The Car Man (Matthew Bourne)

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing follow-up to Bourne's Swan Lake
Review: I found Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake to be fascinating and exciting, thanks in large part to Adam Cooper's thrilling work as the Swan. So, I very much looked forward to this DVD of his subsequent work, The Car Man. Athletic dancing to music from "Carmen" -- what could be better?

But instead of enjoying it, I caught myself looking at my watch after 20 minutes (the work is 87 minutes long). The choreography is much less inspired here. Or at least, the choppy editing evident on the DVD makes it seem so.

The plot is pretty hokey and predictable -- despite Bourne's references, in the bonus interview on the DVD, to "surprises" throughout and borrowings from Hitchcock. When you're viewing a Bourne production, the fact that a character is bisexual is not a surprise.

It's obvious as you watch The Car Man that it's a British man's view of small-town America in 1960. Although Bourne seems to indicate in his interview that the setting is an Italian-American community, there's little here to indicate that. And the mid-section's nightclub setting with its mystery lady seems entirely out of place -- it does little to advance the slender plot.

The performers, who are all playing cliched roles, give it their all and are perhaps even more persuasive in their acting than in their dancing (because Bourne didn't give them much to work with).

I'd recommend this to fervent Bourne fans only.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Dance at its Near Hottest
Review: I hadn't seen Bourne's "Swan Lake" nor knew nothing of it before seeing "Car Man" so I had no expectations.

And because of that, I found myself either gasping or holding my breath at times. I love modern dance, and was not disappointed. The sensuality and steaminess within the dance only hightened my reaction towards this show. The story is simple, to say the least... but then, it's based on a simple opera. This is a dynamite show and definitely worth the attention.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Dance at its Near Hottest
Review: I hadn't seen Bourne's "Swan Lake" nor knew nothing of it before seeing "Car Man" so I had no expectations.

And because of that, I found myself either gasping or holding my breath at times. I love modern dance, and was not disappointed. The sensuality and steaminess within the dance only hightened my reaction towards this show. The story is simple, to say the least... but then, it's based on a simple opera. This is a dynamite show and definitely worth the attention.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money-See the live show
Review: If you want to see Matthew Bourne's choreography, your in for a major disappointment. The constant pseudo-artsy cutting, jarring close-ups, and poor shots of the dancing make this a jarring and extremely disappointing video. Be warned if you have epilepsy. The fast continuous scene switching will probably induce an episode.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This is a terribly disappointing video. I was expecting to see some incredible dancing. Instead, what we have throughout this recording, are close-ups of head and shoulders and a few seconds of group/long shots. I actually started counting the seconds a camera held a position and the longest length of time was 8 seconds - and that's including the lyrical passages. The group is passionate and attractive. The costumes and sets are terrific. If only the cameras could stay still. I'm sure this performance was thrilling in the theater. Major dissapointment.