Superb - Honors the original nicely
346502
Enough of this American remake differs from the original to make it fresh, and yet it honors the material in the first well. A little more backstory is told. The dreariness of the original isn't quite here and the original still gets the top rating but this is a close 4 of 5 stars. If you liked the first, you will have no problem enjoying this one. If you never saw the first, you should see it first... and then make this Let Me In your close second to watch next.
4406020
Near classic and under-appreciated sequel with the classic original
1181383
I am very pleased that Applause Books has gladly been republishing the scripts of the many musicals from the 1940s and 1950s. This Sound of Music libretto is but one example of a superbly produced series of libretto reproductions. The binding is tight and the text is beautifully laid out in an easy-to-read, nicely set font.

Most of us would have first known The Sound of Music through the famous film adaptation with Dame Julie and Plummer. So the stage musical might come as a surprise because it differs from the film in so many ways. Yet it still works well as a way of telling the story. Coming as I do from a part of the world that has hardly ever heard of the original R&H stage musical, it was a surprise to discover the differences between the musical and the film adaptation. The stage recordings helped me to know more about the original stage musical. As such this libretto can offer us a window into the alternative existence of The Sound of Music. So we have a lot to be thankful for now that Applause Books has reissued the libretto of the musical.

The stage musical enlarges the roles of Max and Elsa and points out the threat of the Nazis in a sharper way than did the film. This is no offence to Robert Wise and the creative team of the film, because they sought to streamline the story by toning down the roles of Max and Elsa. Hence the removal of the two extra songs from the film. Also, the song order is slightly different from that in the film. Maria sings Lonely Goatherd with the children during the thunderstorm scene and only sings Do-Re-Mi shortly after she enters Captain von Trapp's villa. There is no Salzburg montage for Do-Re-Mi as in the film.

I know that we must acknowledge the detailed craftsmanship that went into the scripts of the musicals of yesteryear. In this case, we need to acknowledge the craftsmanship of Lindsay & Crouse to this script. However, if there are slight cosmetic alterations that don't alter the structure of the musical, that's fine. In the case of The Sound of Music I'm perfectly all right if stage productions called for Maria to sing My Favourite Things with the children in the thunderstorm scene, and I'm perfectly all right if the stage musical incorporated I Have Confidence and Something Good. These two songs that were originally intended for the film can perfectly integrate themselves into the stage musical. I Have Confidence may not be a strong song but it finds a counterpart in the Carousel Soliloquy because of its changing moods. (Something Good was meant to replace An Ordinary Couple, and Rodgers himself felt that that song was not his finest hour.) But these cosmetic changes are OK as long as the stage musical does not attempt to clone the film.

I'm sorry I've had to digress but I only mention these things because the access to the libretto of the stage musical via this paperback made me think about the differences between the stage version and the film.

It is lovely that Applause Books allows the lay reader to get to know more of these old classic musicals from the 1940s and 1950s. The books are beautifully produced and the font is beautiful and easy on the eye. Together with the Applause reissue of the Oklahoma libretto, this is highly recommended for any R&H fan or any other musical theatre fan. So let's look forward to more libretto issues from Applause. I understand that Applause will be publishing libretti of Annie Get Your Gun and South Pacific soon, and let's hope they'll get round to publishing the librettos of My Fair Lady, Show Boat, Carousel, The King and I, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and Man of La Mancha.

While I say this, I do hope that someone someday will put out a book with the original stage script and the film screenplay, and from there you can compare both versions of the musical. It would be fascinating.
4396351
I will not attempt to extol the virtues film itself (what more can I say than has already been said?), but of the new collector's edition:  I too have the original DVD release, and the VHS release.  This new transfer is AMAZING, and is exactly what the first DVD release should have been...  PRISTINE video (very few artifacts, little or no pixelation), and IMMACULATE audio (crisp, clean, and great presence without sounding "over-processed").  If you have both versions and can't tell the difference, then it's time to watch it on a large screen TV, and clean yer ears out!  The improvements are painfully obvious.  This is a truly incredible film, and finally justice has been done with the fantastic quality of the consumer version.  Like someone else said, give your old copy away, and BUY THIS VERSION now!  I'm glad I picked it up, and you will be too.
599145
This edition of LITTLE WOMEN is great!  First of all, there's the wonderful story of the March family in the years during and after the Civil War, as the 4 daughters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy -- grow to womanhood, experiencing joy and overcoming obstacles and tragedy.  This edition stays true to the language and grammar used in the original.  I have read versions of the novel in which the girls' grammar is cleaned up for them!

In addition, the introduction by Susan Cheever is first-rate; it is neither too long or too short, and she beautifully ties it to her own experience without being cloying.

Another reason why I so highly recommend this edition is because there is a glossary at the back to explain some of the obscure (to modern readers) terms and obsolete slang.  Also, there's a nice essay/review by G.K. Chesterson, who warmly praises Alcott's book.
4125794
It's such a shame that a botched TV adaptation is left to represent this show. Luckily, there is this original cast recording! With the exception of the extremely dated "It's Supernice" track, the score is simultaneously funny, warm, nostalgic, toe-tapping, and completely respectful of the original characters/source material. Lois' wistful songs capture the inner longings of the character brilliantly; Clark's songs reflect his own inner turmoils. Meanwhile, the rest of the madcap characters are there to keep the show light and tuneful. Linda Lavin and Jack Cassidy are brilliant as the comedic foils. And of course the big song from the show - Lavin's You've Got Possibilities - is well captured and shows how it became an overnight standard; but don't overlook the power of other numbers, such as What I've Always Wanted, You've Got What I Need, and We Don't Matter At All.
2195153
This is a surprisingly delightful take on the classic Dickens' tale.  Shot in the late fifties (and in color, I believe, although this DVD is not in color), the production values are extremely good for the time.  Fredric March makes a wonderful Scrooge - despite a ridiculously big nose. The doubling  of the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present with Scrooge's lost lady-love and nephew Fred playing the dual roles is a nice innovation. Basil Rathbone makes for a haunting, understated Marley with chilling music underscoring his post-mortem agonies.

And speaking of music the real "star" of this treasure of the early years of televison is the wonderful score by the wonderful Bernard Hermann. As hinted at by another reviewer on this board, the Tiny Tim song is one of the most beautiful, tender and touching Christmas songs ever written.  The lyrics equal the melody and both combined truly touch one's heart.  The other songs are also memorable, especially the song for the opening sequence.  And there is an extended shot of Scrooge's face (with the Tiny Tim song sung by full chorus to accompany the shot) that was very brave on the director's part and shows an incredible range of emotions playing across Scrooge's face as he reflects on years wasted and the reborn years to come.  Fredric March displays truly great acting in this daring, imaginitive, non-verbal, extended moment.  It is a moment totally unique to all other Scrooge adaptations. And this entire version concludes with a fantastic shot that will definitely move you - unless you are made of stone. There are faults:  Tiny Tim isn't tiny and the American accents are distracting to the time and place being depicted.  But these are small matters.  This is 50 minutes of pure gold from the Fifties - and for the low price of the item, you can't miss.  Highly recommended!
1417413
I had the pleasure of seeing this production in Dallas on its way to Broadway, and just finished viewing the DVD.  I've hoped for some time that the Rigby version would be filmed, and I'm not disappointed!  I also love the Mary Martin (I grew up with it), but the Rigby version is much closer to the original play that James M. Barrie wrote, and to Peter and Wendy, the book which followed.  Rigby's Peter is boyish, cocky, sometimes rude and unthinking - not always sweet.  This is the way James Barrie originally wrote the character!  The relationship with Wendy, and Peter's refusal to grow up (a somewhat tragic decision, as it means he must eventually lose Wendy, or any other chance at a real relationship) is front and center, as it should be.  The Indians are a British child's dream of Native Americans, again, much more like Barrie wrote them.  There are scenes in this version that have been in no other (Marooner's Rock), and the flying and other special effects are absolutely superb!  In addition, the DVD features the entire stage production --- the broadcast version on A&E cut some scenes, but they are present in the DVD (I don't know about the video).  The background information about the production is also very interesting.  A great version of Peter Pan - probably the closest we have to the original story --- adventure, magic, fun - and some of the deeper shadings (what we gain and lose by "growing up") that are overlooked in most versions.  Highly recommended!
1126985
It was wonderful; it kept in tune to the flow and feel of the original books. It's like catching up with an old friend.
1078733
Contrary to the prattle of another reviewer on this site, this is absolutely NOT a "re-recording" of Bernard Herrmann's great score for "Mysterious Island".  This is the Original Soundtrack  Recording, conducted by the composer himself.

While the recently released newer version, re-recorded and beautifully conducteed by William Stromberg, certainly has it's virtues, two of which are it's completeness and the fine recorded sound of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra as captured by Tribute Records, it stands as a suppliment, not a replacement, for Bernard Herrmann's original recording.  They compliment each other.  They exist in tandem, and are both welcome additions to the film score oeuvre.
736337
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

Like many of us, I'm a bit of a purist regarding adaptations of classic works, so the fact that Shaun Hutson chose(actually, this decision was the publisher's, not Hutson's)to bring this adaptation forward to the present day and relocate it a long way south of the events of the original 1956 film filled me with no little trepidation.

Having said that, I hadn't seen the movie for a very long time--probably sometime back in the late 60s--so I decided to watch it again first, so I could more easily see what changes had been made.

I'm pleased to report that the alterations actually work very well and, in hindsight, the book hangs together rather better than the original.

Freed from the constraints of the film board censorship, Hutson is able to be more realistic with the dialogue of the soldiers. He neatly adds material and characters which give more weight to the events of the film, without sacrificing anything. There are only two major changes, other than period and location. The first is in making the lead character somewhat younger than in the original, which I found perfectly logical. The second is right at the end, where he has Royston realise that his original plan for destroying the entity was simply not going to work and comes up with a better and more believable one.

I'd always thought the "monster" to be vaguely Lovecraftian in concept, and it's evident that Hutson agreed, as he ends the book on a quote from the master himself.

To some extent, I regretted my decision to view the original movie version first, as it rather took all the suspense out of reading what turned out to be a very enjoyable SF/horror novel.
2737120
Unlike Schott's editions (which Dover uses for its reprints of the other 3 operas of the cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" {"The Nibelung's Ring"}, the Peters version reprinted here DOES have the voice and instrumental staves mostly arranged in proper order, making things a great deal easier to follow.  [Alas, there's one exception - having the voices (though not stage instruments - that part at least is already in proper order) between the violas and the 'celli {harking back to Baroque "basso-continuo" usage} - at least they're consistent with it which helps...]  Also the fonts used by the Peters engraving are somewhat clearer than those of Schott in their first editions (their current edition of the complete works of Richard Wagner is SUPERLATIVE but no doubt fantastically expensive!!!).

This score of one of Wagner's most accessible works is not only a steal at the price, it's an excellent score, period (though I could visualise it using fewer pages if the engravings were done differently whereby the systems would have been somewhat smaller but done for a larger paper-size).  GET IT!!!!
131667
I was irked that this retitled reissue of THE BANQUET wasn't identified
as such. Obviously, I had THE BANQUET already. But this reissue has a radically superior print and audio and very, very well-done subtitles.

It's really an Asian retelling of Hamlet. But an adaptation so slick and well-done,  it's like a whole new story. The concept of combining dance with swordplay with an extraordinary musical track really comes across  with this improved version.

The second disk of added features doesn't add much,
just the usual self-back-patting face-on spiels.
And humorously, so deadly serious.

The less-than heavy characterizations comment of other reviewers noted is true. But the graphics alone are worth the trip. Costumes, scenery and set designs are magnificent.

( But I still think that Amazing Amazon should PROMINENTLY
note that such repackaged/retitled films are not re-make's...)
4454178
Oh my goo'ness!  Oh my goo'ness!  I have to revert to little Shirley Temple's trademark expression in order to describe how I feel about this rewritten edition of the classic story.  I had wondered how today's children might feel about Prince Bumpo's wish to change himself, and the authors found a perfectly believable substitute, suitable for small children.  Born in 1938, I grew up with the very non-politically correct original: by the 1960s my childrens' copy of the book had already been bowdlerized, making Bumpo's story more acceptable.  The current changes in the story are perfectly acceptable.
But what thrills me are Michael Hague's illustrations.  Lofting's primitive B&W pen sketches have their charm, but even they are racist in depicting the Africans.  Hague's are largely in color and in full-page format, with a great deal of detail.  They add enormously to the story.
Books of Wonder (William Morrow and Company) have published a number of children's books, both well-known and obscure.  They're to be thanked for treating the stories with respect, providing a beautiful format.
84583
The original has to be one of my all-time favorite tales, the first character in history to have a "secret identity". I bought this volume to read the sequels, but of course you must begin with the first, because several of the characters are revisited and there is added depth to them based on what they went through. I would say they go in descending order of excellence, like a gentle glide-path of enjoyment: "Scarlet Pimpernel" is a must-read, "I Will Repay" has some excellent exchanges and another terrific dilemma to negotiate, and "The Elusive Pimpernel" is merely a very good and readable yarn.
Get it, read it. You will not be disappointed if you have any romanticism and love of adventure in your heart.
639266
It is a brilliant companion to the originally released soundtrack.  Tracks like track 4 Distress Call/ Harriman and the Ribbon really and truly showcase the film score's ability to emotively and accurately depict scenes and situations in the Movie itself.  It is truly a good buy.
3354845
I still prefer the original, but this is about as well done as you could possibly expect for a cover.  Very pleasing and easy to listen to over and over again.