Home :: DVD :: Musicals & Performing Arts  

Ballet & Dance
Biography
Broadway
Classical
Documentary
General
Instructional
Jazz
Musicals
Opera
World Music
Sarah Brightman - Harem Desert Fantasy

Sarah Brightman - Harem Desert Fantasy

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $19.98
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Harem" Comes Alive on this DVD
Review: I saw Sarah Brightman's Harem World Tour in Columbus, Ohio on January 27, 2004. What an amazing show!!! Sarah is truly a remarkable talent!! I bought the Harem DVD at the concert. First, the sound quality is awesome! This DVD certainly delivers if you have a surround sound system. The videos of the songs from Harem are very captivating and beautiful. Sarah performs each song with mastery and grace. The filming locations for the videos are breath-taking. There are many DVD extras that give a look at behind the scenes and interviews with Sarah. Sarah Brightman fans won't be dissappointed with this DVD. I have played it 8 times and counting!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good visuals, banal music
Review: I saw the TV special and I am ordering the DVD, but it's for the fantastic settings, landscapes, and costuming. Basically art reference. To be frank, Sarah's voice is lovely, but a lot of her musical selections for Harem left me cold. And since she is a singer, not a dancer, her on-screen posturing actually provoked laughter on several occasions. Especially when compared to the background dancers who are VERY good. Still, I am buying it for the pretty pictures.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a delightful journey that's sure to enchant you!
Review: I was already a huge aficionado of Sarah Brightman's work and knew I'd eventually come around to buying this DVD but seeing her in concert just a few weeks ago is what truly inspired this purchase. When you see her live it's really important to have up-close seats, if you can get them, and I was fortunate to be near enough to the stage to see the wonderful set as well as the goddess in action. She put on a phenomenal show and, as always, looked and sounded like an angel.

It's rare for an artist to do this but "Harem: A Desert Fantasy" features 12 videos filmed around Morocco and Egypt. The track listing says 13 songs but "Nessun Dorma" was actually taken from a live performance she did, which can be found on her "La Luna" DVD, seeming a bit out of place.

From the outfits to the settings to the sites and props used, every video is a dazzling feast for the eyes but a few stood out in particular with me. "Harem" is understandably a very energetic video because of the Middle Eastern dance beat that makes me want to jump in and join them in dance for the song is so infectious! In "Beautiful" Sarah is scantly clad as she lay upon a bed of roses as the vibrant petals descend like softly falling rain. I also love the part where she's surrounded by a wall of licking flames... "Un Bel Di" is probably my favorite. It was beautifully shot with exotic landscapes and Sarah looks absolutely stunning as her hair and silky trellis blow behind her as the sun sets beyond the hilltops, and on "The Journey Home" she looks like a mystical being twirling in slow circles, often seen riding over the sandy dunes on a gorgeous black mare.

The extra features consists of a 30 minute behind the scenes documentary that's mildly entertaining and a photo gallery that only shows about 5 pictures... If you want to see some breathtaking images, buy the limited edition version of "Harem" that includes a bonus DVD that's well worth the extra cash.

In Sarah's own words, "The true power of fantasy is that it releases us from the bonds of reality. You can be any place and become anyone." This is made apparent in these lavish videos and I recommend it to anyone who wants to be taken on a magical journey.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing Sarah's Videos!!
Review: Is a great DVD this Have some of Sarah's videos from her new album Harem, great music Sarah looks beautiful, the quality and the sound are incredible, I love my DVD and 5 Stars, Sarah show the beauty of the middle east Is like an Arabian Tale, AMAZING!!also I Love the 2 new versions of Time To Say Goodbye & Anytime, Anywhere... Wonderful!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic!!!
Review: My wife and I saw her last night in Columbus, Ohio and bought this DVD at the show--it is amazing!! Worth every penny!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Harem Concert
Review: My wife and I were at the Harem Concert Jan, 24th here in Ct. at the Mohegan Sun Arena. If the DVD is even close to the concert quality buy it.I just did. I will probably receive it in a couple of weeks.I have been fortunate to see her perform in three concerts. She just out does herself each time.Tears in my eyes and goose bumps on my back I enjoyed every second of her show.I guess my review is basically about the tour not the DVD because I haven't seen it yet. But I am expecting a wonderful DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: this dvd is wonderful
Review: OK. I'M FAN OF SARAH, BUT I'M VERY DISAPPOINTMENT ABOUT THE CLOTHES!! SHE NEEDS TO PUT MORE ATTENTION IN HER PERSON.SHE IS A DIVA.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A beautiful visual accompaniment to a beautiful album
Review: Sarah Brighman has long been known in the nebulous category of "classical crossover" as someone willing to take at least a little risk. Unlike other popular members of that sub-genre -- Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, and even ex-duet partner Andrea Boccelli -- Brightman has never been afraid to pursue new musical ideas. Often, her albums are accompanied by artwork and photography that mirrors this adventurous spirit, even to the sometimes dislike of her fan base (see the controversy over the mostly nude back cover of her "Classics" album). While Brightman's concert DVDs have always been on the conservative side, her new DVD to accompany her Middle-Eastern-themed album "Harem" doesn't fail to live up to the playful spirit of the singer herself.

An hour-long montage of music videos, on-location footage, and interviews, the "Harem" DVD presents most of the highlights of the album as well as new videos for some previously released songs. In each one, Sarah is shown, raven hair past her waist, in exotic and often revealing outfits, arrayed with any manner of jewerly and/or make-up. That Sarah looks this good at her age (42 at time of filming) is amazing. The footage itself is all bright, vivid, and amazingly colorful, and even with the sound off, the images are wonderful to watch. Highlights of the DVD include the quiet "Stranger In Paradise", the erotic "Anytime, Anywhere", and the VH1-ready "Free." Of particular note is the brilliantly gorgeous video for "Beautiful," featuring Sarah surrounded by flames in a white outfit, or being showered with rose petals.

For all its beauty and wonder, the program does falter in a few locations. While a live performance clip of "Nessun Dorma" is nice, it is simply a repeat from her previously-released "La Luna" DVD, and most Brightman fans will have already seen it. Sarah is also a singer foremost, not a dancer, and occasionally, her posturing during the musical numbers seems overly theatrical, mechanical, and a bit distracting, most obvious in the otherwise-fine video for "It's A Beautiful Day." Some people may also be turned off by the romanticized, Victorian view of the Middle East that Sarah presents. While it makes sense when Sarah explains the Harem project in the interview clips, some may not appreciate it.

The DVD includes a video for "The War Is Over", a duet Sarah performs with Arabian singer Kadim Al Sahir. This clip was cut from many broadcast versions of the special, and it includes a number of images that may offend some particularly sensitive viewers, including Arabian men riding on horseback to battle armed with guns or another scene of a Muslim funeral procession. While it's all very "Lawrence Of Arabia", some people may find the images a bit inflammatory given the current political events surrounding the Middle East. Still, the song is lovely, and the video is very nice.

This DVD is a fine addition to any music lover's collection, and Brightman fans should not hesitate to pick up a copy. Rarely has Sarah been so vibrant and alluring as she is here. A beautiful DVD album for a beautiful voice. 4 out of 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SARAH BRIGHTMAN HAREM TOUR
Review: SARAH BRIGHTMAN HAS DONE IT AGAIN WITH HER LYRICS AND VOICE. HER MUSIC IS BREATH TAKING. HER PRESENTATION AND MUSICAL DIRECTION HAS REALLY REACHED INTO THE SOUL. SARAH CONTINUES TO EXCEL WITH HER SONGS OF TRADITIONAL OPERA AND MORE MODERN FORMATS. THIS IS TRULY A MUST HAVE DVD.THE WORLD TOUR CONCERT IS A MOST ENJOYABLE EVENT TO BE EXPERIENCED BY ALL THOSE THAT LOVE HER MUSIC.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: extravagant
Review: Sarah Brightman has touched my soul; She and her music are more beautiful than anything I have ever experienced or seen. I just saw her Harem concert at the Fleet Center in Boston. I have now seen her 3 times. I am now buying her DVD. I am sure I will play it continuously. Sarah brightman should be required listening for every human being on the planet.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates