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| Title: Peter & the Wolf Disney Favorite Stories [VHS] |
| By: | Clyde Geronimi |
| Starring: | Sterling Holloway, |
| List Price (): | $12.99 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
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| Publisher: | Walt Disney (1996-05-21) |
| Availability: |
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Reviews :
{ Rating: 5.0 out of 5 } | Peter & the Wolf
This is a very old story, set to music by Prokofiev. It was adapted by Disney as one of ten segments of the animated feature film, "Make Mine Music" in 1946. Narrated by Sterling Holloway (the voice of Pooh) it is the story of a young boy who goes with his pet cat Ivan, duck Sonia, and bird Sasha to catch the wolf. The music has always been a popular way to teach people the value of classical music, and how music can be expressive and teach a story. Each animal and person in the story is expressed by a musical instrument, such as Peter by a string quartet, Grandpa by the bassoon, and the hunters by kettledrums. The piece is hilarious and very well animated. It was edited into a short featurette for the first time in 1955.
Also appears on the Make Mine Music DVD. |
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| Title: River of No Return [VHS] |
| By: | Jean Negulesco |
| Starring: | Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Rory Calhoun, Tommy Rettig, Murvyn Vye, |
| List Price (): | $9.98 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
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| Publisher: | 20th Century Fox (1998-01-01) |
| Availability: |
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| Description : | Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe are abandoned by a bad guy (Rory Calhoun) who steals Mitchum's horse, forcing them to travel down a raging river (along with Mitchum's son) on a raft. The three refugees, all of them living troubled lives to begin with, have to face the rapids together, and director Otto Preminger's allegory for individual salvation through unity becomes a stirring family drama. This 1954 film features Monroe at her golden peak, though not quite at the apex of her sexual iconography. The result is that she gets to play a character whose beauty is not really part of the story line, a character many other actresses might have played. --Tom Keogh |
Reviews :
{ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 } | river of no return
Vidio in good condition received promtley would buy again from this seller
pauline |
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| Title: Il Postino [VHS] |
| By: | Michael Radford |
| Starring: | Philippe Noiret, Massimo Troisi, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Renato Scarpa, Linda Moretti, |
| List Price (): | $9.99 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
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| Publisher: | Miramax (1998-02-10) |
| Availability: |
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| Description : | Cheered by critics and audiences everywhere, IL POSTINO (THE POSTMAN) is the record-breaking Academy Award(R)-winning romantic comedy that delivers heartfelt laughs! Mario is a bumbling mailman who's madly in love with the most beautiful woman in town ... and who's too shy to tell her how he feels. But when a world-famous poet -- Pablo Neruda -- moves into town, Mario is inspired. With Neruda's help, he finds the right words to win the woman's heart! This unforgettably funny comedy proves that passion ... with some artful deception ... can win the most improbable love! |
Reviews :
{ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 } | Delightful Foreign Film
I can not recall a foreign film that was as delightful and unimposing, nor as brilliant and enjoyable, as Il POSTINO. The main character, a son of a poor fisherman, Mario Ruopollo won our hearts with his meek and timid persona, his off-beat humor, and his passionate desire to become an artist and poet as he develops a relationship with the famous international poet Pablo Neruda, who lives in exile in the small seafront Italian village where Mario lived.
Who can forget Mario's unassuming personality as he humbly tries to win the affection of the local beauty, and also win the respect of the famous poet, Neruda. The scenes of him trying to create metaphors in his love letter to his sweetheart was especially moving.
Also, the cinematography of the beautiful Italian shoreline was breathtaking, and was in a sense yet another 'character' in the story ... because these scenes accentuated the splendor and passion of Mario and his desire to be a 'poet'.
Il POSTINO will stay with you long after you've seen the film. This delightful film is available for a reasonable price on DVD.
Maizie Lucille James
July 12, 2010
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| Title: Rossini: The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) [VHS] |
| By: | Sarah Caldwell |
| Starring: | Beverly Sills, New York City Opera Orchestra, Alan Titus, Donald Gramm, Henry Price, |
| List Price (): | $22.95 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
[ ( B ) Buy Rossini: The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) [VHS] ] |
| Publisher: | Paramount Home Video (1992-12-22) |
| Availability: |
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Reviews :
{ Rating: 5.0 out of 5 } | Quite Nice!!
The weak link here is (as usual) Price. There's so little resonance he has a rough sound. Titus is OK but I prefer a more robust Figaro. Gramm steals the show he is so funny. My all time favorite Bartolo. And I also have never seen Ramey so funny. Sills is past prime vocally but still lots of fun.
My overall favorite Barber video is the Wunderlich/Prey/Koth. |
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| Title: Verdi - Il Trovatore / James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera [VHS] |
| By: | Brian Large |
| Starring: | Eva Marton, Dolora Zajick, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Jeffrey Wells, |
| List Price (): | $34.95 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
[ ( B ) Buy Verdi - Il Trovatore / James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera [VHS] ] |
| Publisher: | Deutsche Grammophon (1992-02-11) |
| Availability: |
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Reviews :
{ Rating: 3.5 out of 5 } | What is all the fuss about?
I had been avoiding this video recording for years because the reviews here are mostly mediocre at best. I decided to watch it on the Met's website, and I was very pleasantly surprised, and equally entertained. Here are my rebuttals to some of the common complaints:
Leonora - Eva Marton is hardly "past her prime" here as she has been labeled. She was in her mid-forties, which is when a woman's voice is often at its best. The Verdi repertoire is not her strength, and she misses some important notes, but her singing is still quite beautiful and powerful. She also gives Leonora a depth of character that other sopranos who may sing this role better do not deliver. Her overall performance trumps the faults.
Manrico - It is fairly well known that Luciano Pavarotti's acting skills are not what made him famous. Yes, he stands and sings most of the time. It does not seem to bother people much, and it certainly did not bother me here. His singing is fabulous.
Count di Luna - Sherril Milnes is a bit mature for this role, but the singing is still top-notch. I would not call him a weak link.
The set - Simple, with different back drops added, making for easy and quick scene changes in this opera of four Acts with two scenes each. No problem.
To sum up, this is good, old-fashioned grand opera from a house that is known for some of the best opera in the world. I consider myself fairly picky, and I am not one to gush about every show I see. This Trovatore has plenty to offer, and I believe I will watch it again to relive the thrill. Recommended. |
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| Title: Chunhyang (Sub) [VHS] |
| By: | Kwon-taek Im |
| Starring: | Hyo-jeong Lee, Seung-woo Cho, Sung-nyu Kim, Hak-young Kim, Jung-hun Lee, |
| List Price (): | $19.95 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
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| Publisher: | New Yorker Video (2001-10-09) |
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Reviews :
{ Rating: 4.0 out of 5 } | A chore
Too bad the blurb on the DVD cover doesn't warn you that there will be a wailing "pansori" narrator (a traditional singer of stories accompanied by a single drummer) taking the place of much of the dialog. And, when it ends, the story seems so flimsy that it didn't seem to me worth 2 hours (which, incredibly, is pared down from the 8-hour traditional pansori performance).
Even with its gorgeous visuals and smooth editing, even cinéastes might find this film a chore to sit thru.
Definitely -- rent this one first. Or try seeing SOPYONJE first -- a film about some itinerant pansori singers which might get you used to that performance style. |
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| Title: Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria - Return of Ulysses to His Homeland (Glyndebourne Festival Opera) |
| By: | Raymond Leppard |
| Starring: | Dame Janet Baker, Benjamin Luxon, Richard Lewis, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, |
| List Price (): | N/A |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
[ ( B ) Buy Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria - Return of Ulysses to His Homeland (Glyndebourne Festival Opera) ] |
| Publisher: | Video Artists International (1985) |
| Availability: |
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| Features : | Dame Janet Baker, Benjamin Luxon, Richard Lewis, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, Raymond Leppard conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra, |
| Description : | Since its founding over fifty years ago, the Glyndebourne Festival has been synonymous with an artistic level of operatic production unmatched throughout the world... |
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| Title: Farinelli: Il Castrato [VHS] |
| Starring: | Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Jeroen Krabbé, Caroline Cellier, |
| List Price (): | $19.98 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
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| Publisher: | Sony Pictures (1996-02-13) |
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| Description : | This interesting Belgian film from 1994 has a surface subject that might make a few guys wince: an 18th-century castrato, or castrated male opera singer. A superstar in Europe, Farinelli the vocalist--despite compromised equipment--gets his share of groupies and is showered with attention and gifts from rich patrons. Meanwhile, his brother--a so-so composer whose career and fortunes are inextricably linked to his sibling, as per their father's wishes--feels like a sham for enjoying the fruits of another's success. For director Gérard Corbiau, the real story is that of the forced bond between the two men, and their unspoken awareness that their separate destinies have been slowed by the arrangement. Corbiau gives us the best of two worlds: a costume drama with an unusual, even exotic, story line, and a tender, universal tale of real love. The opera sequences are a kick: the breathless crowds, Farinelli's hammy control over the drama, and his stunning castrato voice (manufactured by Corbiau via synthesized merger of male and female voices) and all make for great fun. --Tom Keogh |
Reviews :
{ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 } | Very Important Period Piece
Although highly inaccurate in the portrayal of the world's most famous castrato, Farinelli is a good introduction to the magical world of Baroque Opera and a visually beautiful film with great costumes and sets.
The sets and costumes of the actual representations are great, in good form to the period and one wishes they could have been longer and shown more of the opera productions. The music is absolutely superb and I recommend getting the CD to hear the complete arias. There are plenty of extremely talented countertenors now reviving the part of the castratos all over the world: David Daniels, Dominique Vise and Andreas Scholl to name just a few that come to mind. Derek Lee Ragin was also excellent so I really do not see the need for the voice mix with a soprano, the ONLY choice for a mix, if any, should have been Ewa Podles, a great alto singer that is also a great baroque technician.
The whole plot around Farinelli and Handel is silly. The opera he "steals" from him was a very early opera of Handel,(Rinaldo) which was published by then and he could have bought it at the local music shop. Still, it is interesting from "the what if" point of view. Handel was and remains, one of the world's greatest and most talented composers. His operas are particularly beautiful and they have been coming back to the repertory since the 1920's but much more strongly in the past 20 years. "Xerxes" "Agripina", "Semele", "Flavio", "Alcina". "Partenope" and "Orlando" have all been revived at the NYCO in recent seasons with excellent productions and sold out houses. Even the stodgy, retrograde MET has staged his "Rinaldo" "Julius Caesar" and "Rodelinda". His stature as one of the finest opera composers of all time is finally been recognized and secured for future generations.
Strongly recommended for those interested in the Baroque period, particularly music. |
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| Title: Control [VHS] |
| Starring: | Ben Gazzara, Kate Nelligan, Kate Reid, Burt Lancaster, Ingrid Thulin, |
| List Price (): | $79.99 |
| Amazon Price: | N/A Buy now from www.amazon.com!
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| Publisher: | Warner Home Video (1988-04-20) |
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Reviews :
{ Rating: 4.0 out of 5 } | A study in psychology.
This movie is great simply for the thought of how man can co-exist with others in a cramp shelter. We all have said that we could get to a shelter if need be during a disaster, but we don't think about the space limitations that those quarters will have and the length of time we will need to stay in the shelters. THIS MOVIE DOES! I highly recommend this movie to anyone and to all the survival groups because this is an issue that is ignored greatly. |
