South Pacific, Caribbean
or a World Tour with
Peter Gabriel?
DV Indeed
By Michael the K
Well its Christmas Day, you’ve eaten the big holiday
meal, time to settle down and watch a movie with the whole
family. What would be the ticket to great family entertainment?
Try one of these gems:
|  South
Pacific (1958) - Musicals just don’t make
it anymore in films, except for the rare ones like Moulin
Rouge, who took a chance on mixing modern music
in a classic work. Others like Evita and Phantom
of the Opera sort of lost it in the transition
from stage to screen. Well here’s one of the best
adaptations ever. |
Originally on Broadway starring Enzio Pinza and Mary Martin,
this Rogers and Hammerstein award winner is brilliantly filmed
on the beautiful island of Kawai in Hawaii. Rossano Brazzi
and Mitzi Gaynor take on the lead roles as the young
nurse falling for an older plantation owner. There are lots
of emotions here, two love stories to follow, a touch of racism
and a war effort to play out the drama in.
The songs are wonderful and top notch characters abound .
This beautifully executed, THX restored version in Dolby Digital
5.1 shines in both picture and sound . The scenes are all
restored to a level better than the original 70 millimeter
master. The sound, although dated by today’s standards,
creates an orchestra across the front of your room, similar
to the soundscape at a theater. The dialogue is directional
in following the actors movements on the screen, not found
too often in today’s films. Guaranteed family
holiday entertainment here!
 Pirates
of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) -
This Johnny Depp adventure from a couple years back is quite
a surprise. It gets its title from the Disneyland ride of
the same name, one of the chief attractions of the park. I
thought they were out of their minds to make a film about
a ride. Have they no new ideas?
Well it turned out to my benefit that the film is very entertaining.
Johnny always seems to come up with the perfect character
to fit the role he’s playing. This time he models his
character on a combination of the Rolling Stones’ Keith
Richards and Pepe Le Pew, the skunk of cartoon fame. More
of the former you almost see Keith Richards playing this role
thru the body of Depp who always manages to give a fine performance.
Not bad for an actor who got into the profession by chance.
The supporting cast is also up to snuff. Orlando Bloom of
Kingdom of Heaven and Geoffrey Rush , who in
my book should win best actor this year for the Life and
Death of Peter Sellers. The picture looks amazingly three-dimensional
on this THX-certified disc and they even include a DTS
soundtrack which can immerse you in the action. Plenty of
action and a fairly good tale to keep the whole family involved.
Of course you will plan to watch it on proper equipment to
get the most impact. Pirates received a PG-13 merely for some
swashbuckling action scenes, mature children should have no
difficulty in viewing what amounts to high adventure.
 Peter
Gabriel: Secret World Tour (1994) - The DVD format
never ceases to amaze me. It surpasses the
quality of the film itself, but only when viewed on proper
equipment. This project is one of them, if not the very best.
One ponders memories of Pink Floyd’s 'The Wall'
tour, which was purposely never filmed. Most of Led Zeppelin’s
great performances were also not documented, for reasons only
those bands know.
In this case Peter chose to document it with the high performance
standards he has developed in his 40 years on stage. Right
from the start your pulse picks up the beat and you know this
is going to be something special indeed! You’re immersed
in the crowd and thundering instruments drone in the background.
A spotlight hits an English-style red phone booth rising out
of he stage and the song ‘Come Talk to Me’ echoes
thru the stadium - we’re on our way to tour his ‘Secret
World.’ What a world it is.
In this venture, Peter chose to totally combine theater and
performance in one package. A lot of things going on here
folks, if you can imagine two stages, one conventional, the
other in the round. The round one is way out in the audience,
attached to the former by a long bridge. The playing field
can be anywhere, on any of those areas. Now because of that
criteria, the sound design had to be unimaginably complex.
To accomplish it all, he used a smart system that’s
automatically corrected by massive computing power. Everything
is corrected and the result is crystal clear sound in every
area of the stadium. I was lucky enough to catch the tour
in ’93 at Oakland Coliseum, which is not exactly renowned
for sound quality. I was amazed at how every nuance was audible.
Experiencing a concert such as this is sheer pleasure.
So how did the DVD transfer this? Wow! What a job! It’s
as if you were at the performance itself. The cinematography
is breathtaking, totally enveloping you in the action that’s
constantly changing in mood, shape and texture. The musicians
are top notch and include Tony Levin (bass) of King Crimson
among others. The spotlight was then given to newcomer Paula
Cole. Sinead O'Conner had performed background vocals on some
of Peters new songs and Paula did more than justice to them.
She actually became quite popular soon after this tour with
a big pop hit, ‘Where Have All the Cowboys Gone.’
This is one of those concerts sure to please all. The song
list spans all of his solo career after a decade spent with
Genesis. Peter shows here his total comfort with
the latest incarnation of his creativity. His voice is seasoned
and rich and his body language is unparalleled. He can do
so much with so little, a true artist. Everything about this
work is top notch. The camera angles put you right in the
mix and the sound is supurb either with Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1.
While both are excellent, DTS excels to the point of frightening
when viewed and heard on the proper equipment. This is one
concert to own in perpetuity, as you will never get tired
of showing it off to friends. An exceptional piece of work!
There is big talk of a reunion of Genesis and Peter
Gabriel. The band has given it serious thought and are all
willing to have a go at it. Phil said he would very much like
to go back on the drums, leaving the spotlight to Peter as
in the past . Can you imagine the synergy of that event?
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