Search - The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci on DVD

Life of Leonardo DaVinci... great video vs chopped up DVD

Tony DeCaro | 02/14/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"When The Life of Leonard DaVinci first aired on American Television, I believe it was on ABC, my wife and I had only been married a few months. But, every Sunday night as I recall, for about four or five weeks, we watched this fantastic production.

Years later, we saw it again on PBS. When I began teaching, I found that our local educational resource center had this program on VHS. As a graphic arts teacher, I felt that Leonardo and this documentary were of such great importance, I would show a chapter or two to my students during the course of a term. And, I would take it home at watch it again and again.

Not only was Leonardo, as one of the Amazon reviewers describes, a bit weird, he was also brilliant and interesting. Brilliant and interesting also describes this entire Italian production. As much as I dislike foreign films with the out-of-sync English dubbed voices, I was able to over look it in this extremely informative and superbly produced film. I really liked the occasional interaction of the characters as they sort of stumble into the narrator; I thought that to be very clever and nicely executed. So, after seeing that it was available in DVD, I purchased a copy.

I am so disappointed... What inept producer, or editor, of re-release material thought that he or she had the requisite skills to chop up so much of this production? I was so angered by this that I'm sorry I bought the DVD. The complete version deserves a FIVE STAR +, the DVD... TWO, if that much! This great program, unfortunately placed in the hands of a flaming IDIOT, ruined the overall presence and personality of this presentation by IGNORANTLY cutting away some wonderful clips that brought such a meaningful and complete story to an eager audience.

I really love the quality of DVD, but for this, I'll just go check out the VHS version and watch it from time to time. Oh, just an afterthought... Is there a COMPLETE version of this available on DVD? Hey, you, bonzo with the editing shears... Do you still have the original? Well, how about releasing that for some of us - "I-want-to-see-the-whole THING" fanatics!

Tony DeCaro
Graphics Design/Video Production Instructor
"

The Life of Leonardo da Vinci

Alan T Kolling | Berkeley, CA | 03/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally telecast by PBS stations in 1972 as "I, Leonardo" this five-part series earned a Golden Globe award for Best TV Drama in 1973. I loved it then and was thrilled to be able to finally see it again after so many years. The program is simply outstanding, stunning, superb, bellissima . . . I've run out of superlatives to describe it. A vividly illustrative, highly-detailed, historically accurate, only-occasionally-sentimental account of the life of an incredible human being, the program provides a great deal of information about all facets of Leonardo's life and the personal, political, and artistic challenges that confronted him. I enjoyed the detailed background provided about his mother Caterina,about whom very little is known, and the balanced handling of his relatonships with the two primary disciples in his life, Salai and Francisco Melzi. The video also provides a wealth of information about the historical events that forced him to leave and return to Florence and Milan, the political intrigue of the leaders he had to collaborate with, and the bitter rivalry between him and Michaelangelo in his later years. It's a show I can and will watch over and over and over again . . . and again."

Warning!: Bastardized Leonardo

Curtis M. Harrell, Jr. | Chicago, Illinois USA | 11/27/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I would normally write a much longer review of this DVD, given the subject matter, AND would have given it 5 Stars. But, considering that this release by Questar is pointlessly a cut up, BASTARDIZED version of the original mini-series (which can still be had in its entirety on VHS, also from Questar), I am forced to focus more on what's wrong with this particular release, rather than extoll the astonishing merits of the wonderful film. Please avoid this version at all costs, and if you can, get the full version on VHS. Questar has cut out some of the best moments of this film series for no valid reason I can discern - maybe just to save 2 bucks on the overall package price. They have done great damage to this film, by removing, amongst other key scenes, the important in-story narrator. This element added much charm and charisma to an already fasicinating film - and was one of the many reasons it is, in its original form, so enchanting. Removing the in-story narrator also necessitated removing some key speculations concerning important areas of Leonardo's life and thought. I, personally, am glad I still have my VHS copy, and would like to submit a separate review on that one. This one, you can skip."

Be Sure To Buy The VHS Version, NOT the DVD!

Charles R. Boyd | Rochester, NY | 01/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My wife told me about having seen this series about Leonardo Da Vinci when she was a child. It had stuck with her for over 30 years, and she dearly wanted to see it again. After doing some research on The Internet Movie Database, we determined this was the series she had seen. At first, I ordered the DVD edition. Then, I read the reviews. (I know. I did this in the wrong order.) When I read that the narrator had been cut out of the DVD version, I asked my wife about it. She told me that the narrator was one of the best elements of the series! I immediately cancelled the previous order, and ordered the VHS edition instead. Boy, am I glad! I can't imagine this series being anywhere near as good without the character of the narrator who walks through the scenes and interacts with some of the historical characters. The narrator is a charming, creative, and essential element of this series. Cutting the character out of the DVD edition was sheer idiocy!"