Pirates of Penzance, Ronstadt and Kline - available in DVD

[countrycousin]

 I greatly admire the movie version.  I posted a rant some time ago that it wasn't out in DVD.  It now is.  I have my copy!!  Rant hereby withdrawn.

They did this version on stage, and a DVD of that has been available.  But the production values of that release are not good.

This one was designed as a movie and benefits greatly.  (although the ending

Comments

[harimad]

I like this version as well but it really drags in the middle.

[countrycousin]

Well, often-orphan was orpher-done, but we have Gilbert to blame for that. 2d act opens slowly, and they leave out the tidbit that the actual ancestors that torture Stanley were purchased, not actual. But I suppose that they figured that was too subtle for movie-goers who had already swallowed the pirates' sympathy to a retirement-aged orphan. But then we have the Foeman Baring his Steel with a rubber Azito with room to move, Ronstadt and a dubbed voice for the other daughter, but musically delightful. And then it gets slow again and they pull in Matter Matter Matter (the superb Australian Opera version does, too) and soon enough comes the magnificent Catlike Tread, which again benefits from the music and space freedom. As does the wooing breeze! [and you started me in the middle so I didn't even get to drool over the first act. :-) ]

But, yes, there are slow points. But it is so easy to skip around on a DVD!

I admit it. I'm a besotted fool. :-}

[charlie_ego]

they leave out the tidbit that the actual ancestors that torture Stanley were purchased, not actual

Heh. I was rereading the play recently and came across that line, and was very surprised at not remembering it, because it's such a great line -- figured it had just been too long since I had last seen it.

I agree on the often-orphan thing - one of the few bits of this that I don't like.

Feel free to drool over the first act, I'll listen ;)

[charlie_ego]

OH MY GOSH RONSTADT AND KLINE IS OUT ON DVD???? THANK YOU!!!!!

I don't usually do all caps, but that's the way I feel -- I have wanted to own this version, and not the stage version, for... well, a really really long time. And I had no idea it was out. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

[countrycousin]

All caps is the way I felt, too. I should have posted when Amazon alerted me (you can leave a request for things not yet out) but I tried to hold it in until I had the disk in the player and was watching the daughters troop around pointing dramatically onward while the policeman slink off. :-)

[charlie_ego]

Well, I'm glad you waited... because I would have been skeptical given that I have confused the stage and movie versions before... but now that you've actually watched it I feel much more secure. It's in my shopping cart!

[countrycousin]

Here is a review of the DVD.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/303976/htf-dvd-review-the-pirates-of-penzance

I agree with the points. Of course he omits:

Content 10 of 5

:-)

[tygerr]

I would be surprised if they'd messed with the dynamic range for the DVD. I often wish they DID, with other films released on DVD (a perfectly acceptable dynamic range for the large space of a movie house tends to overwhelm my living room, so that the louder music is *painful* while I still can't hear softer dialogue); so I suspect that a production like that, which is all about the music, will most certainly have kept the full theater-release range. Pleasing the audiophiles should be a primary motivation for this particular release, after all.

Also: the Ronstadt/Kline "Pirates" is out in DVD? WOOT!

[countrycousin]

Oh, WOOT!, indeed! :-) Although one needs to distinguish the movie, just released, from the video of the stage presentation, which has been out for a while and is not technically good.

I suspect you are right on the dynamic range, and my feeling is a composite of declining hearing and rosy memory. :-)