Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors
by Arnin Brown
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Category: VHS Video
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Product details
Actor: Giorgio Tozzi, Nico Castel, Robert Sapolsky, Teresa Stratas, Willard WhiteDirector: Arnin Brown
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 60 minutes
Release Date: 1994-11-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Kultur Video
Studio: Kultur Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors
Movie Review: Hoping for a DVD version!
Summary: 4 Stars
I remember watching and loving this opera every year when I was a child. I was disappointed when the network stopped airing it. Now that Mr. Menotti has passed away, perhaps the news coverage will encourage the production of a good DVD version of this classic. Hope someone's listening!Movie Review: A Dissapointment
Summary: 1 Stars
If you are looking for a production that captures the magic of the original MET production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, stay away from this one, you will be sorely dissapointed and embarassed if you are showing it to others.
The choreography between the music, singing and actions of the performers is disjointed, often not synched at all with each other, or poorly realized so that the impact of the music and lyrics is lost. It almost is as if the the primary actors were more interested in showing off than creating an effective performance. Add to this the extremely poor quality of the video and sound track and you have a loser.
Until video copies of the original stage performance resurface or a better version is filmed, stick with the audio only versions. I'm afraid that seeing this one will ruin what should bring you to tears and fill you with hope.
Movie Review: Suberb production poor transfer to tape
Summary: 3 Stars
This production features the talents of some superb singers who can act well. The outdoor scenes were filmed in the Middle East and are very authentic. The indoor scenes look like a poor persons house. The kings are very resplendent and resemble a renaissance painting. The singing is excellent. Teresa Stratis shows emotion both vocally and visually.
The original was produced on film and probably could be stunning if well transferred to DVD. Unfortunately the tape transfer is murky in many of the scenes with some color shift towards the green. The audio is in mono, and may have been quite good originally. But when it was transferred to tape it was very badly processed. A compressor was used to bring up the soft parts with the unfortunate result of raising the noise to a painful level. In addition a hard limiter squashed the crescendos so full orchestra with loud emotional singing is almost the same level as the quiet solos. The Hi-Fi stereo track also has a nasty high frequency hiss in stereo despite the sound being in mono.
I have recorded the tape and with some good processing it is possible to correct the color and tame some of the hiss. But it is still obvious when a low solo instrument plays because the hiss will pop in and out.
I would love to have a good transfer of the original film to DVD. If the old Beecham Tales of Hoffman from the early 50s can sound and look good when transferred to DVD, surely this more modern film could be resurrected. Until then I will have to be content with my partially fixed version.
Movie Review: GREAT opera, so-so production
Summary: 3 Stars
As a lifelong fan of Amahl and Menotti alike, I wish I could say that this is the greatest opera video on earth. Sadly, there are sound and visual quality issues that make this production a disappointment, despite the appearance of the lovely Teresa Stratas.
Nevertheless, if this is your (or your children's) most convenient way of sampling opera, you'll enjoy the light style and humor in this timeless holiday classic. Better to buy it and watch it than to never experience it at all.
Movie Review: Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchsed this video a few years ago and was also very disappointed. I have nothing more to add to the other reviews posted here; just to agree that the sound was poor and the viewing quite fuzzy. I remember watching not only the first broadcast on NBC but several broadcasts years after that, with different casts. It was and still is my favorite Christmas story. I will certainly purchase the Schippers CD and hope to see another video or DVD in the future.
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