Cheap Original Cast Album - Company (DVD) (D.A. Pennebaker) Price
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For this film, Pennebaker and his crew took three hand-held cameras into the studio and filmed the singers, the orchestra, and the control booth, then condensed the 18.5-hour recording session into a fast-moving 60 minutes. You can see the intensity and sheer enjoyment on the faces of the cast, and record producer Thomas Z. Shepard, show producer-director Harold Prince (both frequent Sondheim collaborators), and Sondheim (a notorious perfectionist) become alternately exhilarated and exasperated as they listen and try to solve various problems. Other interesting moments include an emphasis on the orchestra rather than the lead vocal in "Another Hundred People," and Elaine Stritch's exhausting take after take of "The Ladies Who Lunch." This is a rare look at an important moment in Broadway history, and obviously, it's highly recommended for Broadway fans. --David Horiuchi
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | D.A. Pennebaker |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 01 January, 1971 |
| MANUFACTURER: | New Video Group |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Black & White |
| TYPE: | Documentary |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 767685945735 |
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Customer Reviews of Original Cast Album - Company
A window into a frequently unseen aspect of theatre. Nearly every aspect of theatre has been written about and documented extensively, yet the production of cast recordings has sadly received short shrift.
Though this documentary following the recording of the original cast recording of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company is over thirty years old, it still feels fresh and important. While you shouldn't buy this expecting to hear all the great tunes from the show (that's what the cast recording itself is for), if you want the inside story on how it was put together--filled with as much humor, drama, and tension as a play itself--then you have to check this out. Though the most thrilling (and harrowing) segment deals with Elaine Stritch's struggle with her big solo, "The Ladies Who Lunch," this recording grips the imagination and is a vital historical record of a fascinating and important musical from the 1970s.
If you love theatre, particularly musicals, this should be required viewing.
The joys and sorrows of making a Broadway Cast Album
You do not get to see too many documentaries about the making of a Broadway Cast album, but after watching the marathon recording sessions for the original cast album of Stephen Sondheim's "Company," you are going to want to track down some more glimpses behind the curtain. Director D. A. Pennebaker used three hand-held cameras to simply observe the action as the cast tries to translate the excitement of a live performance into a studio recording. A lot is crammed into the 60 minutes of this documentary, but the highlight is clearly when an exhausted Elaine Stritch struggles through take after take of "Here's to the Lady's Who Lunch," before she finally nails that song big time. The sequence is actually more dramatic than anything in the actual musical. The DVD extras are a slide show of stills from the original Broadway production of "Company," set to the show's "Have I Got a Girl for You," and commentary by not only the film's director Pennebaker but the show's director Harold Prince and Elaine Stritch, both of whom have many fascinating anecdotes to tell. If you are not familiar with "Company" as a musical, then you will not really enjoy what this DVD has to offer.
A must for Sondheim fans
I'd heard of this documentary and was thrilled to be able to finally see it. A real "behind the scenes" documentary. While there's no continuous narrative, it's interesting to see the process and to later hear the commentary of Pennebaker, Prince and Stritch. You can see the joy the performers had singing these songs and you cheer when you hear Elaine Stritch sing a successful take of "Ladies Who Lunch." Recommended for those who loved Company, Sondheim completists and those who care about musical theatre.