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THE DVD SHELF: "Playing Shakespeare," "Benjamin Button" and Samuel Goldwyn Movies
By Steven Suskin
24 May 2009
We screen a star-strewn four-DVD set of RSC acting workshops under the title "Playing Shakespeare"; the adventurous "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Samuel Goldwyn's "A Song Is Born" and "The Goldwyn Follies."
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John Barton, who co-founded the Royal Shakespeare Company with Peter Hall in 1960, has spent decades studying, teaching and directing the works of William Shakespeare. In 1982, Barton assembled 21 RSC members for nine master classes that were filmed and eventually telecast in 1984. These have now been issued in a four-DVD set under the title Playing Shakespeare [Athena/ITV/Acorn], and they will certainly open the eyes of anyone interested in Shakespeare (and especially actors, directors and the like) and/or the craft of acting. What we get is eight or so hours with Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Ben Kingsley, David Suchet, Alan Howard, Sinead Cusack, Jane Lapotaire, Roger Rees, Donald Sinden, Peggy Ashcroft and more. Among the highlights are one episode centering on Twelfth Night, with Ms. Dench among the participants; and another in which Mr. Stewart and Mr. Suchet work, individually, on Shylock. This one is a treat, all right, and comes with a 16-page viewer's guide geared to classroom study.
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Standing high among last year's Oscar parade was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" [Criterion], which received an impressive 13 nominations (taking three of the statuettes). "Benjamin Button" is by any standards a strikingly original film; director David Fincher offers provocative entertainment with lightning-flash glimpses of eighty years-worth of Americana (from Armistice Day in 1918 through Hurricane Katrina). Fincher and his screenwriter, Eric Roth unspool their cavalcade in two directions at once; their opening sequence tells of a train station clock which runs backwards. (That Mr. Roth wrote the screenplay for "Forrest Gump" is perhaps a hint to the nature of this film.) While the whole thing doesn't quite add up — or perhaps adds up to too much — it certainly can mesmerize the viewer for the nearly three-hour length. Brad Pitt plays the title character through much of the film, and effectively so. He is supported by Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Taraji P. Henson and numerous other actors who sketch memorable portrayals.
Theatre fans will be interested in seeing that one of the main characters herein dances the role of Louise in the original 1945 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. Mr. Pitt goes to see it at the Majestic, festooned with the artwork from the original production. While this Majestic is located directly across the street from the St. James, it is also next to the Barrymore which is across from the Globe. Which is to say, this is simply a Majestic on a movie set somewhere. Even so, it's nice to see the beach ballet of Carousel — and the leading lady's participation as a dancer in same — play a major part in this major motion picture. Let it be added that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has been released in three editions: a single-DVD edition from Paramount, the "Two-Disc Special Edition" from the Criterion Collection, and a Blu-Ray version from Paramount. The differences between the three are not readily apparent. The film quality and bonuses of the two-disc review copy is very much up to the high standards of Criterion: A joy to watch and a joy to have on the shelf for repeat visits. Continued...
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