Musical

This DVD features a Sesame Street TV special that was originally made in 1978. While there have been a few Sesame Street Christmas specials over the years, this was the first.

Sesame Street was a truly groundbreaking programme in many ways, with the unique way educational concepts were presented to children in the style of TV commercials, and the use of Jim Henson's Muppet characters.

On the DVD, there are lots of the classic cast and characters (human and muppet) that I remember (though the Special was made a few years before I was born) - Bert and Ernie, Kermit, a genuinely grouchy and cynical Oscar, (just listen to his song I Hate Christmas for proof), Maria (Sonia Manzano), Bob (Bob McGrath) and Linda (Linda Bove), who was a deaf actress who introduced sign language and issues facing deaf people.

Though it was first shown in America, I'm sure this special was also shown on Channel 4 in the UK for some years every Christmas, and that's when I used to watch it each year when I was young. It's gentle, heartwarming and still entertaining.

I liked the charming sequences with the life size muppets ice skating, and Big Bird interacting with a little girl, and the sketch with Cookie Monster writing a letter to Santa was funny too.

There's also a really poignant scene that brought a lump to my throat, in which Bert and Ernie (the superb partnership of Frank Oz and Jim Henson) sacrifice their prized possessions so they could buy each other presents. This shows the true meaning of friendship and kindness, and that's for life - not just for Christmas.

Ernie and Bert were believed to have been named after the taxi cab driver and cop from the classic film It's a Wonderful Life, however, one of the show writers of the time, Jon Stone claimed it was just a coincidence.
A number of songs really touch my heart, especially the now famous Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year) and Bert and Ernie's affecting duet of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

This film evokes genuine feelings of warmth, and - dare I say it, nostalgia and wishing I was a kid again.
As a fan of "old school" Sesame Street, this DVD is fun to watch at Christmas, and brought back some great memories for me. It will bring you back to a simpler time and world.

In 1979 this Special won an Emmy award (the television equivalent of an Oscar) for Outstanding Children's Program, and was nominated for 2 more.

In this film, the Wizard of Oz story by L Frank Baum is given a modern (well, 1970's) Motown makeover.

One problem with this, is by attempting to appeal to a new audience (at the time) any updating of the story means the film is rather "of its time" and conversely seems dated, whereas the famous 1939 MGM film was set in the 1900's and seemed timeless.

Adapted from the Tony award winning Broadway musical The Wiz which premiered in 1975, this nonetheless follows the template of the earlier film closely (though some details are closer to the original book than MGM's film was).

The Broadway musical was important because at the time it was one of the few lavish productions created by, and featuring a cast of African Americans.
The peerless 1939 version with Judy Garland is easily the much superior film, but this update is still feel-good fun and I enjoyed it.

Instead of being a young girl, Dorothy is now a grown up Kindergarten teacher (Diana Ross). She is celebrating Thanksgiving with her family. But like Judy Garland's Dorothy, she doesn't seem content with her life, even though she has a happy family. Her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry want her to take a job in a high school but Dorothy is happier teaching younger children.

One night, she is whisked away with her dog, Toto, in a snowstorm to a strange land called Oz and meets an array of peculiar characters, the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson) who wants a brain, Tin Man (Nipsey Russell) who wants a heart, Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross) who wants courage. Dorothy is told that her only way home to New York is to seek help from The Wiz (Richard Pryor).

The performances are very good. Given the fact Michael Jackson is no longer with us, it is very sad and poignant looking at the prejudice and poor treatment he suffers at the hands of the crows, who are so horrible. They belittle him and tell him he won't succeed. It was almost like he had been conditioned to accept their cruel insults and put downs. The crows are unappealing characters.

With this sequence, I think the film introduces social commentary about racism in America and the way black people were seen and treated as inferior. Right up to the 1950's and 60's there were a series of laws in America called Jim Crow laws which oppressed black people and didn't treat them as being equals to white people.

Michael's performance is excellent and energetic, on his film debut, and he's a great dancer too. I could easily sense how lonely and sad he was being alone in the field but Dorothy helps him and sets him free. The Scarecrow comes out on top despite facing barriers and problems and tries to better himself.

Nipsey Russell gives a fine performance as the Tin Man who had been rusting away for so long, and seemed like an aging movie or pop star, when he talks about his creator who gave him "dashing good looks, razor sharp wit and irresistible attraction to the wrong women".

The costumes are very cheesy and camp, often looking like they came out of an old dressing-up box. Then again, maybe that's the point.

While there's nothing that reaches the iconic heights of Somewhere over the Rainbow - I do think that some of the songs in the movie are very catchy and aren't given enough credit - the Scarecrow's song You Can't Win, You Can't Break Even, the show-stopping, memorable bluesy/jazz number Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News, which is performed by the Wicked Witch Evilline (Mabel King) and the other cast members with impressive gusto and energy. And not forgetting the funky Ease on down the Road.

I think that a key to great musical songs is if you can remember or hum them afterwards, and these songs can certainly do that.

There are some interesting scenes and well staged songs, for example the subway that literally comes to life, the Everybody Rejoice/Brand New Day song and the Emerald City sequences are highlights. The subway scene isn't really "fun-scary" but instead seems darker and nightmarish. I felt this way during the confrontation with Evilline too.

The Wizard is played by US comedian Richard Pryor and just like Frank Morgan's Wizard in the earlier movie, there is definitely something strange about him.

I think that there is something satirical about the character in this version, making this film feel a bit more grown up than The Wizard of Oz, in some respects. I think it is a darker film too because of the things that happen to Dorothy.

At times the characters in Oz seem more streetwise rather than childlike, in my view because of their dialogue and actions, and this ties in not only Dorothy being an adult, but also because of when the film was made. Also, it seems to me The Wizard of Oz was about the young Dorothy realising home was where her heart was, with a great contrast between the colourful Oz and Kansas, whereas in The Wiz, Dorothy has to figure out how to move on with her life so she can hope to make a difference.

Interestingly, the screenplay for the film was written by Joel Schumacher (Falling Down) and it was produced by Rob Cohen (the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), this is striking, because their later films would be so different in style.

The only extra on the DVD is the theatrical trailer for the film. While it isn't a classic by any means and I prefer the more celebrated MGM musical, I still enjoyed this movie.

I really enjoyed this film a lot, it is certainly a classic. This picture probably got made in part because of the success of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and, like that film, it is a fantasy that has something for everyone and also a timeless appeal that we recognise even though it was made many years ago. Also like that film, it was a big challenge to make. It used lots of special effects, many of which hadn't been attempted before, such as the flying house in the tornado.

There were several directors on the film - Victor Fleming, George Cukor and King Vidor.
It looks fantastic on Blu Ray with a brilliant restoration (the switch from the sepia tones of Kansas to the Technicolor world of Oz is amazing). I think the use of a sepia tint makes Kansas seem old fashioned and quaint (even for 1939), thus making the jump into colour even more amazing. The original book came from about 1900 so maybe the use of sepia was an artistic choice by the film makers.

There are certainly many things to enjoy in the film, the memorable songs from childhood like We're Off to See the Wizard and Follow the Yellow Brick Road that have been ingrained in pop culture. I knew them from when I was young, but I hadn't seen the film then. The film is so seminal that it's inspired so many parodies and references over the years, in cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants and other films and TV shows, Broadway/West End shows like The Wiz, and Wicked - even a song by Australian folk-group The Seekers in the 1960's.
The Wizard of Oz has fantasy and fun-scary parts too (like the flying monkeys and Wicked Witch of the West).

The most iconic performance and song of all, I think, is when Dorothy sings the song Over the Rainbow to herself after her Aunt Em tells her to "Find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble!" This is a song of longing, dreams and hope, as Dorothy wishes she were somewhere else more exciting.

Incredibly, this song almost didn't make it in the film because studio head Louis B. Mayer thought "it slows down the picture" and "our star sings it in a barnyard". But the writers including lyricist EY "Yip" Harburg, wanted it to stay. It paid off, as he and Harold Arlen won the Oscar for Over the Rainbow (Best Song).

It's interesting that over the course of the film, I think Dorothy learns to grow up and be more resourceful and stand up for herself. I think Judy Garland gives a very good performance. Her character and performance has a childlike, innocent quality (especially in the earlier stages of the film).

In fact, to make her appear younger than she really was, and not a teenager (she was really 16 at the time of filming), she was made to wear an uncomfortable corset style costume that strapped her down and tore some of her bust tissue.

As she grows braver, she also pours scorn on the Wizard, getting angry with him when she finds out he isn't all he seems....

Being whisked away to Oz itself, a strange land, plays on a child's fear of being in an odd, unfamilliar place and not being able to get back - which shows there is some darkness in the film as well as humour. Bert Lahr's voice as the Lion sounds like a cartoon character to me for some reason. I did really like the part when the Scarecrow tries to quote Pythagoras' theorem after getting a brain - except he applies it to an isosceles triangle instead of a right triangle. Guess he got a faulty brain from the Wizard.

If the film has a moral, I think it shows that maybe you shouldn't take what you have for granted - Dorothy's life in Kansas seemed boring, with dull sepia tones, so she goes away to a fantastic land (in colour) but still misses her home, as she says as the film ends "There's no place like home", because she realises that Kansas was where she really wanted to be all along.

I think the film also teaches that, what you think you may want is always there inside you, you just need to look deep enough. Dorothy always had the power to go home, and the Wizard says that her companions always had a brain, heart and courage - they just didn't know it.

The Blu Ray set has some excellent extras, including lots of trailers, a very interesting 50 minute Making Of documentary, interviews with the surviving Munchkins (sadly, now they have all passed on I believe) and short subjects. One is a cartoon short from 1933 that while interesting, pales in comparison when placed against the much more lavish film. But it was the first screen presentation to show Kansas in black and white, and Oz in colour.

Set in the late 1890s this is the tale of a young poet called Christian (Ewan McGregor) who travels to Paris to make his fortune in the Moulin Rouge. He meets with the alcohol addicted Toulouse-Lautrec who introduces Christian to a seedy underground world full of drugs, sex and musical theatre. The innocent Christian is thrown into a passionate but doomed affair with Satine (Nicole Kidman), the star of the show...

Based on the songs featured in this dazzling, inventive musical/romance alone, (Lady Marmalade? Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend?) you would never know this film is set in the 19th century. But the fact the film has scant regard for reality, using some of the most famous songs of the last 50 years or so in the wrong time, really doesn't matter. Only in the hands of Baz Luhrman could such a thing like this be done, yet you never question it.

The costumes, set design and especially music are all fantastic, the film has a wonderful sense of zip and energy bringing to mind the best West End show you've ever seen (check out the scene where a whole medley of songs are sung, it seems). Your Song, Heroes, All You Need Is Love, blended seamlessly together. Ewan McGregor does have a very good voice. In fact both leads do.

There's also the "story within the story" technique, the "penniless sitar player" character in the play McGregor is writing being an obvious metaphor for his own character in the film, and the jealous Duke (Richard Roxburgh, who is also in love with Satine) is obviously the model for the rich "Maharaja" in the play.

Surprisingly, the film doesn't lose anything by being told in a kind of "flashback" either, and having the "outcome" of the film being explained at the beginning as I thought it would. It adds to the romantic element of the story, in fact.

Overall, a hugely enjoyable film.

I enjoyed this a lot and can see why it's considered a classic, but it's not my favourite Disney. However, its impact on Disney and indeed, all cinema cannot be underestimated. This film was a milestone, it was the first full length cel-animated film in cinema history, as well as being the first full length animation produced in America.

Before Snow White, Walt Disney had mostly worked on animated shorts such as Mickey Mouse, and the Silly Symphonies series. The budget eventually ran to almost $2m - a massive sum for a film in 1937.

Some critics thought no-one would sit through an animated feature like this, calling it "Disney's folly" when it was in production. Some sequences are magnificent - the Queen in her castle at the beginning, the way the forest comes alive when Snow White tries to run away, and the part when Snow White (Adriana Caselotti)'s evil and jealous stepmother, the Wicked Queen (Lucille La Verne), makes the potion to turn herself into a beggar woman. These sequences of genuine darkness - which I think are what sets this apart from more modern Disney films - combine with cute scenes, comedy from the dwarves (each has their own distinct personality) and woodland animals, and timeless songs that I remember from when I was little and have passed into cinema lore, like Heigh Ho and Whistle While You Work.

Perhaps the darkness isn't surprising when you consider the source material was Grimm's fairy tales which could be quite dark and violent. Also there is some sadness and pathos in the film (at the time, considered unusual in animation) during Snow White's "sleeping death" sequence, when all the dwarves are crying when Snow White is lying in a gold coffin.

It's a shame also that the character of Prince Charming is rather bland - we never even find out his name.
I found Snow White's singing voice hard to get used to - maybe that type of voice was considered attractive in the 1930's but I found it very wobbly and thin. Her vocal style was very much "light opera" which was popular at the time.

While the build up and pacing of the film seems rather uneven (even at 84 minutes long, it takes a while to get going and also ends rather abruptly), I can see why it's so important. We must remember this was an early work for Disney that he was taking a gamble on. If the film had failed, the studio probably would have too.
The Blu Ray transfer is amazing especially considering the film is over 70 years old, with a beautiful restoration. I watched it with it's original Mono soundtrack.

The film was praised by film makers such as Charlie Chaplin, who immediately recognised it's impact (unusual for the time) - Sergei Eisenstein said it was the greatest film ever made. It even inspired MGM to make The Wizard of Oz in 1939, Snow White's massive success convincing them that a fantasy film appealing to both children and adults, could be popular.

Snow White won Disney a special Oscar "as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field". Disney received a full sized Oscar statue and 7 little ones, presented to him by Shirley Temple.

I really enjoyed the film.

Originally conceived as a televised novel, Pennies From Heaven gave Dennis Potter the chance to flex his creative muscles. Potter had previously written many one-off drama's for the BBC in such programmes as Wednesdays Play and Play For Today, but Pennies From Heaven was the first multi-part production which allowed Potter to embellish and mix complex drama with darkly laced, musical fantasy.

This is a masterpiece, with a career-making performance from Bob Hoskins, which looks at the dark underbelly of post-war (WWII) Britain. Hoskins plays Arthur, a frustrated sheet music sales man; frustrated, though, in more ways than one. All he wants is to be loved by his wife, Joan (played masterfully by Gemma Craven), who is repressed and less than willing to give herself to Arthur's desires. Whilst on a business trip he falls in love with the innocent, but passionate schoolteacher Eileen (Cheryl Campbell) and when she becomes pregnant with his baby his life starts to slowly unravel.

This was groundbreaking and thought provoking when it first came out - the fact that, at any given moment the cast break out into song & dance routines from the 1930's is never explained, and heightens the unreality of the series. It also helps to further distance Arthur from his reality - in some respects I wonder if the whole series is portrayed from Arthur's point of view; even when we look at what is happening to the other characters, it's possible that we're seeing Arthur's own fantasies being enacted. This mixture of music hall and drama would be solidified with The Singing Detective and taken to new heights.

Pennies From Heaven has not aged at all and it is still far better and deeper than many drama's that have been produced since. All the performances are exemplary and Bob Hoskins proved to the world just how talented he really was. A timeless classic!

This ranks as 20th on the BFI's list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes and, to me, is Dennis Potter's crown achievement.

The story is fabulously labyrinthine blending flasbacks; music-hall routines; hallucinations and fantasy. Michael Gambon gives the performance of his career as crime writer, Philip Marlow who is in hospital recovering from psoriasis. Whilst in the hospital he undergoes therapy to try and determine the psychological causes of the horrible affliction.

This is as deep as television can possibly get as Marlow is forced to come to terms with past torment and repressed memories as they threaten to erupt into his present and possibly destroy any chance of him ever having a future.

Throughout this epic mini-series Marlow's personality is peeled away as we see, through various invasive flashbacks, his childhood is laid bare. Inter-cut throughout this are various music-hall numbers -which were introduced thematically in Pennies From Heaven- but are actually given context throughout one of Marlow's hallucinations (he has an alter-ego, a private eye hired to clear another character's name).

It's so difficult to do The Singing Detective justice in a small review; it has to be seen to be believed. It's not an easy series to get into as it switches between past; present and fantasy (seemingly) at the drop of a hat, but it does reward the persistent. This is British drama at it's best and certainly deserves to be in the BFI's top one hundred!

There is something about this film that, for me, defies explanation. The plot is epic and labyrinthine as it follows Mick Travis - yes, that Mick Travis... - in various stages of his life, his various ups and downs to his final enlightenment through a form of shakubuku.
The characters and situations are quite complex with many of the actors play multiple roles. Throughout the film I got the feeling that there was more to the film than what I thought, that there was a layer of meaning that I hadn't quite penetrated. The first time I saw this film I understood the zen-like ending and it had quite an impact on me, and each time I see it I still feel the same way, but not how it linked into the rest of the story.

Now, I think it has more to do with the path to enlightenment that we all must take -from innocence to ruin, to finding ourselves once again...!

Malcolm McDowell is superb as Mick Travis, a multi-layered, multi-faceted character - this is, for me, his best role.

The music plays an important part for me. The soundtrack is by Alan Price, and all the songs are uniformly charming and wonderful -especially the title track.

It's a shame this film isn't more widely recognised - it's a classic for so many reasons, and needs to be seen by more people!!

To my blinkered, Hollywood-ised eyes this film should not have worked. It's an obscure story about a visionary entrepreneur / madman who dreams of building the first Opera House, in the middle of the Amazon! To do this he opens up a shipping route in order to transport huge quantities of rubber in an old passenger liner and at one point he enlists the help of the rain forest inhabitants in transporting this liner up a mountain to a parallel river running down hill! This is a scene that needs to be watched in order to be believed - it is truly remarkable and only Werner Herzog would have both the genius and tenacity to conceive of it!
Klaus Kinski is electrifying as the title character -and his performance onscreen was as "exhilarating" off-camera as it was on - there was even a documentary made of his many exploits.

This is a stunning film and once seen never forgotten - it's a dark reflection to David Lean's epics and deals with personal obsession and determination to a obscene scale! Be warned, it is a long film but ultimately rewarding.