspiring to B+ status.

Considering that this is as much a circus as it is an opera, concerns about the quality of conducting are largely irrelevant.

In production values, this "Turandot" holds some interest, but primarily as a stunt and little more. It is a production transplanted from the Florence May Festival, a well-regard and respectable source. That being said, I, for one, would bet that everything about it had worked better in Florence than any of it did amid all the foofraw in Peking.

Except for the sheer spectacle of it all, this should not be anyone's first choice for "Turandot" on DVD.

No Chinese Singers??.......2006-08-02

I was disappointed to find that all of the singers in this production were European. Surely there are some Chinese opera singers who could have taken part and made it seem more realistic. I agree with those who have said they preferred the Placido Domingo/Eva Marton production. Marton was a much better Turandot than Casolla, who I thought was too old for the role. Frittoli's Liu was beautifully done, but I agree her costume was too elaborate for a slave. Leona Mitchell was a much more believable Liu. However, since this version was not made in China, I didn't expect the singers to be Chinese. I found the dancers in the long white robes puzzling. What were they supposed to represent? The use of a small Chinese woman as the executioner was startling and not particularly effective. I would have preferred the chorus to be hidden, and the crowd to look like the Chinese peasants they were supposed to be. However, on the whole, the music and the singing were beautifully done.

Not Bad, but not great either.......2006-02-21

This production has some pluses and some drawbacks.

First the pluses.
The costumes in this production are radiant and colorful. Very vivid and indeed opulent looking.
The setting from Beijing makes the opera even more exotic in nature.

Now for the negatives
Both the soprano and the tenor singing the role of Turandot and Calaf only did a so-so job in my opinion. The soprano is underpowered and sounded very strained especially during the "grido" and the riddle scene, which is not an ideal Turandot since this is the most exciting part of the opera. The tenor is also underpowered. Not only that, he makes some weird facial expressions when he was singing which I find very distracting. Although the costumes were good I don't think some of them are appropriate. Calaf was not suppose to be Chinese yet his costume was Chinese looking. As to the slave girl Lui's costumes, again it was too chinese and looks too ravishing to be a slave girl's outfit.

Overall not a turkey, but there are better productions out there especially in the singing department. Try the MET production with Eva Marton in video/DVD or buy the Sutherland or Nillson set in CD. For one of the best "In Questa Reggia" ever sung, try Dame Eva Turner's version.

Puccini's Turandot live from Peking. Finally!.......2005-09-25

Puccini would be thrilled with this vast film production of his durable and spectacular opera Turandot. Top notch voices filled the enormous Imperial Palace staging. Costumes were authentic and brilliant in detail. Most of the extras were Chinese nationality. Enjoy this and then ask for the DVD film on The Making of Turandot which tells the lengthy tale of the first concept for bringing the Italian production to China for filming and then the unending modifications in order to present an authentic setting. It is a total experience and brilliant throughout.

Avoid this turkey.......2004-05-06

For a long time I avoided buying this DVD, fearing that it would be like the football stadium Aidas that you see here and there: "Cast of thousands! Horses and elephants! Truly spectacular!" Finally, after getting all the other Turandot DVDs, I broke down and bought this one. Unfortunately, I was right -- this is just a circus.

The musical values are actually not all that bad, but they are overwhelmed by the colossally bad production values. All the action is set in the midst of a vast plaza in which no one ever would expect an opera to be set. The cinematography specializes in displaying "look how big this is!" Scene after scene is shot from afar, over the heads or shoulders of a huge audience, presumably to show us how big the square is in Peking, how many people are attending, and how enormously clever the producers are to have arranged this. The opera itself is largely overlooked in the rush to be with it.

Description

In this mesmerizing program from A&E, discover some of the enchanting secrets behind the mystical Forbidden City, and how the spell of its enormous power finally collapsed.

Customer Reviews:

Superficial, but Good Enough.......2007-07-01

This work teaches who built the Forbidden City and its present status as tourist attraction and decaying site. I loved seeing ancient Chinese paintings next to modern video recordings of China. However, I hate the way Leonard Nimoy asks questions that he quickly answers, talking just to fill up time.

I'm pleased that the work uses actual Asians in its reenactments. In the West, there is a whole history of European-derived actors "playing Asian," rather than having Asians playing those roles themselves. There are many Asian Americans in Southern California and many of them could use this credit to advance themselves in Hollywood's hypercompetitive environment.

Nevertheless, I hated how the West never comes up. The fact that European countries carved up China during their imperialist periods is never brought up. The work mentions eunuchs, but primarily focuses on the gossip and power struggles. Though lacking your typical male equipment, some say eunuchs did have a sexuality, having relations with both women and men of the royalty. Please read Hirsch's "Passion of the Cut Sleeve" for more information.

I think experts on Chinese history or politics would find this work risible. But if you want to hear a quicky discussion on the Forbidden City, then you'll find this useful.

Average customer rating:

beautifully done

Forbidden City - The Great Within (DVD)

Manufacturer: Discovery Channel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Discovery Channel - Secrets of The Great Wall
Ancient Mysteries - The Forbidden City: Dynasty & Destiny (A&E DVD Archives)
China and The Forbidden City
Globe Trekker: Beijing
When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433

ASIN: B000FLYC3U

Product Description

Unprecedented access reveals for the first time some of its reputed 9,999 rooms and 240 acres of palace grounds, schools, temples and theaters. Once closed off to the world, this icon of Chinese imperial power is now yours to discover.

Customer Reviews:

beautifully done.......2006-12-13

The photography and narrative are beautifully done, and not over dramatized as so many documentaries tend to be these days. It also contains interesting historical information, not just about the Forbidden City, but about Beijing, the Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion. It doesn't go into great depth (it's less than an hour long), but it does provide some interesting trivia and is a good place to start for those who know little about China. I've been to the Forbidden City twice and this dvd brings back all the memories. My only disappointment is that there was no mention of any history after 1949 -- but I give it five stars anyway because it is so beautiful to watch.

Average customer rating:

So Boring : (

China and The Forbidden City
Starring: Edwin Newman , and Lucy Jarvis
Director: Tom Priestley , and Tom Priestly
Manufacturer: Monterey Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Ancient Mysteries - The Forbidden City: Dynasty & Destiny (A&E DVD Archives)
Modern Marvels - The Great Wall of China (History Channel)
Video Visits Travel Collection: Discovering China
Globe Trekker: Beijing
Lost Treasures of the Ancient World Series 3 - Ancient China

ASIN: B0009MDPSS
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Description

The first Westerner, man or woman, to film inside Communist china was Lucy Jarvis. Her unique blend of journalism and film making brings us a very special insider's look at the mystery, opulence, and grandeur of one of mankind's greatest treasure: a city, Peking, and a civilization that has survived and endures. We are treated to never before filmed sights and marvelous entertainment sequences.

Directed By: Tom Priestley

DVD Features: Peking to Beijing, Ancient City Facts, Tour of China Photo Gallery

Awards: Peabody Award, Christopher Award, San Francisco Film Festival Award.

Customer Reviews:

So Boring : (.......2007-03-27

This DVD need to be pulled off the shelf and not sold at all it is out dated and the Documentary (China & the Forbidden City) is so all full. It was so boring it will make you thank you have ADD.

Cheers

James

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