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Movies_and_TV

like 1

12 31, 2016

A3KR56W0RZOWFD

B01H4EXPFQ

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Emilie Peck

Poorly, poorly put together. Unwatchable.

One Star

12 1, 2016

A3VWWI37RRRZHV

B01H4EXPFQ

{"Format:": " DVD"}

ClassCultureStyle

A must see video if you care about or know someone with Autism.

A Must See Video About Autism's Impact

2

10 13, 2016

A1IC5A1HATCQ8

B01H4EXPFQ

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

KobeBryant4

Very informative

Good documentary

2

09 10, 2018

A1R2VHULUL8J4X

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

William d Knight

I Enjoyed this show when I was a kid and I wanted to watch it again. A good Buy.

A real classic with superhero theme.

04 20, 2018

A125RMY8X6L6QW

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Gregory B. Cox

I never saw the show as a kid but love it!! It has all the 70's cheesiness that one would expect but is a delight to watch!

I never saw the show as a kid but love it!

04 13, 2018

A2AW5UI6M2LTXD

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Gordon R. Zane

The dvd is good, but the part of the case the dvd snaps on to hold the dvd inside is broken. The dvd was delivered loose in the case.

Dvd is good, but came in a broken case

04 4, 2018

A3VCDW4Q1CUWN8

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

rick andresen

Great reminder of my childhood

Five Stars

02 21, 2018

ASAE88LLA89BO

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Jimmy Nume

If you didn't experience Saturday morning live action television shows from the 70's this might not make any sense. However, if you did experience these I believe you'll love this. I am pleased.

if you did experience these I believe you'll love this. I am pleased

12 10, 2017

A3CHZSOJCFHSQD

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Lara E. Bee

I looked forward to watching this show every Saturday morning and am so happy to have the entire set. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

... watching this show every Saturday morning and am so happy to have the entire set

10 25, 2017

A2GMBEC3KIY04B

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Keith Belk

I remember this on Saturday mornings and was ready with my cereal and pjs.

My Childhood Has Returned

10 16, 2017

A393S837WQMHJN

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

none

THANK YOU.

Five Stars

10 10, 2017

A3PS754IPS49T7

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

J.B. Russell

Very quick delivery and no flaws in order.

Five Stars

09 29, 2017

AZFUTTSLDVSWE

B01H4F4IEW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Arn R Tretsven

aweome

Five Stars

08 13, 2018

AQKKQS33X9P39

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

D. Williams

Top Cat is one of my favorite classic cartoons and I think the essence of the movie is close to the cartoon. This isn't the perfect adaptation, but the story is enough to make you remember the cartoon fondly. I missed Choo Choo, Fancy, & Spook's original accents, but Top Cat & Benny were spot on. The somewhat darker/edgier scenes in the movie were still tame enough for a younger audience. I also liked the inclusion of Benny's mom. Overall, this is a fun movie.

Decent nod to the cartoon

07 3, 2018

A29S3WLNDK0553

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Nordy

If they put their budget in the animation and writing instead of the soundtrack, maybe this would be better. Character designs could have been better executed from transitioning from 2D to 3D, which has been evident in other 2D to 3D film/television adaptations. Plus the animation was painfully choppy, which choppiness can work in animation, but it doesn't work here. The special effects and textures could've had more to them to add some extra dimension as well. As for writing, boy, did my girlfriend and I not know what was going on. The plot was heavily inconsistent. Who are all these characters? What are their purposes? Some of the characters could have been chucked out of the movie, and it would've made it less confusing. Plus, the motives are not entirely clear, and there are plot holes littering this movie. More of a nitpick, while the voice actors were trying to match the voices performed by the original actors, most of them did not succeed either by imitating the voice or bringing something interesting or new to the table. Last addition, my girlfriend was really freaked out by the Meghan Trainor Cat.

The Creator is Pinhead Larry

3

04 28, 2018

A1C4NBXUUSSQEV

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Miss-BookWorm

Top Cat Begins is a movie that is geared more towards the new generation. The movie takes place in New York and it tells the story of how this infamous gang came together. The mood of the movie is light and entertaining. The soundtrack is pretty good and there are not any gory violent scenes. I enjoyed the movie and if you are familiar with the back-in-the day cartoon, you may find yourself laughing along. Just keep an open mind that the movie does differ from the cartoon (in some aspects). My five year old nephew and I found it appealing. On the other hand, my partner fell asleep during the ending scenes. I appreciate you for taking time out to read my review. I hope it is informative.

Geared Towards the New Generation...

6

12 19, 2017

A1YA1FKEUJ499R

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Nicole c

Cute story. My boys love this movie.

My boys love this movie

12 13, 2017

AI8YCBDPXJKGY

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " DVD"}

ANNA VENEZIA

Enjoyed the movie with my son! Thanks Amazon.

Five Stars

11 15, 2017

A2CRFKDJ4VHAYE

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Donald M. Rigsby

I bought this DVD for my grandsons and me and we all throughly enjoyed it. Although it doesn't have the flavor nor nostalgia of the original TV series I remember as a child, it still entertains. This is a good guy versus bad guy plot with Top Cat and the gang eventually helping the less forunate. Whoever does the voices for the characters gets close to the original voices although no one can replace the late Arnold Stang.

Hes the king, but above everything: hes the most tiptop Top Cat!

11 8, 2017

A16IUBZ3F3F0IV

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " DVD"}

MAB

Fabulous

Five Stars

06 16, 2016

AV6QDP8Q0ONK4

B01H4F44YG

{"Format:": " DVD"}

The Movie Guy

This Top Cat film is not related to any other production. The film opens with the gang attempting to pull a scam on crime boss Mr. Big. They get caught and have an hour long flashback, starting when Top Cat comes to the city and first meets Benny. TC is scamming people in Mr. Big's territory which doesn't go over too well. It appears Top Cat is very popular in Latin America as this is a Mexican production. The characters are based on "The Phil Silver's Show" and not the Bowery Boys as many contend. Personally I thought Benny was modeled after Lou Costello. The 3D graphics were decent, although the story line didn't grab me and the humor didn't fly. It might have some appeal to your five year old vigilante.

YOU'RE A TRUE FRIEND

2

01 17, 2018

AOWNQL503MC5T

B01H4F4SOM

Ricardo Arnaiz

Great message for kids!

Five Stars

09 29, 2018

A2OXW9F7MRCH9B

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Linda Eno

Good movie

Arrived in perfect condition - plays beautifully

09 12, 2018

A2TX9R3VDJX2AT

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Nicholas Luttrell

Just as advertised, was a good movie in theaters its a good movie for DVD collection.

was a good movie in theaters its a good movie for DVD ...

09 5, 2018

A2HWN9XW587EG6

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Sherrie Walker

Hilarious.

Five Stars

08 24, 2018

A15QJ3VOFENGJT

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Shirley J.

Entertaining

OK

08 20, 2018

A3EOM2RYBA1LRV

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Cynthia Cole

These two work so well together

Fun movie

08 17, 2018

A3JK5VSGS1EEZB

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Chase Simerson

Funny and great movie

Great movie

08 13, 2018

A3LFS2SMYBMO17

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

tamara

Love this movie, super funny!

Love this

08 3, 2018

A1NLUEEGUS26TS

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Brandon Jenkins

One of my Movie Collection.

Five Stars

07 24, 2018

A138U2E2VQDRUP

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

BooksRMyLife

I loved this movie and laughed so hard. These guys are great together.

Laughed So Hard At This Movie

07 19, 2018

A1YOPOS1035DUG

B01H4FJP7C

{"Format:": " DVD"}

David H Peterson

Interesting role for the Rock

Four Stars

02 22, 2017

A2UU4GAHNK0Y38

B01H4F2GRI

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Albuquerque

Any movie with Joseph Fiennes, seems to me, is a work of a Master in the Art of Movie Making!! He didn't fail in his rendition of a non-believer! I wished the scene in which Judas Iscariot would have included in the movie! It would have shown the other side of an non-believer, which is death by one's own action!! Never the less this picture is a powerful rendition with a message!! The audio and video is excellent!! Thank you for listing this inspiring movie with AMAZON!!!

Another Classic in Faith!

12 28, 2017

A3IAH8WXHP608A

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Mr H Bolet

Note: this review is about the Beethoven Sonatas played by Korstick etc. A lot of the reviews here seem to be for Mutters Brahms. Amazon reviews sliding down the slope of uneducated website admin errors. The performances are very good - what marrs this project are the idiotic jump cuts and extreme close-ups of gigantic fingers, enormous jaws, half-faces filling the screen - it makes for quite a seasickness inducing bluray and dvd experience. What a waste. Listen with picture off or buy The CDs?

About the Korstick Beethoven Violin Sonatas Bluray/DVDs pack.

09 16, 2016

AVZ42L4XJPFU6

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

FU

! ! F L A W L E S S ! !

! ! F L A W L E S S ! !

03 5, 2016

AIOHY2H8ZY8I3

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Bruce Bryant

Outstanding music, artists, and picture! What pleasure for watching and listening to see and hear Brahms Violin Sonatas played by Anne-Sophie Mutter. The blue-ray picture is superb. This is a great classical music disc.

The best of everything including artist, music, and picture!

12 1, 2014

A2F9AOA0Q3CR6I

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Nicolo

The performances were great, as presented by this artist of note.

Five Stars

04 6, 2014

A1DSOF0EK9G06C

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Zarathustra

The three Brahms Violin Sonatas Were Performed at the Bibliotheksaal, Polling, to an enthusiastic audience. Extra material includes a conversation between Mutter and Orkis in English. Finally, the sound on the Blu-ray is amazing. If you like this recording, I recommend The Complete Beethoven Sonatas with Mutter and Orkis on two DVDs and The Mozart Violin Concertos with Anne-Sophie Mutter on violin, also on two DVDs.

A Beautiful Performance By Anne-Sophie Mutter on Violin and Lambert Orkis on Piano

03 27, 2014

A2F7CFOSXRC6ZD

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Frank L.

Like always a very nice performance by A.S. Mutter and L.Orkis. Highly recommended. I had the bad luck to receive the DVD version and not the Blu Ray as ordered. The seller was very apologetic and refunded the money at once. So no problem there. I'd give it a 5 star if I had received the Blu Ray. Still a very strong performance.

I ordered the Blu Ray and got a DVD

02 24, 2014

A1USK2R3M9E3H1

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Howard Osborn

Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis play the three Brahms violin/piano sonatas as though they were written specifically for them. These performances of Brahms before a live audience are at the very top, in all respects. The sonatas unquestionably represent the highlight of the romantic period, played with great warmth and respect for Brahms, and it is a pleasure to have the privilege of hearing and seeing such performances.

The three Brahms violin/piano trios, played by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis

07 18, 2013

A2OOXUXSS03V3X

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " DVD"}

David M. Goldberg

The three Brahms violin sonatas are my favourite works in this medium. They have everything you seek and expect from this towering Teutonic multidimensional master of the late romantic movement: mood, melody, and a kaleidoscope of emotions, all tightly reined in by a complex musical structure that earned this architect of notes, chords and trills the titles: Son of Beethoven and Grandson of Bach, and yet never lost his individuality and being his own man. These sonatas never sounded better than in a live performance I heard given by Maxim Vengerov, but I have also heard the present duo play them on two concert-hall occasions: in Toronto and Monte Carlo, where Anne-Sophie did not hesitate to whip her strings into a typical Brahmsian frenzy where required, as convincingly and with as much male vigour as she does on her recordings of the final movement of the Violin Concerto. Here, for some inexplicable reason, she opts for a more muted role and leaves most of the Storm und Drang to her admirable pianist. This is pretty, ladylike, and even effeminate playing, but it does nothing for the sonatas except to emasculate them of their grandeur and frequent ferocity, and the final impression conveyed to the listener is of a set of piano sonatas with violin obbligato. I am sure that this is not what Brahms had in mind, and I am equally certain that Joachim would have given him a piece of HIS mind if it were. It is possible that this was a joint interpretative decision taken by both instrumentalists on this DVD. It is also possible that the entirely inappropriate boudoir setting of what is supposed to be a church library in some unidentified German state where they were asked to perform sucked all the vigour out of their playing. Could they not, in the whole of Germany, find a suitable concert hall for such an important enterprise? The fact is that Mutter plays so softly throughout, that at times, even in solo passages, she is barely audible, and when both piano and violin are playing synchronously ----- even at full belt, it is Orkis's themes that come through most clearly, while much of Mutters' remains submerged. The sound engineers should have realized what was going on and taken remedial action. They didn't. The camera cannot do much in this claustrophobic setting where both players are in danger of falling over each other. The visual arrangement is atrocious because the performing area is in the middle of a sea of pillars from which the audience fans out and is swallowed up by more corridors and pillars. Contrast this idiocy with how very much better this might have come across in a real concert setting by having a look at the Alban Berg Quartet's Beethoven series from Vienna, and Barenboim's majestic Beethoven Sonatas from the Berlin State Opera. Finally, as a sort of bonus, the two musicians discuss aspects of their longstanding professional relationship, and comment on the works they are performing within the context of the composer's turbulent life at the various times they were written. This stuff is marginally interesting, but neither player offers any charisma or excitement during what turns out to be a rather dull dialogue. Oh for a Lenny to liven things up in this department!

Mutter plays second fiddle

05 14, 2013

A13NZZR8IA5782

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Musicfan

Too many blu-ray classical dvds are old performances that are retreads and are not filmed with high def audio and video. The result of that does not demonstrate what blu-ray can be. This one is high def filmed with hi-def sound. This performance is played at a gorgeous hall and the striking visual clarity is stunning. Check out the wood grain pattern on her violin, for instance. Excellent sound quality and performances. These are two top level performers and the result is really pleasing. The combo of visual and auditory high quality is fantastic. Give me more classical blu-rays like this one, please!

Excellent quality

3

08 27, 2012

A3JV7KL1ECLZB8

B01H4G22SA

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

I. Giles

This audio visual recording by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis complement their well-regarded and successful CD disc from 2010. Interestingly this disc is priced at about, or even below, the audio-only CD recording and is therefore a direct competitor on even those restricted grounds as, of course, there is always the option to listen without viewing. The sound can be enjoyed in surround format as well which is another reason to consider this rather than the audio only, stereo only CD. As regards the current performances of these fairly late works by Brahms, it would seem fair to summarise them as being essentially very lyrical readings with an emphasis upon purity of tone. This never falters regardless of the pitch or tempo of the violin line. The violin tone is kept very clean without the heavier tonal characteristics that can sometimes be applied. The passionate side of the music is rather under-played on this occasion and which is appropriate given the autumnal nature of the works. Nevertheless there is quite sufficient passion and energy within the context of these interpretations which provide, balance and beauty within an overall restrained context. By way of some comparative explanation of the above, these performances are far more clean-lined and purer-toned than the more heavily impassioned approach of a David Oistrakh or Yehudi Menuhin from an earlier generation for instance. From more recent times Viktoria Mullova also sees these works as more dramatic and impassioned than Mutter but without the heaviness of tone of either Oistrakh or Menuhin. Krysia Osostowicz accompanied by Susan Tomes see these works as fleeter and still with the energy of youth which even an older composer would be able to recall when writing. All of these performances offer the enthusiast deeply satisfying experiences which are equally but differently relevant. There is no fixed correct way to play these masterpieces and these varied responses only serve to make it clear that a range of recorded performances would be ideal for collectors. Within this wealth of talent and experience these performances by Mutter and Orkis take their rightful place as first among equals. The recording offers sympathetic camera work and crisp imaging that is detailed without being invasive. The sound is excellent and is offered in DTS 5.0 and stereo formats. The bonus material is in the form of a recorded conversation between Mutter and Orkis as well as Mutter giving her thoughts on the sonatas. All of this is interesting but not the prime reason for purchasing the disc. I would suggest that this disc offers fine performances illustrating a purity of vision within a fairly restrained emotional context. In its way this is as satisfying as other leading interpretations and should give a great deal of satisfaction to a great number of purchasers.

A satisfyingly lyrical rather than dramatic approach to these late works

2

10 10, 2017

A376U7TGJ236FC

B01H4F2IR6

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Sandra Aument

DOESN'T PLAY ON ALL DVD PLAYERS - STUPID

One Star

08 25, 2016

A3PT1WF4F1TV3D

B01H4F2IR6

{"Format:": " DVD"}

BOB SZVETICS

isnt it amazing a american tv series that isn't released here in the U.S.A what in sam hill is region 4 i heard of region 1 and 2 but 4 where can you play this on the planet mongo

Mc cloud SEASON 3

6

11 15, 2016

A27PYTNYVDEZI

B01H4F470M

Laura Woodward

The DVD was from Australia and won't play.

At his DVD old not play.

09 5, 2018

A2IOKIMFZFI7VK

B01H4G2EZQ

Norma Navarrete

Good concert. Good service

Very good

10 9, 2017

A1Q8WW227QVM4H

B01H4G2EZQ

David Smith

This was an amazing concert. The concert venue was impressive. Both the Grafenegg Schloss and orchestral shell were awesome. The audience seemex somewhat small but enthusiastic. The color on this standard DVD was beautiful with very clear images. The video direction was excellent with few uninteresting shots. The sound was fantastic -- I listened to it using the DTS 5.0 setting (PCM stereo and Dolby digital 5.0 are also available). I am impressed that the audio engineers could get such clean sound from an outdoor venue. As with many of these outdoor summer concerts the program started in the afternoon and ended after dark. The stage lighting was so good that this transition was hardly noticed. Other reviewers have mentioned the program which was varied and quite interesting. All of the performers were very good. The DVD that I received was in NTSC format and played with no problem on a standard North American DVD player.

A Lovely Program -- A lovely venue

06 26, 2017

A2AWHOUVS1PRUW

B01H4G2EZQ

Johnson Bright

Nice opera voice and performance.

Five Stars

01 8, 2017

AEFM9R0UYP3CP

B01H4G2EZQ

Sergio Arango

I bought this DVD along with Sommernachts Konzert 2016. I thought this one would be the uninteresting of both. It's program at a first glance looked bland. But I was all wrong! The first part are seldom performed pieces but by no means second rate. The Von Weber's Kozertstuck played by the great pianist Rudolf Buchbinder is enticing, beautiful and complex. Peretyatko and Terfel are top notch and they make a great duo with a very good and fun interpretation of "Quanto Amore" from "L'elisir d'amore". The only bland thing about this DVD is the audience. Highly recommended.

Incredible and beautiful Gala with top musicianship.

4

01 12, 2018

A1U6I0PCMC35NZ

B01H4LZZ3O

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Amazon Customer

Christmas present.

Five Stars

09 21, 2017

AXMU8M95Q7DWO

B01H4LZZ3O

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Jomana Asi

Best music video for my 18 month old girl! She LOVES Patty and all her songs

Five Stars

03 29, 2017

A299YYUKMPSN2C

B01H4LZZ3O

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Amazon Customer

Baby loves it, we love it.

we love it.

11 11, 2016

A6X4BA4NRK2GJ

B01H4LZZ3O

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Nikita T.

ms patty has helped my daughter sooo much , and we thankful that she exists and made these videos !

ms patty has helped my daughter sooo much, and ...

02 5, 2016

A1PI6LMGBN7BY7

B01H4LZZ3O

Amazon Customer

We watch this with my granddaughter a lot.

Five Stars

08 7, 2015

A2NB6H14Z8AVPY

B01H4LZZ3O

Susan Whitworth

Very easy to follow with the melody.

Five Stars

07 30, 2015

A3CUTUGOI8UDOW

B01H4LZZ3O

Sue Gallager

My two year old granddaughter loves learning asl with this and I can remember it better too with this technique (song). I highly recommend this as I have purchased others that cost more and were not nearly as good.

... learning asl with this and I can remember it better too with this technique (song)

07 8, 2015

A29B4DG0M9J9B6

B01H4LZZ3O

nichol jagroop

Both my 2year old son and I enjoy her online videos. I thought this video would have just as much dancing and singing but Patty just sits on a beach signing while saying ALL the words in the SAME tone. My son was excited to see her but then left the room not bothering with video. Patty you could have at least change the tone or tune.

Very Disappointing

03 15, 2015

A3QVLT62HE5GPP

B01H4LZZ3O

jtay

I'm a sub teacher's aide and have been trying to learn signing and Miss Patty's videos are EXCELLENT!! I bought this for a friend with an autistic son (who I met at school and have fallen in love with!) and a newborn daughter. She wants her children to be able to communicate with each other, so she's teaching both of her children to sign. I HIGHLY recommend this video and any other of Miss Patty's videos to learn sign language.

LOVE AND RECOMMEND THIS VIDEO!

11 7, 2014

A3AYGJSD10BKXE

B01H4LZZ3O

Emily K. Purvis

This is an excellent video that is exactly as described. Ms. Shukla sings each word clearly and repeats it a few times. The tune is repeated for every song so that when we are reminding Jr of a word or working with him, he automaticlly recognizes/understands that we are working with his hand signs. Yes, it is super repetitive but that is the charm. It is great also as a calming video when Jr is going through a fussy period or painful growth spurt for holding and cuddling time. It doesn't pull my focus when I am reading a book while rocking him to sleep As a bonus, my husband is studying English and singing along with this while cleaning or whatever while Jr is watching has helped his pronounciation. At 17 months, Jr speaks 2 words ("Da" -Spanish for 'give' and "thirsty") and uses 4 signs (thirsty, eat, more, and one that he made up for breastmilk). He understands many more of both words and signs. It is great to be able to tell him "yes" and "no" and other things without verbalizing or when he is playing or whatever in a noisy place.

We watch this at least 2 or 3 times every week

09 24, 2018

A3HVFGPGA4T53D

B01H517YI2

Seamus O.

"Mightier Than Ultraman"? I call BS!! I have watched ULTRAMAN since I lived on Okinawa in the 60's-70's and let me tell you that Ultraman is greater than any other hero!!

ULTRAMAN is the greatest!

02 11, 2018

A2THPOZVVBINER

B01H517YI2

Joe Tonigh

I'm still awe struck by the amount of greatness digitally packed onto this DVD. And, AND(!), it keeps getting better every time i watch it. Especially the bat monster (?)! I can't even begin to describe that whole thing. Just buy it.

it keeps getting better every time i watch it

2

12 25, 2016

A3MYXQH621HFJ2

B01H517YI2

Kam Lee

AWESOME!

Five Stars

07 19, 2016

A2PO9LQHMW5BYJ

B01H517YI2

Rachel Cauley

I'm a big fan of Godzilla and the like, especially if it's from the 60s. This is an odd find,2 Japanese heroes similar to Ultraman, but even cheesier. Rubber suited monsters? You betcha. You'll howl watching Greenman, Godman, and even Jaguarman, battle thses strange creature, creature that seem to be bend on eating school children!

Weird stuff from Japan

2

07 18, 2016

A1PE8RSN5JSYR2

B01H517YI2

Gregory Sadler

I could not give it 5 stars do to the price and the movie is not clear to watch. For What I ordered I should have not paid $14.00 for it .I felt that the movie should have costed $5.00 for this video and nothing more. You only get one dic and when you play it, it has lines in the picture .This movie really does need to be remastered .

think before buying this movie for $14.00.

10 7, 2017

AXH35HAW5O7EM

B01H5BOG4M

Barbara Ardinger

Nearly every production from Shakespeare's Globe is excellent. This is a very strange play, but the acting is so good it's almost possible to keep the plot straight. I own half a dozen DVDs of Shakespeare's Globe productions. Love those pillars!

Nearly every production from Shakespeare's Globe is excellent. This is a very strange play

03 25, 2017

A79U01AE98EV8

B01H5BOG4M

MACLEAR

I'll only state the obvious. If this cannot be played in a US DVD player - why is it offered here? Too, why isn't is coded for the US? I'd think that we are a pretty lucrative market for such DVDs.

Cannot play here

9

10 17, 2016

A2GVX3VN6XR9OA

B01H5BOG4M

Roman Paget

This recording of Measure for Measure is Dominic Dromgooles final production as the artistic director at the Globe. Measure for Measure, like every other Shakespeares play, is designed to expose the audience to certain ambiguities. Dromgoole was able to masterly navigate through this rather convoluted storyline without making changes either to the text or to the original settings. It is quite ironic that some critics have complained that Dromgooles production left open too many questions and was not bent toward some political issues nor amended with Freudian-type touches. It seems that these critics have not grasped yet the fact that it is not up to the director to clarify these ambiguities. By removing them, the director would sterilize the entire play. As a result, the audience would be robbed of the experiences that are implanted in the play. In other words, the directors role is to expose the audience to these ambiguities and in this way trigger a spark of inspiration within the spectators minds. In this way the play may properly discharge its function. The spectators are supposed to leave the performance of Measure for Measure wondering: Why did the Duke of Vienna wait to the very end to disclose the details of Claudios rescue? What sort of trick did Lucio teach the Duke during their bawdy talk? Why Barnardine could not die while in his drunken sleep? How many dozen moons will the marriage of the Duke of Vienna last? What about a year and a quarter old Lucianus, the adopted son of Lucio? And what is going to happen to the just to-be-born Claudius, son of Claudio? The beauty of Shakespeares plays is that the answers to all these questions are provided. The challenge for the audience is to recognize that the answers may be found in other plays of Shakespeares narrative. In this particular case, the answers to some of the above questions have been embedded in the story of the Duke of Vienna inserted in Hamlet, i.e., the sequel to Measure for Measure. Dromgoole is one of a few directors who have been able to preserve the intended impact of Shakespeares plays. He understood that Shakespeares plays do not need any updating or modernization; their impact on the audience is most effective when they are presented in their original settings. He has not allowed himself to get entangled in peripheral aspects of the plot or any type of intellectual gymnastics. He has not used the plays to disseminate his personal or institutional agendas. At the same time, he has been able to use the available theatre techniques, music, costumes and props to make the plays engaging, entertaining and fun to watch. We will miss Dromgoole at the Globe. Lets hope that the next artistic director will be able to sustain and maintain this unique and incredibly valuable function of the Globe.

We will miss Dromgoole at the Globe

23

10 18, 2016

A1J2LQPDI4NKRG

B01H5BOHXW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Kirk McElhearn

I find the only existing review of this disc to be overly hostile, so I'm adapting a review I posted on my website. (Google my name if you want to visit the site, and see more of my Shakespeare reviews.) I live just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon, and go to Royal Shakespeare Company productions regularly. This review was from the press night (opening night) performance. From the first scene with Rodrigo and Iago taunting Brabantio about his daughter, Desdemona, having married Othello, it was clear that this was an inventive production. There was a sort of canal running through the middle of the stage, and Rodrigo and Iago were standing up in a small gondola. (That water, which would be covered at times by metal grilles with arabesque designs, was repeatedly used in the play.) The rest of the stage featured a slightly broken Gothic arch at the back, representing part of a church, and terraces on either side. Yet this was a resolutely modern version of Othello. The soldiers are all dressed in modern uniforms, with contemporary weapons. Laptops are seen at times, along with electronic communication equipment. In one poorly considered bit, in the council-chamber scene when all the officers are discussing the military situation, a huge TV screen came down over the stage so one character could report on troop movements. That scene seemed to set a more modern tone than the rest of the play; it is, in fact, the only scene like that, because the play then moves to Cyprus, in a more military environment, where most of the scenery is ammunition crates, oil drums, and weapons. One of the main talking points of this play is the fact that the RSC cast a black actor, Lucian Msamati, as Iago, which changes the balance of race, one of the main themes of the play. After I few minutes, I forgot all about this, except for the few lines where Othellos blackness is mentioned. To me, they were all just characters in a play, and the lack of the black-white theme made no difference. (In fact, many of the other soldiers were non-white as well, further erasing that dichotomy.) Opposite Hugh Quarshie as Othello, Msamati was astounding. He managed to perfectly portray the truculence of Iago, and the complexity of his character. From beginning to the final shot, before the house lights went off, where Iago shakes his head, saying that he will not talk, Msamati was the driving force in this production. Its not that Hugh Quarshie wasn't good in his role, but, at times, I felt he didn't go far enough. Through most of the play, Quarshie seemed to inhabit Othello fully, but in the final half hour when he plans to kill Desdemona, kills her, and then regrets what he did I found him flat and emotionless. Othello should show anger then remorse, and Quarshie remained strangely distant during those final scenes. This was clearly a choice made by director Iqbal Khan, but I don't think it worked. Joanna Vanderham was very good as Desdemona, but she often seemed to be playing to the audience, rather than to the actors. She had some excellent scenes, and some where she didn't seem to be fully in her role. And her singing of the Willow song was a bit off-key. There are a number of scenes with many characters in Othello, notably the one where Cassio well portrayed by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd gets drunk, and feels that his reputation is damaged by his escapades. This production had that scene become a sort of freestyle-rap battle between Cassio and Iago, which seemed to be a trivial way to approach it. But the play worked best in the scenes with just two or three characters, where there was much more dramatic tension. Many of the supporting actors were excellent, notably Ayesha Dharker as Emilia, whose acting in the final scenes was top-notch, and Scarlett Brookes as Bianca. The overall staging aside from the dancing and the TV screen was excellent, and the lighting very inventive; this was one of the more complex sets Ive seen at the RSC. I was also sitting in the upper circle, which gave me a very different view of the stage from the stalls, where I usually set. (It just goes to show that the best seats don't always let you see everything.) This highly visual production will definitely work well on screen; it is to be filmed and broadcast to cinemas on August 26. The play was long, and felt long. At 2:55, I felt it could have been trimmed a bit. The first part seemed a lot longer than the second, and the last long scene, in Desdemonas bedchamber (her bed was at the front of the stage), seemed poorly paced. Im probably being more critical than I should. I was feeling a bit tired last night, and it took me a while to get into the play. But things felt a bit rickety, unpolished. Actors made a few small flubs, and the timing didn't always seem right. I have a feeling that Ill like this play a lot more when I see it again in two weeks, when the actors have had more time to become comfortable with it. I would really have liked to see Othello express a bit more emotion; in the end, if you look at this play as a battle between Iago and Othello, Iago clearly won in this version. As much as Lucian Msamati played a subtly nuanced Iago, Hugh Quarshies Othello felt a bit too shallow. This was a very good production, but it could have been better.

A powerful production of Othello

11

09 26, 2016

A2GVX3VN6XR9OA

B01H5BOHXW

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Roman Paget

Hugh Quarshie, the actor who plays Othello in this RSC production, wrote: I am not convinced that Shakespeare is an unequivocally reliable guide in the exploration of human nature; and I fear that we may see the world and ourselves through the distorting prism of his plays. (Playing Othello, published on the British Library website, July 19, 2016). Let me comment on Hugh Quarshies statement by summarizing the play and then reviewing the RSCs production of Othello. Othello is one of Shakespeares most difficult plays. No Shakespearean scholar, literary critic, theatre nor movie director has yet been able to grasp its meaning. Othello is one of Shakespeares wisest characters. In this sense, he is unique. Shakespeare emphasizes Othellos uniqueness by presenting him as a black man among white Venetians. Othello is charged with an incredibly difficult task. His task is to take Desdemona from Venice via Cyprus to Mauritania. According to Shakespeares symbolic illustration, each of these three places represents a specific state of the human mind. Venice illustrates an ordinary, i.e., unrefined state of the mind; Cyprus is a more advanced state; Mauritania is the highest state that is available to man (Mauritania is Othellos home-country; it is in this sense that he is from men of royal siege). Shakespeare emphasizes the progression between these states by having three different time zones operating simultaneously. The events taking place in Venice are measured by months (till now some nine moons wasted); the events occurring in Cyprus are measured by days (what, keep a week away? seven days and nights?) For those who are in Cyprus at the time of the festivities and are members of Othellos immediate entourage, their time is measured by hours (from this present hour of five till the bell have told eleven). Shakespeare dedicated the entire Scene II.2 to indicate the period of compressed time. The play is built around a technical term one has to die before dying, which means that in order to reach the highest state of the mind, one has to free himself from worldly attachments. This is the experience that Desdemona has to go through before she may reach Mauritania. (Friar Francis in Much Ado About Nothing refers to this experience as Come, lady, die to live; Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet describes it as Shes not well married that lives married long; but shes best married that dies married young; Viola in Twelfth Night expresses her readiness for this experience when she states I, most jocund, apt and willingly, to do you rest, a thousand deaths would die; Miranda in The Tempest calls it fair play; for Hamlet, Mauritania remains the undiscoverd country). In other words, the entire play is an allegorical illustration of experiences associated with the development of higher states of the human mind. The play illustrates the challenges that Desdemona is faced with when Othello guides her through this very difficult experience. Desdemona may seem to be totally devoted to Othello. Yet, she is somewhat disloyal. Foolishly, she tries to interfere with Othellos grooming of Cassio for his future role as deputy governor of Cyprus. It is in this sense that Desdemona has allowed Cassio to use her unlawfully. (Even though Othello demoted Cassio, it was Othello who requested in a letter sent from Cyprus to the Venetian Senate that Cassio be made deputy - Scene III.2). Othello adapts his approach in such a way that he employs Iago to create situations that are part of his plan. Iago is a clever villain, but he is no match for Othello. Iago is so full of himself and so engaged in his scheming that he does not register what Othello is really doing. This is a typical Shakespeares trap used so masterly to point out our flawed reactive patterns, i.e., reactions which block the operation of more subtle layers of perception. The audience watching the play goes through a test. If the audience allows themselves to be driven by their cruder emotional and intellectual reactions, they will not be able to recognize Othellos function and understand his actions. In such a case, Iago will be able to lead them tenderly ... by the nose as asses are. Othellos handkerchief spotted with strawberries symbolically represents an instrument of protection. At the beginning of the play, Desdemona is the holder of the handkerchief. At one point Othello decides to transfer the handkerchief to Cassio. After Desdemonas departure from Cyprus, Cassio will need the handkerchief to protect him, especially against Roderigos attempt to murder him. Othello has to arrange the transfer in such a way that it will be completely transparent to Cassio and Desdemona. Iago, who is driven by an entirely different motivation, helps Othello to execute this task by placing the handkerchief in Cassios lodging. Desdemona is able to perceive the true nature of Othellos actions only after she dies before dying. It is then that dead Desdemona asks Emilia to commend me to my kind lord. In his final words, Othello gives the audience another hint to help them understand his actions. He tells the audience that he has freed himself from any traces of jealousy and other egotistic tendencies. Othello refers to such tendencies as a malignant and a turband Turk whom he smote in Aleppo. This took place many years before Othellos arrival in Venice. Afterwards, Othello departs and follows Desdemona to Mauritania (For, in my sense, tis happiness to die). Their experiences were needed to prepare Venice for the next stage of the developmental process. After their arrival in Mauritania, the music that may not be heard becomes perceptible in Venice. A sequel to Othello is illustrated in The Merchant of Venice. It is there that Portia, just like Othello did with the Turkish fleet, will be able to destroy, and then recover, Antonios ships. Lets now take a look at how Othellos story was presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Presenting Iago as a black man has definitively excited the critics. Playing up the blackness of Iago, however, has drastically diluted the uniqueness of Othello and made it much more difficult for the audience to grasp the meaning of the play. Secondly, by attempting to degrade Othellos nobility, the director of this RSC production has seriously altered the original play. Othello does not have to torture Iago to get out his testimony. It is the other way around; in the Temptation scene (Scene III.3), it is Othello who provides cues for Iagos narrative about Desdemonas supposed infidelity. Finally, the removal of the scenes with the Clown robbed the audience from fully experiencing the play. Shakespeare used the Clown to indicate that the inner structure of the play goes beyond the boundaries of rational psychology. In his encounter with Cassio, the Clown advises Cassio that he should not use intermediaries in his attempt to communicate with Othello; instead he should follow the music that may not be heard. But Cassio is still incapable of perceiving such music. Later on, the Clown warns Desdemona about her misunderstanding of Othello (Hes a soldier, and for one to say a soldier lies, is stabbing). Desdemona, however, is too preoccupied with Cassio to pay attention to the Clown and his messages. As I have indicated in the review of The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeares music that may not be heard tends to play tricks on the directors who are insensitive to the subtle layers of the plays. So it is with this RSCs production. By trying to dilute Othellos uniqueness, the director has unintentionally created a black man bona fide villain in the play. To escape from this unwelcoming situation, the director had to coat Iago with some more sympathetic features. Namely, Iago becomes gradually wracked with guilt over the crimes he commits. At one point he mimics Lady Macbeths behaviour when he obsessively washes off imaginary bloodstains from the floor. The play ends up with an invented scene in which Iago tries to laugh, but his laughter is somewhat choked. In this RSCs production, Iago is no longer Iago; he has accidentally and prematurely been transformed into Little Iago. But this transformation could not have happened in Othello. In accordance with Shakespeares sequel, this transformation takes place over the course of several plays. Little Iago, i.e., Iachimo, is another Italian villain. He appears in Cymbeline. In conclusion, I would like to pass to Hugh Quarshie the following advice. Forget about Jonson, Bloom, and Show. They are pretty much clueless about Shakespeare. Instead, for a starter, read the chapter on Othello in Wes Jamrozs Shakespeares Elephant in Darkest England. Then take on Greg Dorans offer to direct another production of Othello. You do not have to go tilting at the windmills of traditional interpretation. Just stay with the original text and make sure to cast the same actor to play the Clown and Othello. In this way thousands of spectators will greatly benefit from Shakespeares knowledge of human nature.

Iago is no longer Iago; He has been transformed into Little Iago

7

01 14, 2018

A12LWEV8RL9LVQ

B01H5BOID6

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Michael Schulman

Around 510 BC, Tarquinius, son of the Etruscan king of Rome, raped the Roman aristocrat Lucretia. The rape, & Lucretia's honor-driven suicide, precipitated the rebellion that toppled the monarchy, launching the Roman Republic. So goes the legend, perhaps historically-based, recorded in much later Roman annals & subsequently re-interpreted in poetry, paintings, plays &, in 1946, Britten's first chamber opera, with 8 vocalists & only 13 instrumentalists. This 2015 Glyndebourne production won rave reviews from the British press & no wonder! The singers are all vocally & dramatically terrific & the staging stark, powerful & moving. The imaginative staging by director Fiona Shaw & a set designer Michael Levine presents a military tent & archaeological site, darkly lit, in which the ancient events take place. Shaw introduces 2 silent extras: Lucretia's young daughter & a warcamp slave-prostitute. Most surprisingly, she has the Male & Female Chorus, as modern archaeologists, not only comment about the action, but in time-warp fashion, actually get physically involved with it! I usually deplore such deviations but here, they respect the spirit of Ronald Duncan's libretto, while sustaining the very visceral dramatic impact. Duncan's libretto provides the opera's only weakness, an epilogue sung by the Male & Female Chorus replete with Christian religiosity, quite extraneous to the tragedy that has just unfolded. Extras include commentary by director Shaw, a brief documentary about the opera's 1946 Glyndebourne premiere & a cast gallery.

Intensely gripping, strongly recommended!

10 29, 2017

A17D0T2FOM6580

B01H5BOID6

{"Format:": " DVD"}

jman

super

Five Stars

10 17, 2016

A35NH9645XGBYN

B01H5BOID6

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Dean Frey

This new Opus Arte Blu-ray disc of last year's Glyndbourne production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia is a very welcome record of the highly praised opera directed by Fiona Shaw. Shaw's concept adds new layers to the cleverly designed original concept of Britten and his librettist Ronald Duncan. There's an intended pun there, since the Male and Female Choruses act as if they were post-war British archaeologists uncovering the tragic story of Lucretia and her rape by Tarquinius, prince of Rome. We dig into the story through layers of dirt, and the set and lighting and costume design all focus our attention on Britten's perennial theme, the corruption of innocence. I watched this with the equally sordid American election swirling in the background, which seemed pertinent in a way, but unfortunate in others. There's lots in the story as told by Shaw that's vile, but it also has dignity and gravitas, and the violence of the central act is never gratuitous. That's helped immensely by the amazing acting and singing of the cast, and especially Christine Rice as Lucretia and Duncan Rock as Tarquinius. Musically as well we have the best possible players - thirteen musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and their leader, Leo Hussain - who, as Fiona Shaw herself says, "have [the work] in their fingers, in their bodies." The HD sound and picture are outstanding; much more impressive than a video clip can put across. This is a modern masterpiece brought to post-modern life.

A modern masterpiece brought to post-modern life

03 23, 2018

A2XDSJ1EMFAYAZ

B01H5PIY8W

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Richard A. White

The Curse was great -- especially Claude Atkins. Solid entertainment. Not many movies are both frightening and humorous at the same time. This one is. Wil Wheaton too was great. A much better movie than "Stand by Me."

The Curse was great -- especially Claude Atkins

06 8, 2017

ADKB870FFR9C4

B01H5TBJXU

Amazon Customer

Excellent book, and excellent gentle man. I have been in his space--

Five Stars

01 27, 2017

A27DASAHG49CO4

B01H5TBJXU

Ozeekat

Very good basic information.....

Five Stars

09 29, 2017

A31EL0FVF1XMWK

B01H5T83P2

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Fatmax

Awesome purchase... really clear and well explained... a must have

Five Stars

08 15, 2017

A3BSLM1ROA6W1K

B01H5T83P2

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Ed Becker

It is a really good set of dvd's. The instruction is excellent to follow along with and practice to.

Great instructors and dvd set.

04 26, 2017

A34GQOSO363FJF

B01H5W6KMW

Judy

Some of the clothing were Christmas gifts, and fits good and comfortable on them, other items are good quality, and very nice. Thanks!!

and fits good and comfortable on them

02 27, 2017

ANBTT8DQV29IO

B01H5WFB2W

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Paige

Probably great if you speak Dutch. Needs to be subtitled

Not really for Anglophiles

10 16, 2016

A35NH9645XGBYN

B01H5WFB2W

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Dean Frey

Arthaus Musik has packaged a 2009 documentary from the Van Gogh Museum, directed by Eline Timmer, into this two-DVD set. It's impressively multi-lingual; commentary and subtitles are available in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian. Though there's nothing especially stylish about this in film terms - it follows the standard slow pan across paintings, expert talking heads, voice-over letter reading format of many an art history documentary - the value of this film is the authenticity and authority of its source: the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I was especially interested in the actual letters between Vincent and Theo that play such a large role in Van Gogh's life; the sketches positively jump off the pages. Has there ever been an artist who was so enthusiastic about art? It makes his low patches and final decline even sadder. The HD sound and picture makes learning about an artist a pretty good second place to making the trip to Amsterdam.

Authentic, authoritative Van Gogh

2

04 20, 2017

A2164C9BNTVR6I

B01H5WFLT0

KH

These were convenient and short workouts but the camera work wasn't as sharp as on other DVD's. I'm developing a preference for his Sweatin' and Project H.O.P.E. workouts. I'll still use it, but this DVD won't be one of my favorites.

It's Okay...But Not Great - But that's my opinion.

08 9, 2018

A3S82JWY7SHZ6F

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Jofer Jeff

I first dismissed this as another in a series of killer-boardgames movies that always go nowhere. I was pleasantly surprised to find out this is actually a cool little slasher movie that kept me interested until the end. The plot is simple. After a failed suicide attempt, a girl goes out with her friends and wind up in an abandoned textile mill. there they find the instructions for a ritual they mistake as a game. They unleash the demon "Knucklebones" who promptly makes killing his number one priority. I own the Blu-ray of this movie and I have to say that while its obviously a low budget production, they make great use of their locations and the acting of star Julin Jean is top notch. I hope they can continue the series as Id like to see where this goes.

A great low-budget slasher that exceeds expectations!

07 10, 2018

A1ZZL3ISV36XSE

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

ChaosGod

It's okay.

Ok

02 26, 2018

A18S49SLMFFO4A

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Dean & Vikki Hawkins

Pure midnight, popcorn horror. This is one of the best. Midnight Releasing 'pulled' no punches (huh-huh) for this cheese yet fun monster movie. I am a true horror fan, and agree this movie is 'bad'. But damn if its not entertaining, and thats what a movie should be. They are not all Citizen Kane or The Exorcist. This was pure fun. "Essa, You and I are gonna have a lot of fun together". SEQUEL!!!

This is one of the best. Midnight Releasing 'pulled' no punches (huh-huh) for this ...

01 30, 2018

A3M4OFTO7YWRXP

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

cc

didn't like it

Two Stars

10 23, 2017

A1GCDE3MC2DN0T

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Dickie Riggs

Starts off as your typical slasher with teens trapped in an abandoned building, but then goes on to have quite an interesting twist. Lots of blood, gore and gruesome kills, makes for a fun and entertaining horror film. Most of the 1 star reviews stated they didn't watch it past 15 minutes, so ignore the bad reviews and give this one a chance.

Totally Awesome Gore-fest

10 9, 2017

A2BGARTV3OHHHX

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Matthew Peters

This is better than a lot of horror movies out there. The special effects are very good.

Four Stars

09 3, 2017

A3AFAD00AZ581S

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Grizz

T & A and poor acting cool movie

Three Stars

08 12, 2017

A2W6ZC7Z2XLUWF

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Nightbirdflee97

I thought it was pretty gross and pretty hilarious at the same time. Great make-up but, for me, it wasn't really scary.

I thought it was pretty gross and pretty hilarious at the same time

06 23, 2017

A2A7C0VGPBX9RM

B01H5X80Y2

{"Format:": " Prime Video"}

Carrie Holland

the only good actor is the mother of the girl. that all i have to say. Amazing movie tho, i really enjoyed the artistry and emotional messages it presents!

yes

07 8, 2018

A1FPHI7OOOBH1T

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

sergei kochkin

I have watched dozens of Criterion movies, and many Japanese Criterion. This Blu-Ray edition would appear to be the least effective restoration. My expectations were based on beautiful B&W photos. The movie is dark, grainy, and blurry so that we miss a great deal of detail. In addition the audio track is noisy.

Poor Criterion Blu-Ray restoration

06 8, 2018

A1VSPXWAXR3BZL

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Amazon Customer

amazing old classic movie old kabuki

amazing old classic movie old

04 1, 2018

A1CJD9GGHUWAT8

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Sparkly Pinecone

I confess I was looking for "Bangiku" (Late Chrysanthemums) and bought this by mistake, due to poor reading comprehension. However, it is really good. The mise en scene is spectacular. The camera placements are unexpected and powerful without being gimmicky. The story, about the travails of a young kabuki artist, is melodramatic, which may not be everyone's preference. But even so - the film is infinitely satisfying to watch. The costumes are fantastic, the sets and staging are really beautiful; all inky black shadows and scenes viewed from behind screens and lattice.

Beautiful Melodrama, Shadows and Mist

03 21, 2017

A2T2E6SJ8R0ZGO

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Ishmael

The story and it's way of being shoot. The camera is the audience with an ecoding if honor and protection. A particle of humanity that's not apologetic but that takes danger and life filled with honor and enjoyment of the human experience.

Story telling

01 24, 2017

A12E4VW8DRC0U5

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Jgus

A very delicate film with very nuanced performances and great cinematography. The real find is Shotaro Hanayagi's portrayal of the failed Kabuki actor. Wonderful body language gives one all that is going on in his mind. At all times engrossing.

A masterpiece.

2

01 7, 2017

A27D5EVE277NP

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " DVD"}

maiden pa.

I own many criterion releases of far east films. This story is a masterpiece. Mizoguchi films are about the lives of women. The sacrifice of the woman he loved to get him to fame. There is also an extra interview about the brilliance of the way this film is shot and written. Great far eastern films like 24 eyes,Burmese Harp, Ugetsu Monogatari all masterpieces about sacrifices people go through because of others or for others. Don't forget to buy the box set by Mizoguchi and also check out films by Ozu and Kurosawa. You won't regret these films.

Masterpiece

3

11 27, 2016

APN2A9RHVXGTT

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Film Buff

THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUMS (Zangiku Monogatari) (1939, Japan, 137 min, b/w, English subtitles, Aspect ratio: 4:3, Audio: Mono) The first thing that needs to be emphasized about buying Mizoguchi Kenjis marvelous The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums is that this Artificial Eye version is not the one to get if you only want this film. Criterion released a new version earlier this year of a transfer taken from a beautiful print extracted from the Shochiku vault and that is now the best version on the market according to a number of people. You should only buy this inferior AE version if your DVD player cant play region 1 discs, or if you also want the other three films (saka Elegy, Sisters of the Gion [both 1936] and Utamaro and his Five Women [1946]) which make up their boxed Mizoguchi Collection. The AE prints are all dark, blurry and jittery, but they are at least watchable. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums is one of Mizoguchis most deeply revered films. Jonathan Rosenbaum calls it Mizoguchis greatest and Tony Rayns sees it as The peak of Mizoguchis art. The Life of Oharu (1952) and Sansh Day (1954) have very special places in my heart, but that is mere taste. Make no mistake, Chrysanthemums is as perfect as a film can be. As a melodrama its the daddy of them all (it makes the same years Gone With the Wind look like a storm in a teacup), as a film about the theater its unparalleled, as an analysis of patriarchal society its razor sharp, and as a subtle meditation on the human condition it is as deep as the ocean. What follows contains spoilers. Key to the films success on all levels is the superbly balanced narrative structure in Yoda Yoshikata and Kawaguchi Matsutars adaptation of Muramatsu Shfs novel based on the real-life story of a Kabuki actor Onoue Kikunosuke (Hanayagi Shtar). Kiku starts the film the spoiled adopted son of a famous Kabuki star Onoue Kikugor the 5th (Kawarazaki Gonjur) who cant act and cant carry forward the reputation of the Onoue family Kabuki dynasty. He gradually learns his art due to the inspiring criticism of his brothers wet nurse Otoku (Mori Kakuko) who sacrifices herself so that he can achieve greatness. Across five acts set in three cities (Tky-saka-Nagoya-Tky-saka) Kiku embarks on a five-year odyssey both geographically and emotionally in which he grows up and realizes the true meaning of his lifes vocation, the effort it takes and the sacrifices that must be made. Cunningly structured for maximum effect, the narrative starts darkly with Kikus acting failure, lightens with the blossoming of forbidden love, darkens again to an almost complete standstill around the halfway mark before bursting into iridescent light only for Kikus crowning to be tinged with inevitable tragedy. In other words we have the natural ebb and flow of a lifetimes experience which feels entirely organic thanks to superb pacing achieved through Mizoguchis immaculate concern for detail and an obsession with mirroring key scenes, props, events and camera set-ups down to the tiniest item. Although we cant be completely certain because so many of his films have perished, Chrysanthemums looks like a milestone in Mizoguchis career. At the time he was beset by a series of personal problems his wife was sliding gradually into insanity (some say because of his constant tirades and marital infidelities), his political radical brother had been killed in mysterious circumstances and Japans military aggression in China was on the rise with the recent Marco-Polo Bridge Incident exciting much jingoism. According to Dudley Andrew all of this led to him dropping the propaganda work he was doing and retreating into a series of films set in the Meiji period about theater of which Chrysanthemums is the first and only surviving work. It is so successful that one wonders what the other three films (A Woman of saka [1940], The Life of an Actor [1941], Three Generations of Danjuro [1944]) must have been like, their loss surely constituting one of the great tragedies in cinema history. Chrysanthemums alone showcases the first flowering of his mature style which takes in a one scene, one shot technique in which long takes are the norm. Close-ups are completely eschewed and scenes are defined either by discreet camera movements in static interior sequences or by intricate (and hugely celebrated) outdoor tracking shots. In both cases the length of each shot is extremely long and actors are given all the time in the world to act with the barest minimum of artificial intrusion. This has been termed the monumental style by a number of critics and the balanced narrative structure of Chrysanthemums is achieved on the biggest scale by constructing giant scenes which relate to each other closely in two theatre styles the style of Kabuki (there are three Kabuki sequences in the film coming at the beginning, on the 2/3 mark and near the end) and the style of shinpa theater for the main drama of the film. Significantly shinpa originated in Kabuki and is the bridge between that old art-form and the new gendaigeki of cinema. Mizoguchi had been making shinpa dramas since the 1920s and here he emphasizes it by casting two shinpa theatre actors (Hanayagi and his student Mori) who did very few films other than this and by keeping everything distant as it would be in a theater without recourse to fake (ie; non-theatrical) close-ups. Some people who have criticized the stilted wooden acting of this film have pretty much missed the point. The film is intensely theatrical from beginning to end and we can be sure that any stiffness reflects this shinpa tradition. As noted the film is comprised of 5 acts, each one tied to one city except for Act 4 which is set in two. Within those 5 acts are three important Kabuki sequences with the long middle one forming the apex of the films Mt. Fuji-shaped narrative structure. The timings also say something so that the films structure looks like this: Act 1: Tky (51 min.) - Opening Kabuki performance (Yotsuya Kaidan) Act 2: saka (21 min.) Act 3: Nagoya (38 min.) - Central Kabuki performance (Tsumori koi Yuki no Sekinoto) Act 4: saka then Tky (9 min.) Act 5: saka (18 min.) - Kabuki performance (a 'Lion Dance' celebrating the reunion of father and son) soon followed by closing Kabuki actor procession Act 1 sets up the situation and gives equal weight to Kikus failing as a Kabuki actor and to the awakening love between him and Otoku, the only one who is honest to his face about his performances. The Onoue familys rejection of this love (a long scene where Kiku is confronted with his father, mother and brother and which ends in his expulsion from the family) underlines the duel meaning of the films Japanese title Zangiku Monogatari. Zangiku refers to the last blooming chrysanthemums. The name Kiku also means chrysanthemum. The four seasons of a year represent the cycle of life from birth (spring) to death (winter). Chrysanthemums bloom in autumn, but the last bloom as winter (death) is about to set in. The film is about Kiku, an actor who only blossoms late when he is in the face of death. The second meaning takes in what Kiku represents for his family, ie; the insurance that the Kabuki dynasty will not die out, that it will be continued after the death of his father. This means the film is on a second level a film about Kabuki, a theater form which thrives on family dynasties and feudal patriarchal social values. This broadens the tragedy that happens in the film from the personal to the universal. Otoku sacrifices herself for the man she loves, for the greatness of his acting, and for the survival of Kabuki itself as an art-form and the social values it represents. A brief look at the films opening illustrates the above. Note the first two sequences of the film parallel the Kabuki stage with the Onoue family home. We start with a short shot looking up from outside the theater. We hear the Kabuki music and then are taken backstage as we hear a performance taking place. On stage we see a performance space split into two levels, the stage floor and an embankment which runs across the back. The audience (both in the theater and us) look up at the stage as we see Kiku acting. After backstage mutterings about his bad performance Mizoguchi takes us to a geisha house which we see at first shot again from below looking up through a latticed window. Kiku is not present, but the camera slides laterally left to reveal him standing outside and probably listening to the group inside bad-mouthing him behind his back. Disenchanted by the geisha thrust at him (who only want him for his family name and inherited money) Kiku returns home, Mizoguchi simply cutting to another shot looking up from below at the Onoue home and behind an embankment just like the embankment on the Kabuki stage. The feeling is that of a Kabuki play which is continuing on into the real life of shinpa drama. It is here that Kiku meets Otoku for the first time and in an exquisite long lateral track, the camera sliding to the right it seems forever (actually 5 minutes), we look up at these two people walking and talking innocently, but under the placid surface their feelings are swelling up for each other. It is 2 oclock in the morning (Otoku is outside minding Kikus brothers baby) and the night sounds combine with the feelings of these two as Kiku listens for the first time to someone who actually dares to tell him the truth about himself. We later see the exterior of the Onoue home from the same low camera angle two more times, after Otoku has been fired and then when the family rushes out after Kiku who has gone searching for her. Mizoguchis point is clearly to portray the beginning of a double tragedy here. First, the personal drama of the two lovers and second the drama of the threat to the Kabuki family. Mizoguchi at once personalizes and universalizes the significance of the events we see. Act 2 moves to saka a year later and is split into two scenes, the first shows Kiku backstage still clumsy, tripping over things and acting badly in the employ of his aging consumptive uncle Tamiz (Onoue Tamitaro). The style is much the same as the beginning of Act 1, but then the second scene shows the mood lightening as Otoku is revealed in the shadows waiting for him outside the theatre. Her family had refused to let her go with Kiku a year before and after no doubt reading the papers about Kikus continuing acting problems she has decided to come and take care of him. In direct contrast with the tetchy backstage scenes, the tension evaporates completely as a second long and immensely sophisticated tracking shot follows the couple through the streets to Kikus poor lodgings. The highpoint comes when they turn a corner and walk directly toward the camera in a movement clearly meant by Mizoguchi to suggest the rapture of the two even if the conversation never rises above the mundane, the power palpably there in the restraint with which Mizoguchi observes his characters. The shot doesnt finish until they disappear into Kikus abode. Apart from the extraordinary accomplishment of the tracking shot itself, there are important echoes here which resonate strongly both backwards and forwards in the film. First, the tracking shot obviously mirrors the earlier tracking shot described above which depicts the couples first meeting. As before, the burst of lyricism comes immediately after seeing Kiku humiliated at work and there is the repeated sense of Otoku appearing as his savior. Also as before, she walks with her hands to her chest this time holding a bag instead of a baby. Unlike the earlier track which was strictly lateral with the characters shown in profile from 90 degrees, here the track starts laterally but then backs away as the characters turn and walk directly towards the camera. This comes as a profound shock and announces very precisely the strong bond of love which exists between them. Clearly though Otoku will only stay with Kiku until his acting gets better, her heart will stay with him forever. Second, the tracking shot echoes forward to Act 4 when Otoku returns to saka after giving Kiku up. The camera position is the same as Otoku enters the house (a dark gloomy trudge which ironically comments on the ecstasy of the earlier walk) and in the scene in the house as she sits motionless for an eternity before lighting the stove and pouring herself tea, we notice it is a ritual which echoes (again ironically) exactly how Kiku does the same things for her earlier in Act 2. Act 4 is made up of two 5 minutes scenes which beautifully portray the reactions of both Otoku and Kiku to their separation. Kikus moments of melancholy are delicately achieved in a scene in his familys Tky home where he sees the same baby Otoku was caring for playing in the same place but having grown 5 years older and then in one of the most heart-rending scenes of all where he watches a man cut open a round loaf of bread. This echoes the scene in Act 1 when he cuts open a round water melon for Otoku. The camera is in exactly the same position for both shots, and Kikus melancholy is fully conveyed even though he is in the back of the shot and we can barely make out the expression on his face. It is Mizoguchis extraordinary control of mise-en-scène and formal structure which moves us throughout, not the acting performances per se, though of course there is nothing wrong in that department either! The center of the films narrative is of course Act 3 which centers on two dialectically opposing situations. The first highlights Kiku and Otoku reaching rock bottom and near death while the second centers on Kikus triumphant Kabuki performance and his resurrection from virtual death back into the Onoue family fold. Act 2 finished with Tamiz dying and leaving Kiku with a travelling Kabuki troupe which takes him to Nagoya. An inter-title announces that 4 years have passed as we see Kiku and Otoku at the end of their tether, he beginning to give up on his Kabuki career and she vainly trying to inject life into him. They squabble and at one point he even hits her. Over a very long single take shot in the Nagoya theatre from a high camera angle we see Kiku rejecting the money Otaku eventually gives him and then observe the other company members fighting. Someone rushes in to announce the manager has done a runner and that the company has been kicked out by a group of women wrestlers who arrive just as the stage scenery comes crashing down. The camera gradually pans left to an open window through which we see the pouring rain. The whole scene is so simply done with great concern for ensemble acting with only the subtlest of camera movements as we see a whole world disintegrate. After a brief scene outside in the rain, Kiku and Otoku are forced into a doss house and seem doomed, a high camera angle again emphasizing their plight with other poor people who surround them. They have no privacy, no money, no prospects and above everything else Otokus cough announces the TB that will eventually kill her. The first half of the film has been structured to depict this gradual slide into destruction. It is interesting that when the characters have hope and a future, Mizoguchi chooses predominantly low camera angles looking up at them, isolating/elevating them out of the surrounding world. This emphasizes the connection with Kabuki that was made at the start of Act 1, the future of the art-form being constantly equated with the future of Kiku. When the characters (and the future of Kabuki they represent) are hopeless and facing wrack and ruin, the camera looks down mercilessly on them emphasizing the crowds that surround them and the quagmire of hopeless humanity into which they are disappearing. Fortunately (and in the best tradition of shinpa theatre) a miracle is at hand. Kiku and Otoku notice a newspaper ad for an Onoue family Kabuki performance in Nagoya and unknown to Kiku, Otoku goes to see Kikus brother Fuku (Takada Kkichi) who offers to let Kiku play the main role in his place. If Kiku is successful he can come back to Tky, but under condition that Otoku must give him up. This 8-minute Kabuki performance sequence marks the epic epi-center of the film, coming as it does in the middle of Act 3 and acts as a pivot on which the whole narrative structure swings. The title of the Kabuki play we see is significant for the whole film. Tsumori koi yuki no sekinoto is very loosely translated as hidden love mounting like snow on the barrier. Tsumori koi yuki refers exactly to the stifled forbidden love mounting up like snow which Otoku harbors for Kiku, while the onnagata role of Sumizome which Kiku plays represents exactly Otoku herself. Mizoguchis treatment of this Kabuki scene where Sumizome fights a bad man out to ruin her secret lover (a metaphor for Otoku fighting off bad men from Kiku), and in which she eventually turns back into a tree (Sumizome is a tree spirit), is handled with extraordinary sensitivity. In contrast with the outer Kabuki extracts we see which are shorter and focus either backstage or on the actors performing, here Mizoguchi shows us the performers, but the focus is really on the reaction of the key observers which shows us that Kikus performance is highly successful. Several times Mizoguchi cuts away from the stage to show us Fuku, their uncle and most importantly of all Otoku who watches the stage hanging onto a wall barely able to stand up with the emotion. She is watching herself on stage and it finally gets too much for her as she climbs down under the proscenium where she prays in the dark to an Inari (a shrine present in every Kabuki theater for the welfare of the actors) that Kikus performance will return him (and Kabuki with it) to glory. This long prayer which Mizoguchi cuts away from and back to several times is the essence of what the film is all about - a woman sacrificing herself for her man. Just as Sumizome transforms back into a tree having given her all to save her love on stage so Otoku staggers out of the theater at the end and collapses beside (turning into?) a tree coughing from the sickness she has contracted through sacrificing herself to 5 long years of hardship on the road with a man with whom her love has always had to remain hidden and which like snow mounting up has become impossible to bear. This idea of tsumori koi yuki is a hard one perhaps for Western audiences to grasp in the context of this film. We might think this is a simple love story where a couple run away from the mans family which forbids their love, that they have sex and live totally for each other in a romantic sense. This is not what happens in this film. It is clear that Otoku runs away to be with Kiku solely to inspire his acting. She is doing it for him and the Kabuki tradition he represents. At no point do the characters ever sleep together, they do not marry and there is no talk of children or of a shared future. As Kiku tells his disbelieving brother, Its not like that at all. She sees that Kikus greatest wish is to succeed in his craft and she sees that for Kabuki to survive the family he represents has to carry on through Kiku. As a poor daughter of a painter she cannot marry Kiku. If she did he and his family would be disgraced. This is where Mizoguchis analysis of class/patriarchy kicks in as a woman of the wrong class her love for him can never be realized and any feelings they have (and of course they DO love each other romantically to be sure) must be hidden or suppressed in the face of patriarchal values enshrined in Kabuki, an art-form Mizoguchi clearly has immense sympathy for. Contrary to what Nol Burch has said, this is why I cant see this as a feminist film for Mizoguchi refrains from negative judgment of patriarchal values. If there is a villain in the film it is the Kabuki father patriarch but the director gives him a scene in Act 5 where he allows Kiku to visit Otokus bed with his blessing as she is dying. If anything Mizoguchi portrays the father here with a sympathy which flies in the face of any feminist attack. The director presents the relationship between Kiku and Otoku as a human tragedy of tsumori koi yuki (a love that through being repressed burns ever stronger and harder to take) to be sure, but it is also a fait accompli, as if to say that is how things have to be. At no point does he attack the way society is organized as he did in saka Elegy and Sisters of the Gion. Here he simply accepts the storys outcome as socially the right thing to happen. Kiku and the Kabuki family he represents are resurrected by the sacrifice of a woman whose greatest wish was that they both flourish. What happens is tremendously sad, tragic even, but ultimately is the right thing to have happened for great art to flourish. This idea receives even clearer expression in Mizoguchis 1946 Utamaro and his Five Women where the great ukiyo-e artist Utamaro (modeled on the director himself) achieves greatness through the sacrifice of all the women around him. For Mizoguchi, women suffering for men may not be right (and is often downright cruel), but that is how it has always been. Its less a social phenomenon than an eternal facet of the human condition which cannot be changed. This is borne out by the fact that whilst many of his films are jidaigeki set in the past, the picture he paints of society, of men and women is as relevant now as it was then. The point that Otoku would be happier seeing Kiku and his family restored to greatness than to actually see Kiku suffering face-to-face next to her is made clearly in the encounter with his family on the train at the end of Act 3 as Kiku leaves Nagoya without her. Of course in human terms both Kiku and Otoku are unhappy at losing their love and the two scenes of Act 4 convey the melancholy suffered by both parties in no uncertain terms. These are two people suffering from tsumori koi yuki, but as Act 5 clearly states, what happens is for the good of all, including Otoku herself. The final Kabuki performance comments on a father who is proud to welcome his son back after a year of struggling wherein he has grown up. The sequence clearly stamps Kikus 5-year odyssey as a very necessary one for his artistic maturation. This is exactly what Otoku has provided and she dies because her lifes work is done and she has nothing left to live for. Her goal has been achieved and she dies happy. Kiku and the Kabuki he represents lives on better for the sacrifice she has made. This is the point of the final boat procession in which Kiku bows to his fans while Otoku listens and moves into the next world. In this final scene Mizoguchi captures a feeling of the deepest tragedy coupled with the deepest sense of life affirmation in a simple way which is as moving as anything I have ever encountered in the cinema. In fact the whole film deeply impresses by the way complex universal emotions and ideas are conveyed simply, elegantly, and with maximum poignant restraint. That is the genius of Mizoguchi. This is a 5-star film which everyone needs to see. Alas, AEs bare-bones presentation is woeful. The print is dark, blurry, jittery and totally inadequate for such a wonderful film. As said if you want just this film then best go for Criterions 2016 new release which people say is much better. I have bought the AE box, but I will probably also buy the Criterion disc as well The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums is unquestionably a masterpiece which deserves to be seen in the best possible condition regardless of the expense.

Mizoguchi at the zenith of his powers

19

11 20, 2016

A3CVGGFMKW55BH

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " DVD"}

Zangiku

this is Mizo's masterpiece, about a young kabuki actor in the early 20th C, & has finally been restored with great pains from good footage languishing in the shochiku studio archives for too long. this remaster is VERY HIGH QUALITY (PLEASE IGNORE 3-STAR REVIEWER BELOW WHO WATCHED IT ON HULU!), clear & bright, ratio auto-adapts to your TV, & the subtitles are excellent. a beautiful story, the Jpns Melodrama Par Extraordinaire, plus kabuki scenes & music, Mizo's usual wonderful ambient visuals, & some really epoch-making camera work. you will not be disappointed! (NOTE there is another version out there, with jpns characters on the cover & lacking the monster flower, which is the same remaster but the subtitles are very bad, as it was originally release for the jpns market. get this one!!)

as good as it gets

7

10 17, 2016

A3HSRK92CI00HR

B01H66WAUS

{"Format:": " Blu-ray"}

Amazon Customer

Loved the story line.

Five Stars

2