Rating: 
Summary: Could Have Been Worse But I Don't Know How
Review: I saw this in the theater in 1978 after having seen it on stage in its national tour. What a disappointment! When the line "If she'd only been fat" was sung, the audience laughed. Liz was pretty plump, and she couldn't sing. She slaughtered "Send In the Clowns". Hal Prince elmininated the quintet and all of their wonderful songs. What was he thinking? I did enjoy the rewrite of "The Glamourous Life" and some new lyrics for "Weekend In the Country". All in all, though, the best part of the evening was when it ended.
Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Worse But I Don't Know How
Review: I saw this in the theater in 1978 after having seen it on stage in its national tour. What a disappointment! When the line "If she'd only been fat" was sung, the audience laughed. Liz was pretty plump, and she couldn't sing. She slaughtered "Send In the Clowns". Hal Prince elmininated the quintet and all of their wonderful songs. What was he thinking? I did enjoy the rewrite of "The Glamourous Life" and some new lyrics for "Weekend In the Country". All in all, though, the best part of the evening was when it ended.
Rating: 
Summary: Some of Sondheim's best music...
Review: No Sondheim fan should be without this video. I know the arrows have been sent Elizabeth Taylor's way for this performance (And Singing!) but she's good in this role. Her singing voice is not supposed to be great as the role was written for Glynis Johns [Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins] Maybe a little unbelievable but certainly not bad. All of the acting appears a little more "stagey" than most movies should be but you're seeing a lot of legendary performances. Diana Rigg is excellent as is Lesley-Anne Down [both at the top of the beauty curve in this film]... and to miss the greats like Hermione Gingold and several others from the original Broadway cast (including the original Sweeney Todd, Len Cariou) would be a sin! All of the music is written in variations of 3/4 time so if you love a waltz, you'll love this movie.
P.S. If the PBS version is ever released, get that too. It is the closest thing to the Broadway version so you can get an idea of what it's supposed to look like on stage. That particular version is a little heavier on singing ability than acting ability
Rating:
Summary: It's Sondheim, It can't Help But Be Great
Review: There is a lot that can be said is wrong with this film: it's too stagey, the video print that I have is fuzzy, Elizabeth Taylor isn't known as a great singer BUT this is the only visual recording of this Broadway musical comedy written by America's greatest Broadway composer.What can be said other than that it should be in the collection of any serious student of American musical art? It should certainly be in the collection of any fan of Stephen Sondheim's work. The music and the lyrics are beyond compare. The presentation may not be the best but, for the moment, there is no other visual presentation. More of Mr. Sondheim's work should be made available on video & DVD!
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