Rating: 
Summary: Missing something
Review: As one of Renee's many rabid supporters, I was excited to see that this film was available. So excited, in fact, that I somehow ordered two copies of it. On one hand, it is a great look at Ms Fleming's career, how she handles life as a mom and a world-famous artist, and has some interesting biographical details. But somehow Tony Palmer was able to take such a great artist and make a boring film out of her. The shining moments are clips from rehearsals, where the viewer can see how music affects her, both to tears and to laughter.The most valuable portions of the DVD are when she sings, and my favorite part is Korngold's aria at the end. But some things were left out that would have been great to see; for example, we see footage of her walking on stage as a young competition winner to sing Dvorak, but they break away to a clip of her singing it today, in a similar dress. The vignettes are also nice. Overall, a good buy if you love Renee. Otherwise, don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: tarnished, live
Review: fleming is best known for the silvery quality of her instrument. for cd recordings, i couldn't agree more; putting aside her un-musical penchant to stretch rubato past its effectiveness, the (edited) quality of her voice is warm and intensely provocative. however, on dvd, ms. fleming sounded confused and unfocused, even wobbly and shrill at times. i could have done without ms. fleming's flat and pushed additional footage, as well as the flat and contrived filler segments.
Rating: 
Summary: A little more information please...
Review: I am an extreme fan of Fleming and couldn't wait to find out more about her than I already knew in this DVD. However, I was able to see and hear a bunch of clips of CDs that I already own. It was great to see some of it live, but there was only about 10 seconds of each clip, but about 10 minutes of her rehearsing for the Verdi Requiem. Some questions that I would have liked answered were, who was/is her inspiration? When did she know she wanted to be a professional singer? Where all has she studied? What is her favorite role? With whom does she love to work? There could have been numerous questions answered. I also would have loved to see clips of her as a young singer and also in many different stages in her career. I also think that the film was boring at times and very choppy. I was extremely dissapointed with this DVD, but I still had to give it 3 stars because it is Renee Fleming after all. I am still a huge fan despite this poor DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A little more information please...
Review: I am an extreme fan of Fleming and couldn't wait to find out more about her than I already knew in this DVD. However, I was able to see and hear a bunch of clips of CDs that I already own. It was great to see some of it live, but there was only about 10 seconds of each clip, but about 10 minutes of her rehearsing for the Verdi Requiem. Some questions that I would have liked answered were, who was/is her inspiration? When did she know she wanted to be a professional singer? Where all has she studied? What is her favorite role? With whom does she love to work? There could have been numerous questions answered. I also would have loved to see clips of her as a young singer and also in many different stages in her career. I also think that the film was boring at times and very choppy. I was extremely dissapointed with this DVD, but I still had to give it 3 stars because it is Renee Fleming after all. I am still a huge fan despite this poor DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A must for a true Fleming fan!
Review: I thought this was just so touching! I could watch this fim again and again and I don't know if I'll ever grow weary of it. So much beautiful footage and very "artistically" put together. Some favorite moments include: --"Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" live, where sings that high note unbelievably easy and on pitch
--"You'll Never Walk Alone" live, and in an AMAZING arrangement where she hits at least a high E flat!
--Renée's mother describes when Renée sung at the Richard Tucker Gala and Mom begins to tear up because "so was SOOO good!"
--She sings "Summertime" for the Clintons
--her being moved to tears while rehearsing for Otello
--The entire "Beim Schlafengehen" from Strauss' Four Last Songs There's footage you missed and the footage you didn't even know existed! I also found touching all she said about worrying about how to balance her career with being a Mom. She actually discusses how she seriously said to herself one day that's it's been fun but now it's time to settle down, find a nice teaching job, and be a Mom. That was touching. And of course there's just lots and lots of live footage: Desdemonda, Ellington standards, duets with Hvorostovsky, Domingo, Pavarotti, and more more more. Plus, her in some REALLY REALLY ravishing dresses. A little annoying were these clips of Renée lip-syncing some arias. That was a little corney and boring. And there was a lot of just uninteresting dialogue, even by Ms. Fleming! Was it important to tell us that her mother was pregant with her when her mother graduated as the first woman from some obscure college? It seemed like desperate small talk. One thing I would have added to this film is narration or maybe some sort of timeline of her career. And I think the DVD would have really been interesting if Fleming discussed some scandelous or not so great moments in her career, such as the criticism she has occasionally received about her singing or maybe some bad experiences in Europe like the whole Schwartzkopf ordeal. I mean, the entire DVD can't just be happy friendly cartoon happy colors. The good AND the bad will make a compelling and interesting film. It's all just good fun and I'm glad to have gotten my hands on this. A must for a true Fleming fan!
Rating:
Summary: A must for a true Fleming fan!
Review: I thought this was just so touching! I could watch this fim again and again and I don't know if I'll ever grow weary of it. So much beautiful footage and very "artistically" put together. Some favorite moments include: --"Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" live, where sings that high note unbelievably easy and on pitch
--"You'll Never Walk Alone" live, and in an AMAZING arrangement where she hits at least a high E flat!
--Renée's mother describes when Renée sung at the Richard Tucker Gala and Mom begins to tear up because "so was SOOO good!"
--She sings "Summertime" for the Clintons
--her being moved to tears while rehearsing for Otello
--The entire "Beim Schlafengehen" from Strauss' Four Last Songs There's footage you missed and the footage you didn't even know existed! I also found touching all she said about worrying about how to balance her career with being a Mom. She actually discusses how she seriously said to herself one day that's it's been fun but now it's time to settle down, find a nice teaching job, and be a Mom. That was touching. And of course there's just lots and lots of live footage: Desdemonda, Ellington standards, duets with Hvorostovsky, Domingo, Pavarotti, and more more more. Plus, her in some REALLY REALLY ravishing dresses. A little annoying were these clips of Renée lip-syncing some arias. That was a little corney and boring. And there was a lot of just uninteresting dialogue, even by Ms. Fleming! Was it important to tell us that her mother was pregant with her when her mother graduated as the first woman from some obscure college? It seemed like desperate small talk. One thing I would have added to this film is narration or maybe some sort of timeline of her career. And I think the DVD would have really been interesting if Fleming discussed some scandelous or not so great moments in her career, such as the criticism she has occasionally received about her singing or maybe some bad experiences in Europe like the whole Schwartzkopf ordeal. I mean, the entire DVD can't just be happy friendly cartoon happy colors. The good AND the bad will make a compelling and interesting film. It's all just good fun and I'm glad to have gotten my hands on this. A must for a true Fleming fan!
Rating:
Summary: big disappointment
Review: I was really disapointed with this film about Renée Fleming. She deserved a much better film. This one is not well done, the sequence of images is almost non sense and the whole thing is quite boring. Even most of the arias (or parts of arias as Renee is not showed singing any full aria at all!) are almost painful to see (you better close your eyes!) because they seem to be sung in play back.
I have seen Renée Fleming live, I've listened to many recordings of her and always enjoyed a lot. Unfortunately this time that was not the case.
Rating:
Summary: big disappointment
Review: I was really disapointed with this film about Renée Fleming. She deserved a much better film. This one is not well done, the sequence of images is almost non sense and the whole thing is quite boring. Even most of the arias (or parts of arias as Renee is not showed singing any full aria at all!) are almost painful to see (you better close your eyes!) because they seem to be sung in play back.
I have seen Renée Fleming live, I've listened to many recordings of her and always enjoyed a lot. Unfortunately this time that was not the case.
Rating: 
Summary: You'll watch this over and over
Review: I've been a fan of Renee Fleming since first seeing her in Rusalka years ago in San Diego. At the time, backstage, I told her she would become the most important soprano in opera if she kept up her career path and believe she has, indeed, become that. This film is exquisite and I loved it all! The interview portion is important as it shows the angst that all working mothers feel; not just a beautiful opera star. The clips of performances are just wonderful and showcase some of her best roles. The bio is well done and I find no fault with any of the film. If you aren't familiar with her singing, it is a must buy of how a truly soprano ARTIST should sound. If you are, it is still a must in any collection of great singing. I've seen her many times live and she always brings me to tears - this video did as well, even after several viewings. Her sound is so beautiful tears are automatic if you have ears and a soul. I've met this lovely lady and she can be proud of her accomplishments and this film. I hope she realizes she can balance her career and the motherhood responsiblities she ponders. She has too great a gift to keep it from the world. The world needs all the beauty possible and she brings great beauty and healing to us all. This DVD is highly recommended on many levels. It does, however, leave you wanting more singing from that golden throat. Thank goodness she has many CD's out as well. See her live if you can; but buy this whether you can or can't! I promise you will love it!
Rating: 
Summary: Made me laugh...at what a sucker I am
Review: I've never seen Fleming live and after enduring this horrible DVD, I don't ever plan to in the future. Let me blunt, this horror flick is non-stop torture from beginning to end. It starts with her singing with the muppets and steadily gets worse.
If content such as Hugging the Clintons, The Preperation of a special desert from some fruitcake chef, endless dull rehearsals, and an incredibly tacky 911 tribute is up your alley then by all means buy this embarrassing informercial. If you're looking for real content such as opera clips, etc. then you're SOL. In fact, I found it so offensive that I am now an ex-fan.
| 
