Camelot (Special Edition) (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the annals of musical theater, there are more than a few great scores. Among them is Lerner and Loewe's "Camelot" which has more than its share of great songs that shine away from the musical play.
In 1964, Jack Warner produced "My Fair Lady" at Warner Brothers. It was an excellent film, if a bit too cautious. The play was a phenomenon and Jack didn't want anyone mucking about with it. Going to see it was almost as exciting as going to church, even though the film itself was entertaining and beautiful to look at.
Four years later, Warner attempted to do the same thing with "Camelot." In many ways, he failed, but in a couple of others, he outshone "My Fair Lady" and many other fine movie musicals. First, but not foremost, he enlisted the talents of John Truscott to design the film. No medieval tale has ever benefitted from so fine a vision. His sets and costumes are among the finest -- yet most realistic -- ever created. Second, and this is the best part (for me) -- he acquired the services of the finest composer/conductor Hollywood has ever produced. Alfred Newman had already won 8 Academy Awards prior to scoring "Camelot." Newman was one of a handful of composers who invented film scoring in the 1930s and 1940s. As head of the Fox music department from 1940-1959, Newman had the best orchestrators, best musicians and best composers working for him at Fox than could be found anywhere else.
For "Camelot," Newman had a free hand, along with his associate Ken Darby who had worked with Newman for nearly 20 years, collaborating on such film musicals as "Carousel," "The King and I" and "South Pacific."
The reason I'm making such a fuss over this -- in addition to the fact that "Camelot" earned Newman his 9th Oscar -- is that "Camelot" rates as one of the best scored musicals in film history and on this DVD, you can hear the entire musical score, free of dialogue and solo vocals, in 5.1CH stereo!
What separates "Camelot" from "My Fair Lady" is that in the latter, Warner would not let conductor Andre Previn alter the basic orchestrations of the play. Previn had some leeway, and it really shows in the score when he cuts loose. By and large, though, this did not include songs....just musical underscore/transitions. Newman, on the other hand, virtually co-composed the entire score. Using the thematic material, he wrote a dynamic, Erich-Wolfgang-Korngoldian ("Robin Hood," "The Sea Hawk," etc.) underscore that rouses you, thrills you and makes you feel great even if the film drama itself can't quite live up to it.
Watching a film for this isolated score feature alone is something only die-hard music lovers could tolerate, but it's there and can be enjoyed by anyone. Think of it as a full-orchestra karaoke feature and you can sing your favortie songs backed by one of the finest Hollywood orchestras ever assembled!
I've always been partial to "Camelot" for the score, the sets and the luminous presence of Vanessa Redgrave.
In truth, however, "Camelot" never looked as good in its first-run roadshow performances as it does on this DVD. This movie shimmers and sparkles and glows. It looks absolutely NEW. The sound does show its age in spots.
If only Arthur didn't run around all the time calling Guinevere and Lancelot "Ginny" and "Lance." (Lance. Ginny. Ginny. Lance.). That almost ruins the film for me -- that and Arthur's eccentric blue eye shadow. And if only Hollywood had not entrusted another great musical into the musically uninspired hands of Joshua Logan (one of Broadway's greatest directors but whose heavy hand all but ruined the film versions of "South Pacific", "Camelot" and "Paint Your Wagon.")
It's a whale of a movie. And the score is one of the finest ever committed to film.

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LERNER AND LOEWE'S MOVING MUSICAL ABOUT KING ARTHUR, GUENEVERE, LANCELOT AND THE ROUND TABLE.

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Merlin (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)There is nothing on this disc, that was not already in the previous one.
Nothing except perhaps the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Stereo sound, which in the previous appearance had been reduced to a simple 2.0 Channel Stereo sound.
The specials are the very same you had before.
The screen ratio remains the classic TV 1.33:1 ratio screen resolution, which can be "expanded" to Full Screen, but watching the actual filming of the movie in the Making of, I seemed to have recognized a Panaflex camera moving around, hence it could have been transferred either in 1.78:1 or even in a matted 1.85:1 screen ratio as well.
But perhaps they already lost that copy.
Anyway, the acting by everyone involved in this project is magnificent and involving. Sam Neill, Martin Short, Miranda Richardson and Helena Bonham-Carter, without forgetting brief appearances by Rutger Hauer and John Gielgud give their very best and seem to truly have fun playing their respective roles.
The story flows and grips you from the very first shot, to the very last, without ever becoming too obvious or boring.
The special effects for a TV Movie of that era (late Nineties) are exceptional and very well interwoven within the story, without ever becoming overbearing on the plot.
This is the true Family Movie everyone should have. It has fun moments, dramatic moments and even magical moments for everyone to enjoy.
If this movie had been made to be shown in movie theaters, I am sure it would have won an Oscar for best leading Actor (Sam Neill as Merlin) and also best supporting Actress (Miranda Richardson in her double role as Mab, Queen of the Old Ways and as the Lady of the Lake).
I can highly recommend it in the present format.

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Merlin: The Complete First Season Review

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(More customer reviews)I absolutely enjoyed this show. The first episode hit on that the relationship between Merlin, the young magician, and Arthur, the prince of Camelot is essential and very important. As they meet, they both sort of hate each other, but destiny brings them together, like two sides of one coin for a reason. The first episode also made it clear that Magic is forbidden in this land, so it is intriguing to see how everything would turn out. If you give this show a chance, you will be surprised by twists and turns of the events. Unexpected story, like suspense, that's what come to my mind. Everything in the story is important as things will come together and make more sense.
The things I like the best are:
1. Great setting. The castle in this TV show is real and it's astonishing! It is one of the best castles in France. Some scenes also take place in Wales and the woods are so magical. I donno how they do it, but the whole setting, the nature, the castles are very mystical, fantastic and beautiful!
2. New actors. I hate big name actors. When I watch someone act, I don't want to think about the actor, I want to focus on the character, and that's what you get in this TV Show. The acting is brilliant. It is never overacted, so to keep you focused on the story. Because episodes tell the story in a fast paced manner, as there is so much to tell, the actors keep things smooth, clear and real. There are no awkward situations and the production is made to make you feel like you're there. I found myself worrying when the actors worried, even though I knew things would turn out fine. So the emotions are definitely pass on to the viewers from the skilled actors.
3. Characters and the friendship plot. The friendship is as complicating as it is deep and also very good. We learn about the relations of Merlin and Arthur that there is love, there are difficulties, mysteries, secrets, but we also learn about friendships among the rest of the many characters in this story. They are all interconnected and deepen as the story progresses. I don't want to spoil anything, so I wont tell you who is friend and who is a foe. One thing I will mention is that every character has demons as they also have angels in them. Things may turn out for or against their relationships towards each other, you just never know how. That's what kept me watching this show. No one is too perfect or too evil. Everyone has flaws here, and they all react to them differently. So the show is very focused on the development of characters while keeping the whole thing fast paced and action packed. I am amazed at their abilities to do that. There must be real good writers at this show. Each character has a whole lot to reveal through their past, present and even the future. I was surprised over and over by what I could learn about certain characters with each episode.
4. The magic. The magic in this story is essential, but we also know that it is forbidden in Camelot. At first I didn't like the idea as I was too afraid that we wont see much magic happen. I was wrong. There is plenty of magic in this show. It all comes from unexpected chain of events. Also, magic is not all great. There are many who want to use it for evil, so perhaps there is a reason it is forbidden in Camelot.....
5. Special effects. Some say the dragon in this show looks bad. I agree that it could have looked more realistic, but it is not horrible at all. In fact, it looks realistic to me. I mean, it doesn't look like an animal on geographic channel, but it does look like a mystical creature we've never really seen in life. It looks like it is done on the computer, but not to the extent that it is too obvious. You can still enjoy the dragon if you are not holding a magnifying glass in your hand trying to study its scales. The rest of the creatures and magical special effects in my opinion are great. They are just about the same as in Harry Potter movies.
6. Message on morality. Over and over I catch myself noticing good moral lessons in this show. For young people to watch this show, is not only to enjoy the story and catchy special effects, but also to learn lessons between choosing what is right in one's life. Characters are constantly tested and at crossroads. Each decision we make matters a lot for our own future and the people we love. Morals on friendships, respect, patience, good will, forgiveness. I still remember the episode called "to kill the king". It was the most amazing lesson on forgiveness I've ever seen done on TV.
Right now the show ended with the 13th episode, the last one of the first season and I can tell you, it is at its climax. The show has climbed up high in just 13 episodes. We now have more answers. We know the characters to heart, but we are also puzzled with new information given about them, as nothing is too certain and there are hidden skeletons on the closets. So that only makes things even more exciting. We also went through the pain, struggles, losses as well as joy, great friendships and miracles with these characters.
As far as some complaints you may face about this show... I've heard people expressing lots of hateful messages, like the show looks cheap, actors are horrible, etc, etc... I don't know if those people are blind, or if they even saw any of "Merlin", or are they just negative trolls who know nothing but spread negativity online. Some say that the show is not as true to the original legend. But If you don't like this interpretation of the legend, there are millions of other interpretations out there, and NO ONE really knows which one is the right one. I googles the legends of king Arthur and Merlin for weeks now and have found that no one really knows what happened. No one knows who was who's son, wife, friend, foe... No one knows who killed who and so forth... There are tales and songs from everywhere saying different things. Apart from that, people also complain about the acting, and the special effects. As I am a theater actor myself, I gotta say the actors are amazing. I have yet to see anyone in this show underact or overact. And the dragon effects don't bother me a bit, as I am too focused on paying attention to what's going on. BBC cannot put more money into this as they already have. As much as they put into this show, they did an amazing job. They keep the writing entertaining, deep and mysterious, and they keep the directing smooth, fast paces and beautiful. I have only one complaint, I want to see more!!!!!
So in the end of my review, I just hope that I was able to convince some of you to watch this show, and excite you somewhat as deep as I am excited about it. I hope I helped you lose some of you concerns and questions answered. Enjoy this TV serious with a simplistic heart and it will take you on a great journey! Cheers!

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Like Smallville did for Superman, Merlin is a new drama series that updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience. In a time before history began, the mythical city of Camelot was a fantastical realm and a dangerous world in which magic has been banned by the ruthless tyrant Uther Pendragon. When Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, arrives in the kingdom, he discovers his destiny and that of the kingdom's young leader in waiting,Arthur, are inextricably linked.
DVD Features:Audio CommentaryFeaturettePhoto galleryScreen Saver

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