Black Book

Amazon.com

As in Basic Instinct, a lovely lady takes the lead in Black Book, but this time Paul Verhoeven has more than cheap thrills in mind. Towards the end of WWII, Rachel Stein (the vibrant Carice von Houten), a Jewish singer, is living with a gentile family in the countryside. When Allied forces bomb the area, she's forced to flee. On her perilous journey to The Hague (Verhoeven's hometown), brunette Rachel joins the Resistance and changes her identity to blonde Ellis de Vries. Her next order of business: infiltrate Gestapo headquarters. Like many Verhoeven heroines, Rachel aces her assignment--and then some. First, she seduces the handsome Captain Müntze (Sebastian Hoch, The Lives of Others), then she falls in love with him. Müntze, who returns her affection, isn't what he appears to be, but their relationship puts both at great risk. At this point, the filmmaker expertly kicks the proceedings into high gear, before concluding on a bittersweet note. Naturally, since this is a Verhoeven picture, there's plenty of wry humor and uninhibited sexuality along the way. Starting with 1985's Flesh + Blood, the Dutch director released an American movie every two to three years. After the poorly received Hollow Man, however, Verhoeven took a six-year break. Black Book, a return to his native Holland, was worth the wait. (He began work on the screenplay in the 1980s.) It works triple-time as a thriller, a tribute to Holland's Jewish population, and a poison pen letter to the Dutch opportunists who would attempt to sell them out. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Amazon.com

In the darkest days of World War II, Jewish fugitives attempt to escape occupied Holland - only to face a Nazi ambush. Rachel Stein (Carice van Houten) alone survives the attack and joins the Dutch Resistance to avenge her family. She soon confronts the ultimate test: she must infiltrate German headquarters by tempting Captain Ludwig Mÿntze (Sebastian Hoch). In the heat of passion, he uncovers her duplicity...but keeps her secret. Then Rachel's espionage reveals that a murderous traitor lurks within Resistance ranks. Unable to fully trust anyone, Rachel navigates a minefield of deception and becomes an enemy to both sides. Epic, passionate, breathtaking, Black Book relates an untold story of World War II where the distinctions between good and evil become blurred by the complexities of human nature.

Customer Reviews:

Tale of a Resistance Heroine in Nazi-occupied Holland.......2007-09-15

The Black Book" tells the story of a Dutch-Jewish girl, Rachel Stein, who works for the resistance in Nazi-occupied Holland during the final days of World War II.

The film starts and finishes on a Kibbutz in Israel in 1956. A tourist, Ronnie (Halina Reijn) wis visiting Israel with her Canadian husband who she met during the liberation of Holland, when she is delighted and surprised to recognise the heroine (Carice van Houten) who had been a friend during the war, teaching at the Kibbutz school.

After Ronnie and her husband have gone, van Houten's character begins to reminisce to the circumstances leading up to her first meeting with Ronnie, and the viewer follows her thoughts back to September 1944 when she was hiding from the Nazis under her real name of Rachel Stein.

Rachel was a former famous singer from a wealthy Jewish family, who went into hiding when the Germans over-ran Holland. A stray bomb wrecks Rachel's hiding place, but someone who claimss to be working for the Resistance gives her the opportunity to flee. However, the group Rachel is travelling with are betrayed. Surviving by chance, she meets up with a different group of the resistance and begins to work for them, dying her hair blonde and taking the false name Ellis de Vries. After several of her friends in the resistance are captured, Resistance cell leader Gerben Kuipers (Derek de Lint) asks Ellis what she would do to help them: he asks if she will seduce SS leader Ludwig Müntze (Sebastian Koch). At his HQ she meets Ronnie, who is working there as a genuine collaborator - or is she ?

From quite early in the film, the viewer begins to suspect that one or more characters who appears to be in the resistance or trying to help the Jews are actually traitors working for the Germans. You also begin to wonder if the people in the Nazi HQ include more Allied agents who Kuipers' resistance cell don't know about. However, the twists and turns in the complex plot of the film keep you constantly wondering who is betraying whom.

Some of the nastiest scenes in the film come after the liberation, because the final revenge of one of the Nazis is to trick the resistance into thinking that Rachel/Ellis has betrayed them. The "Black Book" of the title contains the evidence which eventually shows who the real traitors were.

Most of the spoken words in the film are in Dutch or German, with subtitles, except for a few lines towards the end of the film where the mostly Canadian liberation forces finally arrive. I hardly noticed that I was picking up the meaning from the subtitles, nor rapid fire switch of the dialogue between English and Dutch with subtitles towards the end (though I did notice that one or two people who were supposed to be Canadians had distinctly British accents.)

I can't make up my mind whether it was a good idea to bookend the film with the scenes on the Kibbutz in 1956. This tells you right at the beginning that Rachel/Ellis and Ronnie will survive and removes an element of suspense, though I was still wondering "How on earth does she get out of this one" for most of the film.

There is also a shock ending to the final 1956 segment. This does not relate well to the main story of the book, and appears to have been added to remind the viewer, regardless of your view of the Arab-Israel disputes, that for those who were born Jewish, facing prejudice and conflict did not end with the defeat of the nazis.

There is an enormous amount of nudity in the film: both Carice van Houten and Halina Reijn have magnificent bodies and both display them quite a lot. However, the nudity is always in context, and that context is usually painful or humiliating - e.g. when Rachel has to pretend to enjoy showing her breasts to a nazi pig who organised the murder of people she loved - so the nudity appears to be mainly intended to make a point rather than to titillate.

There is also some excellent music, including four contemporary songs sung by Carice van Houten, as she also performed them as Rachel Stein in the film. Three of them are in German, one in English

There is very little humour in the film: there are a couple of light-hearted exchanges at the beginning before tragedy strikes, and later there are two variants on the ancient "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you pleased to see me?" joke. Generally it's a very serious and rather sad film.

Compared with the low standard of plausibility of war thrillers in general much of this film scored quite highly for credibility and realism, though there were inevitably a few things I found it hard to believe could happen. Most of the time it is not difficult to suspend disbelief in the story.

Some excellent acting, especially from Carise va Houton as the central figure. De Lint as the resistance leader, Kock as a very complex Nazi figure, and Dolf de Vries as a notary who appears to be helping Jews escape give particularly powerful performances. Waldemar Kobus plays the horrible Günther Franken, a Nazi captain who clearly takes a delight in murdering Jews and robbing them, and Thom Hoffman plays Hans Akkermans, a doctor working for the resistance.

Director and screenplay author Paul Verhoeven has said that

"In this movie, everything has a shade of grey. There are no people who are completely good and no people who are completely bad. It's like life."

I agree that this describes the vast majority of characters in the film, though there are one or two who do come over as pure evil, notably Gunther Franken, and SS general Käutner, played by Christian Berkel.

Unless you like watching very sad films, this is probably one to rent rather than buy: I cannot imagine that I will want to watch it all that often. Most of the apparently sympathetic characters get killed, some of the rest turn out to be traitors, and overall the story is quite depressing. However, it is powerful, sexy, sophisticated, well made, and memorable.

So Good I Saw It Twice in One Week.......2007-09-05

Sauntering over to the Music Box in Chicago to see a Robert Altman film one Saturday morning, traffic delayed me so much that I got there well into the Altman film, but in time to see "Black Book" which I really hadn't planned to see having been burned out on Holocaust films. But am I glad I did see it. It is unlike any Holocaust film I'd ever seen before. I loved it so much that I dragged my wife to see it the next Friday night -- and she loved it too!

I hadn't planned on ever seeing this amazing film, but it blew me away. I am going to try very hard to avoid revealing any spoilers because one of the great things about this adventurous, fast-moving tale of survival is all the twists and turns it takes. Our heroine can never really be sure who is one which side. Some good guys turn out to be bad guys; some bad guys turn out to be good guys; and some just stay the same. This is the sort of film that doesn't waste a scene. Pay attention ... because things that are said early on may come back later in the film.

Beyond that, I don't want to reveal anything else. While I still think this is the best film I've seen all year (it's now early Sept 2007), I realize it may not be everybody's cup of tea. But if you like a film that totally engages you, goes places you don't expect it to go, never has a dull moment, is incredibly well-acted especially by Carice van Houten, very well directed, and offers great inspiration and insight into the lengths ordinary people will go to survive against all odds (that's not a spoiler because not everybody survives against all odds in this film), then "Black Book" is for you.

Amazing film experience!.......2007-09-03

This is an amazing WWII movie! A Jewish woman joins the Dutch resistance, and the combination of action/thriller with the human drama of complex characters in this war-time situation is, in my opinion, mind-blowing. This is not to be missed!

The return of Paul Verhoven! Black Book is artsy and trashy at the same time. Entertaining all the way!.......2007-09-02

Finally taking on World War II and it's effects on the nation of Holland, Paul Verhoeven is back. He hasn't really dealt with this type of material since "Soldier of Orange" decades ago. His last film was the abysmal Hollywood sci-fi movie "Hollow Man". So now Verhoeven returns to the arthouse cinema, first time in many years. His ballsy style is in full evidence once again, filled with action, violence and sex but not gratuitously used like he sometimes does. The story is filled with twists, turns and many surprises, never disappointing in the area of entertainment. Some may claim that this is a Hollywood film masquerading as an arthouse flick but don't be so quick to judge. Hollywood would quickly sanitize an audacious film like this if they had a chance to produce it, that's why Verhoeven went back to Europe to make this film.

As most reviewers have already summarized the necessary plot points, I won't dwell on them. Just wanted to write this review and say that Verhoeven is back as a director to watch! Hopefully his next film will be more ambitious and contain the same type of great storytelling but brought to different subject matter. So, go out and rent or buy Black Book if you care about this filmmaker or if you just like World War II movies in general. Although this film contains it's many cliches, at least it shows that not all Germans were evil. Sebastian Koch is the male lead alongside the lead character played by Carice van Houten.

The title of this film is a bit random as this so called Black Book has little to do with most of the movie and acts as a sort of problem solving plot point near the end. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a deus ex machina. In conclusion, a very entertaining film indeed and a return to form for this director. For the record, my favorite Paul Verhoeven film is and probably always will be... ROBOCOP.

Just beautiful movie.......2007-08-21

It's a relief to see such well-made movies and such great performances without the stereotype American approach. I was absorbed into the movie from start to finish.

Average customer rating:

Yes, magnificent
The DVD captures the atmosphere of the live concert
Wonderful Mahler, Wonderful Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Bravo Abbado!
Stunning Mahler from Abbado and the LFO
An affirming, powerful performance!

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [DVD Video]

Manufacturer: Euroarts
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

ASIN: B000Q7ZKVG
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Customer Reviews:

Yes, magnificent.......2007-08-01

There are several reasons to purchase this DVD, even if you, as I, have other versions of the 6th at home: the interpretation is first rate, the playing impeccable, the sound extremely good, and visually it is stunning.

The DVD captures the atmosphere of the live concert.......2007-07-12

Thursday,August 10th and Friday, August 11th, 2006 the LFO performed the Mahler 6th. Euroarts cameras broadcast the concert to attendees in a park adjacent to the KKL, the venue, on Lake Lucerne the first night. The concert was aired on Swiss radio simultaneously. (Why aren't we so lucky as to enjoy this with Festival concerts in the US?) The video appears to be the second, Friday night concert. Both were enthusiastically received. Abbado and his brigade were in great form both nights.

Abbado's Mahler is literate, dramatic, but not hysterical, and though I might want to be rollicked by say, Bernstein's performance with the VPO on a special occasion, or would perhaps prefer the painful, spare stridency of Kubelik's pioneering stereo recording from 1966 on DG CD, or might hope for the buzzy bombast of Solti's outstanding CSO recording from 1969-1970 early in his CSO marriage on one occasion or another, this is a performance, deliberate in its sobriety, to live with. Uncommon here is the current fashion to place the adagio before the scherzo, an effect easily reversed by DVD player programming if so desired. It is well measured, but not slow. It is well thought out, spare, emotionally charged but not megalomaniacal, perceptively interpreted by many of Abbado's chosen friends from decades of music making around Western Europe and the UK. Suffice to say the audience appropriately received both evenings of splendid music making, taking particular note of Abbado's new found desire to hear the silence of music making, with not a sound uttered for many seconds after the work had ended.

The KKL, a wonderful relatively small concert hall, is a perfect venue for the Lucerne Festival and all I can say again, is "Bravo." Having been in the audience both nights, sixth row, right of center, I can say that the DVD captures both the intimate atmosphere and excitement of the performance to a tee. A wonderful document.

This August 18th and 19th, beginning at 6:30 PM, it looks like it will be the Mahler's 3rd Symphony, with Anna Larsson, Mezzo Soprano, the LFO, the Women's Voices of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Vienna, the Tolzer Knabenchoir, and again, Claudio Abbado. Stay tuned.

Wonderful Mahler, Wonderful Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Bravo Abbado!.......2007-07-07

I have to say there was one central thought running through my head as my first hearing/viewing of this terrific new installment of the Abbado/Lucerne/Mahler cycle poured out of my speakers and screen: what a truly fine orchestra this is! I mean...truly! They started out terrific from the moment of maestro Abbado's reconstitution of the organization some years back. They were--and are--hand-picked by Abbado, from both the Berlin Philharmonic and assorted world-renowned chamber groups and instrumentalists. Every year, with every performance, the group has consistently refined and enhanced its signature "sound," which has--to Abbado's credit--survived various and sundry recording balances. To describe it to someone coming to this series for the first time, the effect is something like a magical blend of those elements of the BPO and, say, the LSO, that find themselves complimentary. Let's call it BPO "heft," and LSO "finesse," to complete the point. The strings alone have the old Berlin suavity of the Karajan era, but with a much more careful delineation of texture and attack. Brass--inlcuding those all-important solo moments from trumpet to tuba--are wonderfully present yet firmly integrated into the mix. Wind color is beautifully caught, with consistently spot-on intonation. The ensemble reacts with chamber orchestra quickness to every nuance of Abbado's gestures, grimaces, or smiles.

So, what of Mahler? To be fair, I personally might have wanted just a bit more menace a la Bernstein (oh, I can hear the cat-calls now...but no matter), but the beauty of the playing clearly carries the day. The pacing of the opening tread is near ideal, neither rushed nor ponderous. The alpine cowbells make their presence known subtly but clearly, and the accompanying breeze of string chimera has the requisite magic to complete the effect. And speaking of strings, those wonderful Lucerne strings, the second movement Andante is (and you hate to say this when discussing Mahler) to die for. That yearning, burnished tone that is so echt-Mahler is fully realized. The Scherzo--played as you've guessed in third position, which bothers some (but not me)--is terrifically characterized in the classic scherzo sense. It is a macabre, sometimes sinister, sardonically playful joke of a movement, taunting our Tragic Hero with shallow brass guffaws. It's the "Laendler of Death." Skeletal xylophone accents, insistent tympany, all propelled by string rhythms that carry more than a hint of Old Scratch.

If the opening seems to hang fire just a tad, the Finale. Allegro. is the intended beneficiary. Abbado clearly aims the narrative arc of Mahler's creation to the hope-against-hope yearning of the symphony's concluding half hour. The panoply of emotion is written all over Abbado's face, with each smiling, soaring cycle of the violins' big tune, only to be crushed each time by the earth-shattering hammer blow (theatrically shot and stunningly recorded) and its attendant brass pronouncement. Abbado is clearly both overcome and drained by the experience, and has to visibly collect himself for several moments after the final notes have sounded and his baton has dropped. Mahler's "Tragic" symphony is a journey to that land where the end is not a happy one, we know that it won't be, and yet we rail against it each step of the way. To this end, Mahler has found a champion in maestro Abbado, whose personal tragedy and triumph clearly indicate just how close to home the weight of this music strikes.

Abbado himself looks good, his life-threatening illness now held at bay. The orchestra visibly adores its music director, and the affair is mutual. The Lucerne Festival audience cleary realizes just how special each Abbado/LFO occasion is, and the warmth of their response is almost akin to what you experience with a Vienna Philharmonic New Year's concert. We can only hope that health and good fortune continue to come the way of Abbado and the Lucerne Festival, and that his reputation as one of Mahler's greatest living champions is embellished with future performances and releases in this landmark cycle.

David Fletcher
Richmond, VA

Stunning Mahler from Abbado and the LFO.......2007-07-04

The recent music making of Claudio Abbado, that of roughly the last seven or eight years, has been nothing short of legendary, and while some may attribute this to his near-death bout with stomach cancer, none will deny the performances of astonishying depth and profundity, particularly in Mahler, that have marked his appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the magnificent ensemble he founded four years ago. Featuring many of the finest soloists and chamber musicians in the world, Abbado's Lucerne performances have been glorious, and this latest addition is perhaps the most searing, probing, and desperate Mahler performance of the bunch, which includes a stirring Resurrection and exhilarating 5th symphony. What is even more astounding is the stunning cohesion and uniformity of this ensemble, considering that the musicians meet for a mere week of rehearsal; still further, these musicians have never played with one another, and many have not even played this piece! The profundity therein may be attributed to complete dedication and the chamber-music attitude which Abbado espouses; given the intensity with which they listen to one another, perhaps it is no surprise that entrances are immaculate, ensemble perfect. What is harder to account for, however, is the unanimity of expression, every note and phrase invested with meaning. The performance is quite similar to that of the acclaimed Abbado/BPO CD, which won Gramophone's Record of the Year. Certain moments are in fact identical, not just in tempo, but sound; how two different ensembles can sound so similar, never mind the impossible talent of each, is astonishing, and this can only be attributed to the leadership of Abbado. For those who doubt the importance of a conductor, listen to these two performances, feel the way in which an inexorable tragic construct is identically invested with incomparable fluidty and expressiveness. Abbado's approach is classicaly tragic and opposed to the thrilling manicness which marks Bernstein's legendary Vienna recording. While Bernstein's first movement is exuberant, intense, Abbado creates a darker mood, his tempo more measured, the sense of impending tragedy present. The andante is searingly beautiful, perhaps the most exquisite I've heard, slightly more singing, less intense than his equally gorgeous Berlin performance. The scherzo is less heavy than his Berlin CD, but what a scherzo it is, full of nuance, irony, and bite. I find Bernstein's scherzo comparatively over-bearing and one-dimensional. The great Lenny excels the most in his brutal and blood-and-guts finale, and those who want Euripedean furor may be adverse to the multi-dimensional tragic portrait which Abbado elucidates. Bernstein IS Mahler's hero, he becomes the screaming protagonist fighting the inexorability of fate, and if Abbado's interpretation has less struggle, it is equally powerful. Like his Berlin recording, one wishes the brass were stronger at the hammer blow moments, though the Lucerne bass trombonist is quite forceful after the second one. The hammer blows are overwhelming in both performance, the second one more impactful in this DVD. The march section of this movement is more propulsive than that of the Berlin CD. The dedication of these artists is inspiring, Abbado's conducting poignant; this DVD is highly recommended.

An affirming, powerful performance!.......2007-07-03

This is an awesome performance of what is probably the greatest tragic symphony in the history of music, alongside the Tchaikovsky Pathetique. Abbado's own brush with death a few short years ago seems to have brought him to the heart of this work, where he finds not despair and hopelessness but affirmation and beauty in spite of life's cruel challenges. There is an usual lyricism and tenderness in Abbado's approach, and the orchestra players are with him all the way to the final, crushing closing chord of the symphony. Then ... silence ... a long silence offering only a shudder as if the wind had been knocked out of everyone. It's over.

A few details about this performance: The exposition repeat is taken in the first movement which moves along an a moderate tempo. The slow movement, at a fairly quick andante, is taken second, not third as it is usually done. (I prefer the order Abbado takes here, and it makes perfect sense in supporting his overall conception of the work.) The scherzo, placed third, is marvelously played, full of nuance and color. The huge, sprawling canvas of the last movement unfolds, not as a march toward death, but as a search for life. Although there are only two hammerblows, they are powerfully executed ... and I do mean "executed." And the effect is perfect to send a tremor through one's being.

At the end, Abbado stands silently before the orchestra, collecting himself as if coming slowly out of a frightening descent into the abyss. And he has taken us with him on the journey.

If you love the Mahler Sixth, you owe it to yourself to get this and hear and see it for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful and tragic Lieder recital

Mahler: Lieder
Starring: Walton Groenroos , Thomas Hampson , Lucia Popp , and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Director: Leonard Bernstein
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

DTS | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000QCQ71I
Release Date: 2007-09-11

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful and tragic Lieder recital.......2007-09-13

If you are having a bad day and you're feeling depressed, you might not want to reach for this DVD. This recital of Mahler's beautiful but often tragic song cycles with orchestral accompaniment might just drive you over the edge. I'd prescribe Mozart for those days. But for every other occasion, this splendid DVD may be exactly what you need. Containing all of Mahler's mature song cycles (except for Das Lied von der Erde), they are magnificently sung by Baritone Thomas Hampson, Soprano Lucia Popp and Baritone Walton Groenroos and stunningly accompanied by the preeminent Mahlerian Leonard Bernstein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic.

Of course, Mahler's lieder are the seedbed of his monumental symphonies. You will recognize melodies later used for the symphonies 2-4, for example. This can make it hard to judge the song cycles in strict isolation since we are constantly reminded of something much vaster just over the horizon. I like the symbiosis between Mahler's works; it helps that they're works of genius. With Bernstein as conductor, he naturally imparts that vast scale to these relatively intimate lieder. It gives them additional resonance.

Hampson performs the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer), the Ruckert Lieder and the Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children) accompanied by the Vienna Philharmonic. His tone is round and beautiful, his diction crystalline. Emotionally, however, he is somewhat reserved. He doesn't experience the emotions of these songs, he recreates them. If you demand emotional authenticity in your lieder, real tears streaming down the singers face, you may be put off by Hampson's emotional distance. I find that the poetry of these songs provides more than enough emotion for my tastes. The accompaniment of the Vienna Philharmonic is superb, as expected. This is a great orchestra and the sound of the Musikvereinssal in Vienna, recorded in 1988 and 1990, is splendidly recaptured in this recording.

Lieder nach Gedichten aus 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' or Songs to poems from 'The Youth's Magic Horn', containing as they do so much music later used in the great Symphony No.2, will always be an addendum to the symphony for many. It helps to really throw yourself into them. Lucia Popp and Walton Groenroos do exactly that. They experience the emotions, not just recreate them, making for an interesting comparison with Hampson's performance. Since they're children's songs, this is easier to do and there's no danger of slipping into a maelstrom of bathos. The Israel Philharmonic is a younger, more enthusiastic orchestra with many women instrumentalists, as opposed to Vienna's older, all-male band. The 1984 performance seems quicker. The recorded sound is somewhat dry though not unpleasant. It is crystal clear in the DVD's DTS 5.1 format. The total time of this Region 0 worldwide disc is 127 minutes. There are the usual menus, languages and DGG trailers.

No doubt these performances will someday be surpassed. Until then, I don't think you can do better than these recordings of Mahler's gorgeous songs. Strongly recommended.

Mike Birman

Average customer rating:

Ok movie.
Amazingly cheap for such a collector's series....
All Hands Lost
What a country!
AT HOME, The Perfect place to be..

The Perfect Storm [HD DVD]
Starring: George Clooney , Mark Wahlberg , Diane Lane , John C. Reilly , and William Fichtner
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Manufacturer: Warner Brothers
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Action & Adventure | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video

Drama | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000FKO0RY
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Amazon.com

Setting out for the one last catch that will make up for a lackluster fishing season, Captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney) pushes his boat the Andrea Gail out to the waters of the Flemish Cap off Nova Scotia for what will be a huge swordfish haul. While his crew is gathering fish, three storm fronts (including a hurricane) collide to create a "perfect storm" of colossal force, and Billy's path back to Gloucester, Massachusetts, takes them right smack into the middle of it. Wolfgang Petersen's adaptation of Sebastian Junger's seafaring bestseller is a faithful if by-the-numbers true-story account of a monster storm that rocked New England in 1991, specifically Tyne's commercial fishing boat and its crew. Junger's tale fashioned a compelling if staid narrative out of seemingly disparate events, but this film adaptation tends to flatten out the story into a conventional if absorbing story of man vs. nature, as the crew fights for survival against the awesome waves the storm kicks up. The central part of the film, which cuts between the Andrea Gail's fight to stay afloat and the attempts of the Coast Guard to rescue a yacht in peril, is suspenseful action of the first degree, aided by some awesome computer-generated waves.

Still, it's a long way to that action, with an extended first act that consists mainly of stoic men, crying women, and a fair amount of "don't go out into the sea" dialogue--in other words, a compelling story has been shoehorned into standard summer movie fare. It's too bad, as Peterson assembled an excellent cast--including Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, John C. Reilly, and William Fichtner among them--but seems to opt for only a surface exploration of these characters, though Clooney seems to have a touch of Captain Ahab in him. You may still be won over by the movie, but for a more in-depth portrait, go to Junger's book for the missing details. --Mark Englehart

Description

It's Halloween, 1991. Near Gloucester, Massachusetts, the six members of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat, head out to sea for their last trip of the season. Unbeknownst to them, a shockingly brutal storm is slowly gaining steam. Before the National Weather Bureau has a chance to inform the crew of the impending danger, it's too late. The resulting battle with three merging weather fronts--an unheralded natural disaster--is grueling and tragic. Based on the true-life best selling novel by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane and is directed by Wolfgang Petersen.

DVD Features:
Other:"Whitness to the Storm" (4:30)
Production Sketches:Storyboard Art with W. Peterson Commentary
Storyboards
TV Special
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Ok movie........2007-07-09

If there were nothing else on I'd watch it again. This is just an average movie about a STORM based on true events. There is no real character development, no action, adventure or humor. Its a great STORM, just not a great movie.

Amazingly cheap for such a collector's series...........2007-07-06

This edition (the signature edition) was personally signed by George Clooney. This series is limited to 1500. If you can snatch up one of these for less than $40, you are really getting a deal.

All Hands Lost.......2007-06-15

Even though this movie is fictional, taken from a book, no one seems to mention the fact that the Andrea Gail was an actual ship that was lost at sea and never found. A real world story intertwined with the fictional characters of those who were claimed by the sea.

What a country!.......2007-04-18

Some amazing special effects, tense action sequences. Good acting marred by occasional screenplay hokeyness, and some bummers at the end. George should've known better when even the gal from the Abyss was telling him to scrap the mission. Mark Wahlburg is a hunk. I'm not sure why Karen Allen took such a small role.

AT HOME, The Perfect place to be.........2007-03-03

Very good effects ... but there is a hidden happy ending for those that want to miss the tragic part of this movie... when the guys finally turn the boat around from the Monster wave and make it... and they are all laughing and screaming they made it out ... TURN THE MOVIE OFF !!!!

Average customer rating:

A Good Entry In the Series
The Final Chapter! Except for those Other Seven Movies
MY FAVORITE
JASON
JASON

Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter
Starring: Kimberly Beck , Erich Anderson , Corey Feldman , Barbara Howard , and Peter Barton
Director: Joseph Zito
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Slasher Flicks | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen Terror | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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

ASIN: B00004WZ0E
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Amazon.com

Amateur butcher and enthusiastic hockey fan Jason Vorhees is back in business, and business is good. Can a plucky young boy stop the madness before Camp Crystal Lake's population report takes yet another machete-aided dip? The stalk-and-slash formula was pretty narcoleptic by this point, but this otherwise humdrum entry is distinguished by some unusual casting choices (Crispin Glover as a stud in training? Corey Feldman as a genius?) and the splattery return of makeup master Tom Savini. The fact that this installment was titled The Final Chapter may seem to contradict the existence of the numerous sequels that followed, but it's not as if logic was ever this series' strong point to begin with. --Andrew Wright

Customer Reviews:

A Good Entry In the Series.......2007-09-07

Friday the 13th: Jason Lives is the one with Corey Feldman. This movie, although to this point extremely predictable and unscary, is still a decent enough movie. It's one you're still bound to enjoy.

This movie, as with Friday the 13th, Part 2 and Friday the 13th Part 3 take place within days of each other and features the most kills in a three day period in movie fictional moive history (I wouldn't bet my life on that though).

It may not be the best, but it is still somewhat entertaining.

The Final Chapter! Except for those Other Seven Movies.......2007-07-25

Once again Paramount wants to cash in on the hit series with a third sequel to the sleeper hit Friday the 13th. Jason is back again after dying three times. The film cost $2.6 million to make and grossed over $33 million, so Jason really is unstoppable. Joseph Zito takes the directing chair from Steve Miner. Zito is responsible for such quality films as Invasion U.S.A. and Red Scorpion.

The film begins with authorities cleaning up the aftermath of Jason's latest killing binge in part 3. They even find Jason himself. He of course wakes up at the morgue and kills some people there before returning home to Crystal Lake. A whole new crop of young people rent a house at the lake and swim naked immediately. The group also has a bunch of neighbors, including a young Cory Feldman. Jason kills a bunch of people and eventually Cory Feldman messes him up pretty good. We see Jason's ugly face after he loses his mask, just like every other film. There is some indication at the end that Cory Feldman will be the killer but that never really happens.

Part 4 is actually not that bad and is a slight step up from part 3. There is a scene with one of the characters, Rob (a guy who wants revenge against Jason for someone he killed in part 2), who is being killed by Jason and actually shouts "Help. He's killing me! He's killing me!" I doubt it's intentional but there was something relatively scary about that line and the desperation in his voice as he states the obvious. It's one of the rare chilling moments in what amounts to be an incredibly gratuitous exploitation movie.

The gore is always good in these movies but it was particularly good here and that is probably because Tom Savini returned. The nudity is also always good in these movies and within the context of this kind of film it is a welcome addition. This was of course not the final chapter. The series is a gradual decline in quality and the final chapter is the last of these films that is worth any praise as a horror film whatsoever.

MY FAVORITE.......2007-07-14

THE BODY COUNT CONTINUES IN THIS VIVID
THRILLER,THE FOURTH-BUT NOT FINAL-STORY
IN THE WIDELY SUCCESSFUL FRIDAY THE 13TH
SERIES.

JASON,CRYSTAL LAKE'S LEAST POPULAR CITIZEN,
RETURNS TO WREAK FURTHER HAVOC IN THE
FINAL CHAPTER.

AFTER HIS REVIVAL IN A HOSPITAL MORGUE,
THE HOCKEY-MASKED MURDERER FIXES HIS
VENGEFUL ATTENTION ON THE JARVIS FAMILY
AND A GROUP OF HITHERTO CAREFREE TEENAGERS.

YOUNG TOMMY JARVIS IS AFICIONADO OF HORROR
FILMS WITH A SPECIAL TALENT FOR MASKS AND
MAKE UP.

HAS THE DIABOLICAL JASON FINALLY
MET HIS MATCH?

JASON.......2007-05-11

THE SUSPENSE IS BACK IN THIS MOVIE!THIS MOVIE IS GREAT!THERE WAS A PARTY AT ONE HOUSE,AND VACATIONEERS AT THE OTHER HOUSE.A GUY GOT A CORKSCREW IN HIS HAND WHILE HIS HEAD WAS TURNED.TRISH AND TOMMY HAD MOST OF THE TROUBLE WITH JASON.TRISH JUMPED THROUGH GLASS.POOR TOMMY WENT NUTS.

JASON.......2007-04-28

THIS MOVIE'S EXCELLENT!TRISH WENT THROUGH ALOT TO SAVE HER AND HER BROTHER-TOMMY.SHE JUMPED THROUGH GLASS,SHE FELL OFF A BALCONY,AND SHE FOUGHT JASON WITH A BROKEN SHOULDER.I FELT SORRY FOR TED.HE WAS AT A PARTY,AND NO GIRLS WANTED TO BE WITH HIM.JASON TOOK CARE OF THAT PROBLEM.TOMMY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!

Police Academy (20th Anniversary Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Police Academy (20th Anniversary Special Edition) ~ G.W. Bailey
No complaints!
BEST'S COPS OF ALL TIME!!!
Master OF THE Rare LASERDISCs Movies.
Steve Guttenberg is in training to be a cop.

Police Academy (20th Anniversary Special Edition)
Starring: G.W. Bailey , Kim Cattrall , Leslie Easterbrook , George Gaynes , and David Graf
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Criminals | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00019074O
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com

Astoundingly silly but incredibly popular, Police Academy is the first film in a seemingly endless franchise that takes aim at the men in blue. After a police academy drops all of its entrance requirements, all manner of misfits flood in, hoping to make it onto the force. One of these misfits, a lazy, aimless cadet played by Steve Guttenberg (Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby), was forced to enlist and tries whatever he can to get kicked out. But once he decides to stay, he tries anything and everything to finish his training, even as his drill instructor tries to shove him out. Featuring a wild bunch of strange supporting characters, from a female trainee who speaks below a whisper to a dominatrix instructor to a human sound-effects machine, Police Academy is mindless but fun. --Robert Lane

Description

When the mayor decides that the doors of the police academy be open to any and all, the applicants swarm forth like hordes of losers in a colorful assortment of nonregulation sizes, shapes and eccentricities.

Customer Reviews:

Police Academy (20th Anniversary Special Edition) ~ G.W. Bailey.......2006-05-14

Police Academy (20th Anniversary Special Edition)~ G.W. Bailey is the only good movie of them all. Guttenberg plays an amazing role, and the script is not as paper thinn as the rest of the sequells. This makes the rest of movies look look the winner of the nobel prize. The dialogue is not as horrid as the later sequells either but is kind of well developed. I love tackleberry the Vietnam craze and all the other steroetypical charachters in this movie. I also love the blue eyester bar scene. The rest of the movie is filled with typical 80's stereotypical view of society which was normal at the time. It is also a time capsule for the music (Frankie Goes to Hollywood is played in one scene), the fashion (the tacky clothes) and everything else that was like "in fashion" during the 80's. Highly recommended indeed.

No complaints!.......2006-01-04

Ideal for people who like the film Police Academy.

BEST'S COPS OF ALL TIME!!!.......2005-11-30

Cuando hablamos de policias astutos, llenos de accion y torpes? solo podemos pensar en lA mejor comedia policiaca de todos los tiempos "police academy" Que gran pelicula , muy buena comedia de los 80's con una serie de comediantes que nos hacen reir de principio a fin. NO PUEDE FALTAR EN SU COLECCION ESTE DVD !!! ALTAMENTE RECOMENDADO!!!

Master OF THE Rare LASERDISCs Movies........2005-07-10

I have POLICE ACADEMY 1,2,3,4,5,6 ON LASERDISCS!!!! And I bought'em includin Part Seven ON DVDs,No doubt Police Academy Rock yer house :P

Steve Guttenberg is in training to be a cop........2005-02-23

There was nothing at Blockbuster Video. All the new ones were gone. The low-budgets collect dust. Even Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) was gone. So I mosied on over to comedy to find "The Four Seasons" (1981) with Carol Burnett, Alan Alda, Sandy Dennis, Rita Moreno. They never even heard of it. What I did find was all seven "Police Academy" movies and to make it more exciting, they were all on DVD.
Okay, I need to relieve some tension. I'll watch rookie cops be stupid. Besides, Steve Guttenberg and Marion Ramsey are funny and that guy from the M*A*S*H tv series is in it too.
The first film includes the cast of 11 rookies: Steve Guttenberg, Kim cattrall (Porky's {1981], Sex In The City tv series), Bubba Smith, Andrew Rubin, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Bruce Mahler ("Fridays" tv shows), Scott Thopson, Brant Van Hoffman, Marion Ramsey and Donovan Scott.
They all must get through the Police Academy and obey the orders of G.W. Bailey (M*A*S*H tv series) and Leslie Easterbrook (Laverne & Shirley tv series). To add to the comic relief, George Gaynes, Debralee Scott, Ted Ross (The Wiz), Gary Farmer (Powow Highway [1989]) and Georgina Spelvin (the age-over-40 adults know what other movies she has done).
Can these bubbleheads ever pass the Academy? They have made 7 films.
DVD includes a 30-minute featurette, "Behind Acadmey Doors: Secret Files Revealed"., theatrical trailer and audio commentary for this 20th Anniversary edition.
Runs: 1:46.
The next film in the series: Police Academy 2--Their First Assignment (1985).

Gustav Mahler: Conducting Mahler/I Have Lost Touch With the World

Average customer rating:

Vapid
WHAT CLASSICAL MUSIC DVDS SHOULD BE LIKE
I love Mahler
Good introduction to Gustav and Vienna
Two Intense and Stirring Films about Mahler's Music

Gustav Mahler: Conducting Mahler/I Have Lost Touch With the World
Starring: Mahler , Haitink , Chailly , Muti , and Abbado
Manufacturer: Juxtapositions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

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

ASIN: B000AOGMIK
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Customer Reviews:

Vapid.......2007-08-27

Maybe worth checking out from the local library. Neither the commentary nor the stand alone performance make he purchase price worthwhile.

WHAT CLASSICAL MUSIC DVDS SHOULD BE LIKE.......2007-05-10

These two Frank Scheffer documentaries really bring home what works best for classical music on DVD. Videoed concerts, to my mind, seldom add much to the experience of audio only and are certainly no substitute for the real live experience - we are always too much at the director's whim for close-ups of puffing or sawing musicians or of every pore on a rapt conductor's face. Opera works better, but again, the constricted format is no substitute for the real thing and in the opera house (as in the concert hall) one's eyes move subconsciously all over the place, constantly taking in different elements of the hall, the performers and the performance.

Both these documentaries include a high proportion of concert performances of the Mahler symphonies, but it is all directed to a different end. The first, Conducting Mahler, is about exactly what it says on the tin. It is about the views of five eminent Mahler conductors on their craft and on the facets of the composer and his music that they look to elucidate in their performances. And their views are illustrated by substantial excerpts from live renditions of all the Mahler symphonies with three of the orchestras that the composer himself knew well, all given at the Mahler Festival in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw in 1995. What makes these performance extracts different from the usual filmed concert is that they remain fixed for practically the whole time on the conductor's face - no extraneous cutting about the various instrumentalists, no views of architecture of the hall. If I have one quibble with the film it is that these close-ups are just a bit too tight: all we really see are the conductors' faces and we get no real chance to watch their stick technique to see how they beat what are often quite complicated rhythmic structures, how they employ rubato or how they communicate Mahler's frequent abrupt changes of tempo and time signature. A shame, because in all other respects this is a fascinating documentary, really enhancing our knowledge of Mahler and his music as well as of the conductors and their different approaches to him.

The second documentary, I Have Lost Touch with the World (an evocative translation of the title of Mahler's Ruckert song, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen), employs very much the same visual techniques to a different end. Here we are exploring Mahler, the man and the composer, principally through his Ninth Symphony. Riccardo Chailly in his farewell performance as principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra gets the lion's share here - along with Mahler's main biographer, Henri-Louis de la Grange, a man who probably knows more about his subject than anyone living and who is particularly articulate in knocking down some of the hoary old shibboleths that have built up around Mahler. Here, too, Scheff allows the music to speak as loudly as the commentators in elaborating his thesis. This is admirably non-interventionist film-making, even though it has strong, profound, fascinating and sometimes controversial things to say about its subject.

I really do feel that this is a much more fertile use of video to elucidate classic music than the usual fare we get. One would like to see much more of its ilk. In the meantime, this pair of excellent films on one disc comes highly recommended.

I love Mahler.......2007-01-03

Very interesting to see and hear Mahler's music by different conductors. I have not seen all of them in live performances. I really enjoyed this DVD.

Good introduction to Gustav and Vienna.......2006-04-22

Riccardo Chailly had Willem Mengelberg's Mahler scores with his notes to work from for the enigmatic Ninth Symphony. The Ninth was like a musical summary of all that exists; the Burleske movement,the contemplation of the vigours of the city, the life of the mind and its escapements,as Freud was to write in his "Future of Illusion",and Vienna filled with excess of sexual fantasy of Klimt, "The Beethoven Freize" and the darknesses residing,(Klimt's gorilla ) Vienna the citadel for these confluences, and Mahler should be thought it that context.
It was yes indeed sad that Chailly had left his Dutch musical brethren,and that tension seems to permeate this film interestingly; that's the force fields at work with institutional music today.No one is at fault for what was good on day one still is good on the last day except now you need to augment an "illusion" give your concert cash box more of a newer fetish, or the fetish of giving more than you did previously.
Chailly has a wonderfully impassioned way of speaking about his musical subjects,laying a groundwork for the problems that exist in the music and what needs to be done interpretively to resolve such places; Admirable as a young school boy doing his homework with previous recordings.He takes Mengelberg's written words in the margins of Mahler's score,and explains what these words might mean when the music is heard. If you hear any of those vintage recordings as Bruno Walter or Mengelberg himself they sound indeed (and live in posterity) with numerous imperfections.It is not a cherish place to re-visit contrary to what music afficioandos may claim.Like a musical pilgrimage to Lourdes. It is only a guide as Chailly rightly claimes, and a very loose guide at that. The Basso timbre for example was non-existent.Shoddy playing,uncoordinated phrasings,and balance? non-existent. And you know of Mahler's concept of timbre where he augmented his own performances of Beethoven with four additional French horns and tuba. Beethoven knew nothing of this, but Vienna certainly did With large multi-riveted bridges, like a conceit for the power of industry. So to the brass representing a clearer way of listening? as perhaps the image of the Krupp smokstakes, where these post-Romantics melos sought to reach for the sky(Adorno had said this of Richard Strauss, another creator/instigator of excess)But Chailly's approach to interpreting Mahler could have approached a stale,tried and tested predictability and or uninteresting.
There is myth-building here,Mahler is a genius pure and simple/I suppose this is how these DVDs get sold ultimately,and if you know how to avoid it in your perceptions it is useful, But if you have any doubts read Adorno's book on Mahler (there is only one) and you will see more aliving artist with problems of conception, of traps. Mahler had many paradigms,pardoxes unresolved as a composer, he could not develop a musical phrase,nor knew the path toward building his architectural shapes,movements as recepticles was his trajectory; nor to create harmonic chromatic tension (The Seventh Symphony comes as close as he gets). Muti speaks well about the Fourth Symphony and the modern-like juxtapositioning of three or fours ideas, what resembles for example a melos from Haydn,with Holiday skiing music or child-like fantasy,and a more severe declamation all thrown together. This is the opening 5 minutes of the Fourth.But returning to Adorno there is largesse in Gustav's oeuvre as (The Eighth Symphony being the most grotesque example, where beauty seems to get lost in a numbing void, an opaque "vuota",overdetermined)
But for the Ninth Mahler had other dimensions in mind, his Living Codicil to music.Well balanced with the stasis occuring at the end in the Adagio, no trumphantisms here, simple adeiu.
But he was no great innovator some may argue, and you will not find these arguments explored here in this DVD. I agree with Adorno, Mahler's innovations are marginal and inconsequential yet he fully saw the value and excitement represented by the young Arnold Schoenberg from Berlin.
The reflections by various conductors herein I think gets confused from the untranslatibility.What most have to say you have heard before. Haitink is the most perceptive here with real musical examples a la Bernstein. And Simon Rattle as well, Rattle had cut his teeth on Mahler in the Eighties in Birmingham where his readings approach a kind of facile fluidity surface orientation. You need a stronger persona as Lenny to bring this off. Rattle has other more analyzable skills to promuligate in his work however and has found the right expressive "tuning fork" for Mahler.
Scheffer does fine work in situating Mahler and the thoughts with the aid of scholar biographer Henry-Louis de la Grange(See his Two Volume Moby-Dick size Biographies on Mahler),where literally each day of Gustav's life is represented. He also explores a little of myth-building himself unlike the more sober Adorno.

I would have liked more rehearsal,more technically explicit moments, even a little goes a long way. But as I said of other examples of Scheffer's work,he does not hook into the music so much as the ambience to create a minimal background for all else to proceed.

The Ninth Symphonie is a work that seems endless you never grow tired of discovering new elements in it. The materials begin with the heart, Mahler's heart like the a-rhytmia of Mahler's the opening rhythms,yet a beauty resides along side this ominous representation in the opening moments the plucked Harp situated with Viola tremoli, plaintive horn fragment; an interval and the plucked contrabass. The Landler then is about loss and forgetting but recalling simultaneously of more innocent moments in the lifeworld of peasnat childhood ,but we can still remember Mahler seems to say.

Two Intense and Stirring Films about Mahler's Music.......2005-11-14

I will admit that I'm a musician groupie. I love little more than to sit in on a rehearsal, and have done so for forty years or more with regularity. I particularly like being close enough that I can observe the orchestral musicians and overhear what the conductor is saying to them, see how the works are put together. This process makes the ensuing performance all the more interesting for me. Thus, I found these two documentaries about Mahler's music, made by the distinguished Dutch music documentarian Frank Scheffer, intensely interesting.

There are two films here. The first, 'Conducting Mahler,' features long segments showing several eminent Mahler conductors -- Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, Bernard Haitink and Simon Rattle -- rehearsing the likes of the Royal Concertgebouw, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, in long, lovely passages from all the Mahler symphonies (plus some of 'Das Lied von der Erde') interspersed with interviews (with the noted music writer, Donald Mitchell) with all five of the conductors. Not only is the music-making first class, but the insights that the conductors bring to the process, both in their conducting and in their thoughts about Mahler and his music, are exceedingly stimulating. (It should be noted, by the way, that the interviews are conducted in English and each of the conductors is enormously articulate.) The DVD is divided into a number of 'chapters' (although the documentary plays without pause) such as 'Mahler and the Concertgebouw' (the film was made mostly at the 1995 Mahler Festival held by the Concertgebouw which was, of course, the first orchestra outside Vienna to program Mahler's music with any regularity owing to the enthusiasm of Willem Mengelberg), 'The Interpretation of the Conductors,' 'The Modernity of Mahler,' 'The Ideas Behind the Notes,' 'The Sound of an Empire at the End,' 'Vienna at the Turn of the Century' and so on.

The second film, entitled 'I Have Lost Touch With the World' (the Englished title of Mahler's heart-wrenching song 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' from the 'Rückert Lieder') is about Mahler's Ninth Symphony, his last completed symphony. It features Riccardo Chailly rehearsing the Concertgebouw. There is almost constant music -- sometimes showing the orchestra playing or, more often, Chailly conducting and commenting to the players, and sometimes with voice-over while the music continues underneath. There are extensive and extremely insightful commentaries concerning all four movements from Henry-Louis de la Grange, Mahler's definitive biographer, a man who probably knows more about the composer than anyone, and from Chailly. There are snippets from other works, including a large part of a performance, unusually with a baritone (Thomas Hampson), of the 'Abschied' from 'Das Lied von der Erde.' (For me, at the end of that performance the earth stood still.) Fully ten minutes of the fourth movement is played without interruption (in a dress rehearsal with audience) and I found myself in tears at its conclusion. There is a reference after that to the impending departure of Chailly from the musical directorship of the orchestra after sixteen years; the film was made in 2004 and he has since been succeeded by Mariss Jansons.

Scheffer is a marvelous documentarian. Although the camerawork is fairly active, the focus is primarily, in both films, on the conductors and the music. Sound is magnificent, particularly in the more recent film. It is in Dolby Digital 2.0. Subtitles in English, German, French, Dutch and Spanish are provided. Total time for both films is 132 minutes.

I heartily recommend this DVD to anyone with even a smidgen of interest in Mahler or in rehearsal technique in general. These are superior films.

Scott Morrison

Little Drummer Boy: Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein

Average customer rating:

Little Drummer Boy: Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein
Starring: Janet Baker , Christa Ludwig , Edith Mathis , Lucia Popp , and Walton Groenroos
Director: Leonard Bernstein
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

DTS | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000QCQ71S
Release Date: 2007-09-11

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" / Claudio Abbado, Eteri Gvazava, Anna Larsson, Orfeon Donostiarra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Definately 5 Stars, but...
What a experience!
Deep Blue
Mahler at its best!
It's all been said!

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" / Claudio Abbado, Eteri Gvazava, Anna Larsson, Orfeon Donostiarra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Starring: Claudio Abbado , Eteri Gvazava , Anna Larsson , Orfeon Donostiarra , and Gustav Mahler
Manufacturer: Euroarts
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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

ASIN: B000A16SIM
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Customer Reviews:

Definately 5 Stars, but..........2007-06-01

I just got this DVD in last week and I can't stop playing it - it is a pure joy to hear and see from start to finish!

I had read quite a bit about the health of Maestro Abbado in recent years, and it was with relief and happiness that he looked so good on this recording - a bit gaunt but tanned and very vibrant. I must confess that he has a special place in my heart as a Mahlerian, as it was his recording of the M6 w/CSO some years back on vinyl that hooked me, and I have been a fan of his and Mahler ever since.

There are so many high points in this performance: the brass section from top to bottom was as pure, strong, and effortless as I have ever heard - live or recorded; as other reviewers have noted the woodwind allstars Sabine Meyer (clarinet), Albrecht Mayer (oboe), and Emmanuel Pahud (flute) are simply unbelievable; and most notable, I have never seen an orchestra play with such animated FUN: it is so very obvious that they love this conductor, this piece of work, and this ensemble. At one point near the finale Abbado, with a beautiful left hand gesture, attempts to ellicit more from the trumpet section, and principal trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich simply smiles and chuckles when the phrase is completed, then the camera is back to Abbado who is smiling as well. Just great stuff!

Now for the 'but'...though this is most definatley a 5 star performance, it left me wanting more. Some of the competition out there is adding a bit more for the buck (for example on Haitinks M2 we also get the M1); if not additional music, then how great would it be to hear from Claudio Abbado about the piece, the ensemble, the apparently phenomenal venue, etc? Just a note to the producers (yeah, like they are gonna' read this!)

I am placing my order for the 7th and 9th today and can't wait to check them out - and look forward to more Mahler from this great conductor and ensemble.

W. Steven

What a experience!.......2007-05-29

Powerful! Magnificent! A religious experience. A musical equivalent to Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine chapel! Hear the trumpet's sound of the last judgment. Claudio Abbado is the one who will conduct you in a very delicate way.

Deep Blue.......2007-05-10

What a performance: The orchestra, an assembly of soloists, brought together by Maestro Abbado into a colourful coral reef, weaving to the torrents of Mahler. The interaction between conductor, orchestra and music is breathtaking.

Mahler at its best!.......2007-03-08

This is possibly a once-a-lifetime performance. Conductor and hand- picked orchestra drawn from the best musicians in europe combine forces in a truly awesome way.

It's all been said!.......2007-01-30

I can't really add anything to the other reviews except that in my case you can take it from a professional orchestral musician; this is as good as it gets. I love everything about this DVD and this performance. For me these Abbado/Lucerne DVD's are sources of great inspiration. I'd give it 15 stars if I could.

Mahler Symphonies 1 & 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) / Klaus Tennstedt, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Average customer rating:

Excellent Mahler
yes, but . . .
Extraordinary!!

Mahler Symphonies 1 & 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) / Klaus Tennstedt, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Starring: Mahler , CSO , LPO , and Klaus Tennstedt
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Deals Over $10 | DVD Blowouts | Stores | DVD | Video

All Blowouts | DVD Blowouts | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000HC2NK6
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Mahler.......2007-01-05

Tennstedt is well thought of as a Mahler conductor and he doesnt disappoint here. Both performances deliver on a well produced disc. Suprisingly I find myself reaching for the recently released Haitink DVD's of him conducting Mahler 1&2 which is unusal in the sense that Tennstedt outranks him as a Mahler conductor yet I think I prefer Haitink. Both are worth having and are highly recommended.

yes, but . . . .......2006-12-09

Everyone says that Tennstedt was so much better live than in the studio. I don't really agree with that, especially in his latter years, where his tempi simply got slower and slower. If you happen to be an admirer of Celibidache's glacial Bruckner (I'm not), this DVD may very well tickle your fancy. But for me - in spite of the fact that the Chicago Symphony play superbly well - Tennstedt's late analog Mahler first goes farther in capturing the youthful freshness of the work (Tennstedt's very first Mahler recording). The live 8th here convinces me even less. Yes, everyone is terribly committed to what Tennstedt is doing. But that's the problem - who amongst these highly dedicated participates was going to tell Tennstedt that Mahler's compositions don't gain a thing by constantly stretching linking passages and harmonic cadence points, to a point where the music all but comes to a dead standstill? I found myself yelling at the screen, "oh, come off it! - just move on with it now". While Tennstedt's vision of the work is truly apocalyptic, Bernstein's Vienna Phil. DVD of the Mahler 8th from 1975 - which comes with a fine Mahler 7th as well- is much more celebratory in nature. So is Tennstedt's own studio recording on CD, which just got remastered and reissued on EMI's "Great Recordings Of The Century" series, coupled to his lively account of the fourth symphony (but not nearly as well recorded as his 8th). No complaints about Tennstedt's vocal soloists, who are all very good. But Kenneth Riegel sounded better in '75 (Bernstein) than he does here - a bit strained in the more taxing moments. I'm still giving this four stars because the sound and picture are quite good (I was tempted to make it three).

Unless you just have to hear how well the CSO can sustain the Mahler first at such slow tempi, I recommend giving this the slip and getting either, or both, the Deutsche Grammophon DVD of Bernstein/Vienna Phil. doing Mahler 7 & 8, and/or EMI's "GROC" remastering of Tennstedt's mid 80's studio recording of the 8th (coupled with the 4th, as mentioned above). All three M8's mentioned have plenty of organ.

Extraordinary!!.......2006-10-09

These recordings are with two different orchestras (Mahler 1st with the Chicago Symphony and the 8th with the London Philharmonic). Tennstedt's live performances are much better than his studio versions of the same works, and it's wonderful to watch him coaxing what he wants from the players. Even though he conducts from the score rather than from memory, he always seems to be directly connected to the orchestra in an almost magical way. The sound is good in both performances, and there is a sense, on both occasions, of being present for something quite special. These are great performances. High recommended!

DVD:

DVD

DVD