Bizet: Carmen (complete opera) with Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Georges Pretre, Paris Opera Orchestra Review

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(More customer reviews)There are several great versions of Carmen. Others include de los Angeles and Beecham, Maazel with Domingo and Maginnes, and even the old recording with Fritz Reiner has something to recommend it. However, this recording has to be on the top of any list.
The role fits Callas to a T. Pretre does a wonderful job conducting, and Gedda is excellent. But it is Callas' ability to get into the skin of the character and radiate Carmen's sexuality and unpredictability, as well as her despair and desparation, that makes this version special.
So if you want to own just one version, and you must have the finest modern sound, get the Maazel. On the other hand, if you want the most interesting conducting, get the Beecham. But if you want the most interesting Carmen, get this one. Serious opera lovers who understand that the fullest appreciation of a work comes from hearing different excellent versions will eventually buy all three.

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Alice in Wonderland (1982) / Children's Theatre Company (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was in search for Alice in Wonderland on Amazon, as I could not find the older versions for rent in the local video stores. I had no idea there were so many different versions when I began my search for the 80's version that I remembered on TV as a kid. I came across this one and it had a lot of good feedback, so I purchased it. Anyone looking for the TV version they remembered when they were a kid, this is most likely NOT the version you want. While it was well put together, keep in mind that this version is a broadway stage set. A few props against a black backdrop, and some good actors. For the time that this was made, the make-up artist's did a great job. They spent a great deal of time on the costumes. I rated this movie 3 stars because I didnt think it was worth the price. This version is for someone who is an Alice-in-Wonderland super fanatic and wants every single version ever made. If your in search for the older version you remembered on TV, I found 2 versions to be the ones I remembered: 1972 version on DVD w/ Fionna Fullerton & Dudley Moore, and the 1985 version on VHS that stars musicians (Sammy Davis, Ring Starr, ect.) I decided to write this review because I didnt want to see anyone else feel ripped off and let down to find out this was not the version they were in search for. Hope this review was helpful.

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The Producers (Movie-Only Edition) (1968) Review

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This is it! The source, THE PRODUCERS, the 1968 release with screenplay and direction by Mel Brooks, juicy parts by Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars and others, and a well-deserved reputation as one of the funniest movie comedies ever. Filmed on a pittance (less than $1 million, cheap even by Sixties standards), THE PRODUCERS almost died unrecognized until it became a cult hit in New York, L.A., Chicago and then, everywhere.
SPOILER GRAF: The plot is brilliantly diabolical: a corrupt Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) and his nebbishy accountant assistant (Gene Wilder) deliberately oversell a play with the design to create a flop and keep the proceeds. They hire the worst possible playwright, director, and choreographer and deliberately insult the drama critics. But the play is so hilariously awful it becomes awfully hilarious. The essence of 1960s camp: It's good because it's so bad.
It's hard to overstate just how good Mel Brooks' first movie is. The low budget forced a lot of outside shooting in New York City, and as a result the movie looks fresh, not cosmetized. The premise of a play about "Adolf and Eva in a gay romp at Berchtesgaden" was, if anything, more offensive just 23 years after the end of the Second World War than it is today. A big gamble on Brooks' part, but it played.
This edition is well worth the extra couple of dollars over the "movie only" version. It includes a second CD, apparently put together about the time of the 2001 Broadway musical, and contains stills, bios, and an engaging documentary about the film's making and reception. The last is especially fun since all the principals involved (except the late Zero Mostel) are alive and active and possessed of strong memories of that "kooky" classic-in-the-making.
The 2005 movie with Broadway vets Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick is proving a disappointment to those who remember the original movie or the 2001 Broadway smash. The new movie took the Broadway book and set it in an imagined-and expensive--"indeterminate past" full of late 1950s cars and fashions. Unfortunately, what works on the stage doesn't always translate on film, and despite all the talent and money involved, the new movie comes across as stagey, self-absorbed and at times a bit labored. And LONG: half again as long as this original, which clocks in right at an hour and a half.
The verdict: All versions of THE PRODUCERS are funny, but the 1968 movie is the one to start with. Enjoy it now at a great price.

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A "startling, stunning, outrageous [and] breathtaking debut" (Los Angeles Times) from acclaimed writer/director Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs), this Oscar(r)-winning* comedy combines "pure pell-Mel lunacy [and] wild, ad-lib energy [into an] uproariously funny" (Time) film!Low-rent Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and his high-strung accountant, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), discover that, with the help of a few gullible investors, they can make more money on a flop than on a hit! Armed with the worst show ever written ("Springtime for Hitler") and an equally horrific cast, this double-dealing duo is banking on disaster. But when their sure-to-offend musical becomes a surprise smash hit, they find themselves in the middleof a Broadway blitzkrieg!*1968: Original Screenplay

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