DVD : Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Bach, Brahms: Alexis Weissenberg - Classic Archive |
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Rating: - * One of the Most Extraordinary Piano Films Ever Made ... My title applies primarily to the 1965 black & white film of Alexis Weissenberg playing Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka, amazingly creatively filmed in Stockholm by Åke Falck. I remember seeing this film on TV almost forty years ago and the memory of it has stayed with me ever since. I am so pleased finally to have a copy of that marvelous film. Weissenberg was in his early thirties at the time and at the very height of his considerable form. The views provided by Falck are highly unusual but each has a clear intention of adding to our enjoyment of the music by showing us in closeup both the hands of Weissenberg and the movements of the mechanism of the piano; the camera actually almost climbs inside the piano. The whole thing is filmed with high-key contrast. This is one of the great piano films ever made. But that's not all (as they say on late-night TV infomercials): also included on this 150 minute DVD are black & white films of performances of Prokofiev's Third Piano Sonata, Op. 28 and Scriabin's Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9, No. 2; Rachmaninov's Prelude, Op. 23, No. 6 in E Flat (in color); the Largo from Chopin's Third Piano Sonata (B&W), as well as his Nocturne Op. Posth. in C Minor and Étude Op. 25, No. 7 in C Sharp Minor (the latter two in color). Then, rounding out the DVD are the Chromatic Fantasy, BWV 903 (B&W), Bach's Sixth Partita (color), Myra Hess's arrangement of 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' (color), and to top it all off, a performance of Brahms's Second Piano Concerto with the Orchestre National de l'ORTF under George Prêtre (B&W). All of these were recorded for French television in 1966-1969. Each of these performances has something to say about the music, but most especially I responded to the Chopin nocturne, the brilliant Prokofiev sonata and although the sound especially of the orchestra for the Brahms was not quite as good as for the rest, I thought Weissenberg's performance was both thoughtful and moving. (That long and soulful cello solo in the third movement was gorgeously played by the orchestra's unnamed principal; unfortunately the bassoonist bobbled his commentary after the cello theme's first statement.) There is also an eleven minute interview with Weissenberg about Petrushka, apparently filmed recently. Among many other things he says that when he first saw the piano score for the Petrushka 'I couldn't even look at it, it was like poison, some kind of hell on paper'. And he does on to supply fascinating details about how the film was made. If for no other reason, you owe it to yourself to see and hear Weissenberg's sensational performance of the Petrushka movements; it is truly a classic film of a classic performance. Running time: 150mins; Format NTSC 4:3; Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0; Bonus language: French, with English subtitles; Region code 0 (worldwide). Scott Morrison Rating: - * Must buy ... If only for the Stravinsky, but it! Whether you're a fan of super-humanly difficult piano playing, strikingly original filming technique or simply want a great copy of a fabulous composition, this is a must. The other videos are uninspired in terms of the video part, but you still get to see AW providing memorable interpretations or core piano repertoire. Rating: - * A must have for anyone interested in the piano! ... While all of the videos from performances are wonderful, the Stravinsky is the stand-out. The film-work and playing are simply amazing. You'll find yourself watching it again and again. It was a shame it took 43 years for it to become available to the public, I would have paid the full price just for that film. My review is simple - buy it! - JRB |
The segment on Van Gogh is, as expected, emotional, yet Schama convincingly portrays Van Gogh as not consumed by madness, but fighting off the episodes with painting. Van Gogh painted one of his most evocative works, Wheat Field With Crows, which even his brother, Theo, recognized was about to put his brother on the artistic map. Yet, as Schama points out, within weeks, Van Gogh had killed himself. "Now why would he want to do that?" Schama muses--and then proceeds to narrate the tormented tale of the answer. Along the way, the viewer gains new appreciation for Van Gogh's signature works, including his famous sunflowers. "Technically, these are still lives," Schama says, "but there's nothing still about them... the sunflowers [seem to be] organisms landing violently from a burning sun." If the reenactments of the artists' lives are a bit overdone, it's forgivable, since the cumulative effect, in an hour, is a new appreciation of the work and the man.
Extras include frank and very funny commentaries by Schama and his co-producer, and lots of behind-the-scenes dish on how certain scenes were achieved. The teeming French opera scene in the "David" episode, for instance, was cast using just 20 French extras and then the rest created by CGI--"the scene works better, really, than [the film] King Kong," Schama says with delight. --A.T. Hurley
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Bird has his cake and eats it, too. He and the Pixar wizards send up superhero and James Bond movies while delivering a thrilling, supercool action movie that rivals Spider-Man 2 for 2004's best onscreen thrills. While it's just as funny as the previous Pixar films, The Incredibles has a far wider-ranging emotional palette (it's Pixar's first PG film). Bird takes several jabs, including some juicy commentary on domestic life ("It's not graduation, he's moving from the fourth to fifth grade!").
The animated Parrs look and act a bit like the actors portraying them, Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter. Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee also have a grand old time as, respectively, superhero Frozone and bad guy Syndrome. Nearly stealing the show is Bird himself, voicing the eccentric designer of superhero outfits ("No capes!"), Edna Mode.
Nominated for four Oscars, The Incredibles won for Best Animated Film and, in an unprecedented win for non-live-action films, Sound Editing.
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The Presentation
This two-disc set is (shall we say it?), incredible. The digital-to-digital transfer pops off the screen and the 5.1 Dolby sound will knock the socks off most systems. But like any superhero, it has an Achilles heel. This marks the first Pixar release that doesn't include both the widescreen and full-screen versions in the same DVD set, which was a great bargaining chip for those cinephiles who still want a full-frame presentation for other family members. With a 2.39:1 widescreen ratio (that's big black bars, folks, à la Dr. Zhivago), a few more viewers may decide to go with the full-frame presentation. Fortunately, Pixar reformats their full-frame presentation so the action remains in frame.
The Extras
The most-repeated segments will be the two animated shorts. Newly created for this DVD is the hilarious "Jack-Jack Attack," filling the gap in the film during which the Parr baby is left with the talkative babysitter, Kari. "Boundin'," which played in front of the film theatrically, was created by Pixar character designer Bud Luckey. This easygoing take on a dancing sheep gets better with multiple viewings (be sure to watch the featurette on the short).
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Brad Bird still sounds like a bit of an outsider in his commentary track, recorded before the movie opened. Pixar captain John Lasseter brought him in to shake things up, to make sure the wildly successful studio would not get complacent. And while Bird is certainly likable, he does not exude Lasseter's teddy-bear persona. As one animator states, "He's like strong coffee; I happen to like strong coffee." Besides a resilient stance to be the best, Bird threw in an amazing number of challenges, most of which go unnoticed unless you delve into the 70 minutes of making-of features plus two commentary tracks (Bird with producer John Walker, the other from a dozen animators). We hear about the numerous sets, why you go to "the Spaniards" if you're dealing with animation physics, costume problems (there's a reason why previous Pixar films dealt with single- or uncostumed characters), and horror stories about all that animated hair. Bird's commentary throws out too many names of the animators even after he warns himself not to do so, but it's a lively enough time. The animator commentary is of greatest interest to those interested in the occupation.
There is a 30-minute segment on deleted scenes with temporary vocals and crude drawings, including a new opening (thankfully dropped). The "secret files" contain a "lost" animated short from the superheroes' glory days. This fake cartoon (Frozone and Mr. Incredible are teamed with a pink bunny) wears thin, but play it with the commentary track by the two superheroes and it's another sharp comedy sketch. There are also NSA "files" on the other superheroes alluded to in the film with dossiers and curiously fun sound bits. "Vowellet" is the only footage about the well-known cast (there aren't even any obligatory shots of the cast recording their lines). Author/cast member Sarah Vowell (NPR's This American Life) talks about her first foray into movie voice-overs--daughter Violet--and the unlikelihood of her being a superhero. The feature is unlike anything we've seen on a Disney or Pixar DVD extra, but who else would consider Abe Lincoln an action figure? --Doug Thomas
More Incredibles at Amazon.com
 The Incredibles Toy Store |  CD Soundtrack |  The Art of The Incredibles Book |
 Game Boy Advance |  On VHS |  The Essential Guide Book |
The Pixar Feature Films
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 Favorite Animated Performances |  Previous Animated Oscar Nominees |  If You Like The Incredibles... |
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More Superheroes on DVD
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Also from Filmmaker Brad Bird
 The Iron Giant (Writer/Director) |  "Family Dog" on Amazing Stories (Writer/Director) |  Batteries Not Included (Cowriter) |
 The Simpsons (Director/Consultant) |  King of the Hill (Consultant) |  The Critic (Consultant) |
