Today we are highlighting four particularly compelling recent releases perfect for summer enjoyment, all from Acorn/Athena Media - the documentaries BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY and SHAKESPEARE: THE KING'S MAN, as well as the complete collection of Judi Dench's British TV series A FINE ROMANCE and also the lavish 1982 TV film THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL starring Ian McKellen, Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour and Julian Fellowes.
BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY
One of the most stupefying and impressive collections of talent ever assembled for a project of this sort, the superb entertainment documentary BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY illustrates the many links between Jewish culture and Broadway while also exploring and dissecting many of the most fascinating figures, subjects and moments in the development of the American musical model as it developed. Lest we forget, the only wholly original American artform besides rap and jazz is the Broadway musical - and that comes largely as a result of the contributions of many of the men and women highlighted in this peerlessly in-depth look at an integral element of theatre history and those who made it what it was and what it is today. Among the participating figures included in the documentary - almost all of whom are spotlighted in the generous bonus disc, as well; which contains over three hours of additional content, including extended interviews, vintage clips and more - the list includes:
Stephen Sondheim,
Stephen Schwartz,
Maury Yeston,
Sheldon Harnick,
John Kander,
Marc Shaiman,
Andrew Lippa,
Charles Strouse,
Mary Rodgers Guettel and many more. Additionally, the performance footage showcased within the film proper - and also available to view in full in many circumstances byway of the aforementioned bonus DVD - makes the item a must-buy for any serious Broadway baby. Michael Kantor has crafted a masterful portrait of the theatre and an invaluable document of an unparalleled era in American musical theatre history - and American history itself. Also,
Joel Grey's commentary is a delight, as are the many individual insights afforded by the pleasingly open and thoughtful contributors.
Marc Shaiman's extended interview - complete with jaw-droppingly brilliant piano demonstrations - as well as that of
Stephen Sondheim,
Stephen Schwartz,
Maury Yeston and
Charles Strouse, are, simply put, exceptional. So, too, is Shaiman's special song and the performance footage of
Barbra Streisand and other bonus content a privilege to view - in some cases, arriving here in its DVD premiere. BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY was originally presented on
PBS and the gold standard expected of the network - as well as the truly tremendous release that Acorn/Athena has given this title - is achieved and surpassed by this veritable treasure trove.
SHAKESPEARE: THE KING'S MAN
While the works of
William Shakespeare will always be best-loved by those who have become inextricably entwined within his wordy, well-worn web, there is only one first time that one can experience Shakespeare, and, were I to offer an introductory course in the Bard, one could not ask to do much better than SHAKESPEARE: THE KING'S MAN. All things considered, a Shakespeare documentary usually succeeds or fails based on three important factors: the presentational style, the quality of the analysis therein and the participants involved and how they come across on film. As presented and narrated by Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro, one eventually warms to his uniquely emotional and somewhat manic style over the course of the three parts, though at first he may seem a bit much to some. Shakespeare is all about theatricality, after all, and one could not ask for a more passionate or more invested host/creator. Shapiro may entertain some controversial theories in the duration of the historically-based doc, but almost all of his research and facts as presented are verified - and, for the most part, quite air-tight. So, too, is his smart, sharp and succinct analysis of sixteen plays or so a true joy to experience - he presents them all in a particularly inspired manner, oftentimes highlighted by fantastic live performance footage that manage to expertly capture much of the themes, feel and mood of many of these admittedly tough-to-grasp later plays composed by the King's Man. Indeed, Shapiro's insight into the history of the time and his vast knowledge of the supposed history of the man behind the play himself is thorough and thoughtful to a fault - consistently engaging and never veering too far from the various topics under discussion, with some illuminating location visits and conversations with other historians; the focus always remains firmly set on the second half of Shakespeare's career and the historical circumstances surrounding the creation of the plays themselves. And, who could honestly ask for a better overview? While
Romeo & Juliet has enjoyed recent popularity onstage and onscreen - with not one but two New York productions cropping up this season alone coming up very soon, as well as a
Julian Fellowes-adapted big screen iteration - and TITUS ANDRONICUS and the histories are fascinating, the most idiosyncratic and many would argue most impressive plays of Shakespeare's oeuvre are the dozen or so that he penned near the close of his life. In particular, Shapiro's musings on MEASURE FOR MEASURE, TIMON OF ATHENS, CORIOLANUS and MACBETH are extraordinarily inspired and exceedingly interesting. Indeed, SHAKESPEARE: THE KING'S MAN is an absolutely fantastic first course or continuing course in the endless feast provided to us by looking further into the life, history and actual plays penned by the world's greatest playwright of all time. The rest is silence - well, almost; a bonus DVD of a full performance of KING LEAR is included for good measure!
A FINE ROMANCE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
Looking for fun? Looking for frivolity? Looking for
Judi Dench singing the disco-tastic theme song for her own TV sitcom? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then A FINE ROMANCE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION may very well be for you. Yes,
Judi Dench sings the disco-tinged theme song - and an impossibly catchy ear-worm it is, I would add - and the series itself is a whole lot of frivolous fun. Is it Shakespeare? No, definitely not, but Dench makes damn well sure that we all have a good time by the close of any and all of the twenty-six episodes spread over four discs in the sparkly new release now available. While the episodes themselves unmistakably show their humble, low-budget roots and the fashions, hairstyles and attitudes are undeniably of their time - in this case, 1980-1983 or thereabouts - much of the humor is ageless. And, in speaking of timeless, Dench excels throughout - if you ever yearned to experience a true blue
Judi Dench Britcom, one could not ask for a more vivid and jaunty fulfillment of their wishes than this. While much of the secondary plots of many episodes may be slight, the acting of Dench and her co-star
Michael Williams is never less than excellent entertainment - and, in many cases, much more. A palpable rapport between the two actors can be felt from the very first episode and their subsequent first meet-cute conversation - and, that complex character collision of two unlikely individuals is colorfully exploited for all the comedy, drama and romance one would expect. Well, not quite all the romance - without giving too much away, let's just say that the relationship between the two people-of-a-certain-age at the center is not quite outright consummated, let alone physical displays of affection cropping up too often (or virtually at all). It's a bit cold in some of the comedy and the way the series is staged in general - laugh-track and soundstages included - but it also has a special warmth revealed in the scenes shared solely between Dench and Williams, and, for those moments alone, A FINE ROMANCE is a fine diversion to pass the long, hot summer days. Acorn's release is stalwart as usual, though the series itself does show its age in more ways than one, unfortunately - as to be expected. Creator
Bob Larbey provides intriguing production notes, but the release lacks any bonus features otherwise - yet, this collection gives us the chance to fully experience every aspect of the series as it was. Yet, wouldn't a reunion featurette or even a commentary by Dench, Williams, Larbey or a combination of them have been fantastic? As it stands, A FINE ROMANCE is a fine release worthy of a look, particularly for those looking to see one of the greatest actresses of our age stretch some unexpected - and surprisingly sensational - muscles. Her heart, that is!
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
While the Broadway musical adaptation of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL might most immediately leap to mind for many theatre fans when mentioning the title, the last word on the subject since
Baroness Orczy's novel of the same name (as well as its companion piece, ELDORADO) is undoubtedly the absolutely expert 1982 film adaptation starring
Ian McKellen,
Anthony Andrews and
Jane Seymour. McKellen is at his expectedly elegant, effortlessly awesome best as Chauvelin - and, what casting!
Jane Seymour is, in a word, ravishing - perfectly commanding her role, as well.
Anthony Andrews is very good as the title character, though at times one feels that McKellen could have given quite a masterful take on the role (and
vice versa) were casting circumstances to have turned out differently. How fascinating it would be to see the same film with the actors reversed! A credit to their gifts. As it stands, the casting is spot-on. The rest of the production is sumptuous and supremely entertaining - the sets are lavish, the costumes gorgeous and the acting all-around pristine.
Clive Donner's directing is fast-paced and inventively staged and lensed, while the screenplay by William Bast is nearly the best novel adaptation one could ask - it is effervescent and consistently, continually effective. The fast pace and utterly divine musical score propel the property forward with purpose and pop, making it a true joy to fall under the spell of it all - whether in revisiting a fond memory of viewing it in the past or partaking in the film for the first time now that it is out on DVD. Of course, the themes of the story itself - that of beheadings of the rich aristocrats as a result of an uprising by the working class and the poor - are all-too apropos in this day and age (look no further than the mega-hit status of LES MISERABLES onscreen last year for further proof) and this historically rich, endlessly romantic and copiously action-packed presentation of the material is an ideal way to venture into a distant, dynamic and distinct world. Plus, the creator of
Downton Abbey himself,
Julian Fellowes, appears throughout the proceedings in a hilarious and darling supporting role. While the new release is lacking in any extras or a proper HD remastering, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL still shines more than thirty years after its premiere byway of this highly-recommended Acorn release. Now, just try to get that unbelievable musical score out of your head - along with
Jane Seymour's simply incredible beauty and McKellen's predominance as an acting icon of our age showing off his incalculable skills for our pleasure time and time again. A treat.
For more information about Acorn/Athena Entertainment Media, Acorn TV and all of these releases and much more, visit the official Acorn website
here.
