Richard III (1956) Review

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(More customer reviews)Those who criticize Laurence Olivier and Alan Dent -- co-authors of the screenplay -- for taking certain liberties with Shakespeare's play should also criticize Shakespeare for taking certain liberties with the historical material on which he often relied so heavily. In this instance, Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, Vol. 6, and various Tudor Historians. In my opinion, such quibbling is a fool's errand. This much we do know about the historical Richard III. He was born in 1452 in Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire, the youngest son of Richard, Duke of York. He was created Duke of Gloucester by his brother, Edward IV, in 1461, accompanied him into exile (1470), and played a key role in his restoration (1471). Rewarded with part of the Neville inheritance, he exercised vice regal powers, and in 1482 re-captured Berwick-upon-Tweed from the Scots. When Edward died (1483) and was succeeded by his under-age son, Edward V, Richard acted first as protector, but within three months, he had overthrown the Woodvilles (relations of Edward IV's queen), arranged for the execution of Lord Hastings (c.1430-83), and had himself proclaimed and crowned as the rightful king. Young Edward and his brother were probably murdered in the Tower on Richard's orders, although not all historians agree. He tried to stabilize his position but failed to win broad-based support. His rival Henry Tudor (later Henry VII), confronted him in battle at Bosworth Field (August 22, 1485), when Richard died fighting bravely against heavy odds. Though ruthless, he was not the absolute monster Tudor historians portrayed him to be, nor is there proof he was a hunchback.
Cleverly, this film begins with the final scene of Henry IV, Part III, the coronation of Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke). Locating himself at a strategic distance from the throne, the Duke of Gloucester (Olivier) carefully observes those around him. He shares with those who see this film or read the play his most private thoughts and feelings, many of which are as deformed as his body. Gloucester's "winter of discontent" will soon end. With a systematic tenacity unsurpassed by any other of Shakespeare's villains, Gloucester's coronation as Richard III (his own "glorious summer") will be the fulfillment of his royal ambition. The acting throughout the cast is outstanding. I do not recall another film in which Olivier, John Gielgud (George. Duke of Clarence), and Ralph Richardson (Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham) all appeared together, joined by Claire Bloom (Lady Anne Neville) and Stanley Baker (Henry Tudor). Special note should also be made of Otto Heller's cinematography which is integrated seamlessly with their performances. It is a pleasure to have this film now available in a DVD format, one which offers much sharper images and much clearer sound. Other special features of this DVD version include high-definition digital transfer; newly discovered footage; a commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and John Wilder, former Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company; 1966 BBC interview with Olivier hosted by Kenneth Tynan; a 12-minute television trailer; a theatrical trailer; and an essay by film historian Bruce Eder.

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Widely acclaimed as his crowning Shakespearean film performance, Laurence Olivier's Richard III is the notorious tale of Richard of Gloucester.This deformed king connives, backstabs, and woos his way to the top of the royal heap, but his treachery eventually lands him on the fields of Bosworth, dying and screaming "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" Olivier, who loved the role for "its bloodcurdling spurts of malevolence" and "smoldering sexuality," gives a performance that will define Richard III for years to come.A cast replete with Britain's acting royalty give a command performance of the highest order.Restored to its original widescreen version, the film blazes with vivid color, while William Walton's musical score stirs and rouses the emotions.

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Ages of Man - John Gielgud (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ages of Man was first performed by John Gielgud in the summer of 1957, in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of their Annual Festival of the Arts. The great actor toured with the work, on and off, throughout his career, playing it on Broadway in 1959 and 1963, and winning him a special Tony "for contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare"
And on a Sunday afternoon in 1966, producers Daniel Melnick and David Susskind brought it to American television. Yep, it won an Emmy for Outstanding Dramatic Program.
This is perhaps the single greatest production of Shakespeare's words done in the 20th century. There are complete audio recordings of this actor's Hamlet, Prospero, Lear, and Richard II, and a variety of films where he played lesser roles. And perhaps audiences are not well-served by compilations---one speech from play A, two speeches from play B . . . sort of Chinese menu of the Bard's greatest hits. And perhaps a skinny, somewhat fey, proper English man in a business suit is not ideal an image for the great heroes of drama.
However, Gielgud take the "Ages of Man" speech from As You Like It, and illustrates it so brilliantly, and with such genius, pathos, and talent, that you can (almost) hear Shakespeare think. No wonder the old man won a 1979 Grammy Award for his third audio recording of the recital (having been nominated for the same award for his performaces in 1959 and 1964).
All alone, for 104 minutes, this staggeringly talented actor illustrates Shakespeare and teaches us all of life, love, death and the staggering and irreplaceable beauty all around us. Surely pages and pages have been written about Gielgud's diction, vocal purity, projection, imagination and truth, but don't waste time here.
Buy this DVD, out by Entertainment One. If you love Shakespeare, there's no choice. If you hate Shakespeare, here's the best chance to change your mind. Ages of Man is to be treasured, enjoyed and shared, now and forever.

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The art of acting has rarely been demonstrated with such brilliance as in Sir John Gielgud\'s Ages of Man. Adapted from George Rylands\' anthology, the one-man performance features a selection of Shakespearean soliloquies and sonnets exploring the journey of life from birth to death.
Showcasing the preeminent actor\'s astonishing talents, Ages of Man was performed to sold-out audiences around the world and won Gielgud a special Tony Award for \'contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare." This Emmy Award-winning performance – produced for television and presented in two parts – was originally broadcast on CBS in 1966 and is now available for the first-time ever in any format.
Includes a 12-page booklet with written contributions by theatre critic Michael Billington and the Archive of American Television.

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Beckett on Film DVD Set (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)First let me say I've been waiting my whole adult life for this collection. I've spent 30 years trying to collect audio and video recordings of Beckett's work, and suddenly here are all the theatre peices in one beautiful package. The chance that you will ever find another film version of most of these works, or ever have a chance to see them on stage, is almost nil. If you love Waiting for Godot and Endgame, you will not regret the money spent on this. Unlike most plays and almost all movies, these are peices to be seen again and again, over a lifetime, letting the beauty and subtlety of Beckett's language slowly soak into your being.
That being said, I was disappointed with only one peice: Endgame. With Michael Gambon as one of the leads, I expected the most from this play. But I'm afraid he was badly misdirected in this. He simply enjoys his dispair too much. He enjoys being a selfish, cruel master and his "Perhaps I could go on..." speech (one of Beckett's greatest)loses all its power. Gambon delivers this with hardly a pause, rambling on with the same puckish tone as the rest of his performance. (I thought maybe I was just too used to an earlier film version directed by Beckett, so I went back to the script to check this. After almost every phrase in the speech, Beckett has written (Pause). Without these pauses to let the anguish of the words sink into our minds, the speech carries no more weight than the rest of the text. Well, probably much more than you wanted to know.)
Short Review: BUY THIS NOW! You'll be watching these films again and again as long as you own a DVD player.

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2003 PEABODY AWARD WINNER!
This acclaimed film project includes all 19 plays of Samuel Beckett, considered the most significant Irish playwright of the 20th century. Many of these outstanding filmed productions have received critical acclaim at prestigious international film festivals around the world including New York, Toronto and Venice. Beckett on Film has brought together some of the most noted directors of our day including: Atom Egoyan, Damien Hirst, Neil Jordan, Conor McPherson, Damien O'Donnell, David Mamet, Anthony Minghella, Karel Reisz and Patricia Rozema. A list of distinguished actors including exceptional performances by Michael Gambon, the late Sir John Gielgud, John Hurt, Jeremy Irons, Julianne Moore, Harold Pinter, Alan Rickman and Kirsten Scott-Thomas.
THIS 4 DVD 19 Play Set includes:Waiting for Godot (running time: 2 hours)Not I (running time: 14 minutes) Rough for Theatre I (running time: 20 minutes) Ohio Impromptu (running time: 12 minutes) Krapp's Last Tape (running time: 58 minutes) What Where (running time: 12 minutes) Footfalls (running time: 28 minutes) Come and Go (running time: 8 minutes) Act Without Words I (running time: 16 minutes) Happy Days (running time: 1 hour 19 minutes) Catastrophe (running time: 7 minutes) Rough for Theatre II (running time: 30 minutes) Breath (running time: 45 seconds) That Time (running time: 20 minutes) Endgame (running time: 1 hour 24 minutes) Act Without Words II (running time: 11 minutes) A Piece of Monologue (running time: 20 minutes) Play (running time: 16 minutes) Rockaby (running time: 14 minutes) Plus a 52 minute Documentary on the making of the Beckett on Film Project
Features*Widescreen*Dolby Digital*Color and Black & White

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The Best of Friends Review

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(More customer reviews)John Gielgud. Wendy Hiller. Patrick McGoohan. I could stop writing now, and feel that those three actors together in one film is all you need to know.
But, I will continue.
"The Best of Friends" is a television movie produced in 1991, which revolves around the correspondence of such towering figures as George Bernard Shaw, Syndey Cockerell, and Laurentia McLachlan, played by McGoohan, Gielgud, and Hiller, respectively. The three wrote letters to one another regularly, and even visited from time to time. This production culls its dialogue from the exquisite prose of those letters, nicely bringing to life these three interesting people. They discuss their ongoing lives, their opinions, their daily activies, their loves lives, but mostly their theological beliefs. Much of the story revolves around religion, faith, and devotion. Laurentia McLachlan is a nun, having devoted her entire life to the Lord. Shaw is also a man of faith, although he can sometimes be a tad more cavalier about it than his female friend, much to her dismay. Probably the most touching scene in the entire film involves Shaw's reminiscence of his trip to Bethlehem. McLachlan asked for him to take her there in spirit, which he did most admirably. She is quite visibly moved when he returns with two stones he picked up whilst in Bethlehem, one to put in the garden of her nunnery, the other.... for herself.
It is important to note that Alvin Rakoff directed "The Best of Friends" as though it were a play. There is very little music, though the music that *is* provided by Sidney Sager is quite moving. There are maybe 4-5 sets used throughout the 80 minute production, and the actors walk freely between them, reciting their dialogue sometimes to each other, sometimes directly at the camera, and sometimes to no one in particular. This takes but a few minutes to get used to, and by that time you are drawn-in by the wonderful words of these three people, brought to life by these three treasured actors. "The Best of Friends" makes for quite an enriching viewing experience, and it is nice to see that it has been given a good DVD release.

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Summer's Lease (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)I caught this mini-series on PBS in the 80's and I have never forgotten it. I have, in fact, longed to see it again so much that for years I searched the internet for copies of it and hassled the people at Scarecrow Video. At last, I saw that it was available and snatched it up as soon as I could. Not only was I NOT disappointed with the show, I was even more intrigued and enchanted by the mystery and the wit and of course the lucious scenery of the Tuscan villa and surrounding landscape. Its a wonderful blend of Italian and English sentiment and character. While waiting for this to be available I read the Mortimer novel on which it was based and even that paled in comparison to this production!

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A family vacation in Tuscany leads to intrigue and mystery in a Masterpiece Theatre presentation written by John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey) and starring Sir John Gielgud in an Emmy Award(r)-winning role. The minute she sets eyes on it, Molly Pargeter (Susan Fleetwood) knows that the Tuscan villa she has found to lease is perfect for her family's summer holiday. She is powerfully drawn to its rustic beauty and to the enigma of its absentee landlord. Never mind that her husband and teenaged daughter are vocally unenthusiastic and that her outrageously extroverted father (Sir John Gielgud) tricks them into taking him along. As the family goes sightseeing and gathers for candlelit dinners on the terrace, Molly becomes increasingly obsessed with unraveling the secrets of the villa's owner and of the British expatriates and locals they encounter. Her father lends a hand with the sleuthing while remaining on the prowl, zeroing in on a certain rich widow with whom he shares a romantic past.

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