Search - Prenda Minha: Caetano on DVD

Divine Music - Terrible Camara Work!

Max Leiva | 04/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Caetano Veloso is one of the world's best balladist. He and Gilberto Gil started the Tropicalismo movement in the 60's. Born in Bahia, he fell under the influence of
Bossa Nova's co-founder Joao Gilberto. He integrates Pop and Bossa Nova with his poetic lyrics. His is brother to Maria Bethania, another impressive singer. Prenda minha has sold more than a million CD's in Brazil alone. The main attraction is the Megahit "Sozinho" (by Peninha). This is a lovely song or as Caetano himself expresses: "esa cancao e tao bonitinha". My other two favorite songs are "Terra" and "Drao" (by Gilberto Gil). In this DVD, besides the music, Catenao's performance is incredible. The quality of the sound is great (5.1 surround). But the camera "tricks" are very distracting. As early as the second song, the "zoom in and out" and rapid camera movements become unbearable. Nevertheless, despite the poor camera work, Caetano's performance deserves a 5 star review due to the greatness of the music, artistic performance and unique voice by Caetano."

Could have been the perfect concert

beesquare | FALLS CHURCH, VA United States | 09/18/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I first encountered Caetano Veloso peforming in Pedro Almodovar's film Hable con Ella (Talk to Her). His appealing voice and stringed arrangement drew me to seek out a concert DVD, and this one is what I found. Caetano is a tremendously inventive and versatile showman and musician. This DVD is a pure concert from beginning to end, no distracting interruptions for interviews, behind the scenes tidbits, etc. Excellent sound quality; the applause of the audience is audible but does not intrude. This will sound great in your home theater. The songs range from quiet solos to hard-driving, fully orchestrated jazz samba numbers. His show provides a tremendously creative blend of folkloric samba rhythyms, modern Miles Davis style jazz, poetry, sculpture, literature, love, hate, war... well, it is hard to describe, but it is dazzling and very appealing. Fortunately the DVD has subtitles in several languages including English because the lyrics are great... a major element of the show's success. The big failure in this video is the cheapo pseudo-psychedelic camera tricks that permeate the film. I am talking about "techniques" like rapidly focusing and and unfocusing the shot, rapid-fire zoom in, zoom out, intentionally jiggling the camera for an earthquake effect, speeding up the action to simulate the silent film Keystone Kops effect, turning the camera sideways... everything annoying the cameraman could think of to do. On the more upbeat numbers this idiocy becomes nauseating and you have to look away to avoid seasickness. Though this serious flaw is most unfortunate, I still do not recommend that you skip the DVD and get the CD version for music only. If you do that, you will miss the very substantial visual element of the performance... for example Caetano's charming duet with his son Moreno, singing a song Moreno wrote for his father's birthday entitled How Beautiful Can a Being Be? Very beautiful indeed as even the atrocious camera tricks can't completely ruin."

Caetano, Caetano

beesquare | 08/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My wife saw this video and got a big crush on Caetano. Then she found out that he is older than her father. How can a man have such charisma?I saw Caetano Veloso in Chicago in the summer of '99. That is the tour this DVD is taken from. It is the first DVD I purchased and I immediately grabbed it off the shelf when I saw it. I wanted my wife to experience the concert she had to miss a couple of summers ago. It also brought back several highlights I had forgotten from the concert. Let me tell you, if you love art, poetry, music or have a passion for life, get this video. I was very pleased to have subtitles so that I could catch the translations as Caetano sung them. I have listened to his music for several years, but often without a translation. What I found is that his music is even more beautiful than I ever knew.Buy it without hesitation. Though, the camera work is a little "fast" in a couple of places, as I have read in other reviews, I don't feel as though it warrants less than a "five". Afterall, a diamond among rocks is no less a diamond for its flaw."

How Beautiful Can a Being Be?

ppanther | 04/08/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A Brazilian Master Presenting his Superb Art: Caetano Veloso, turning 60 next year and not hiding his grey strands of hair is energetic and youthful as ever in this wonderful concert playing many of his beautiful songs. Prenda Minha is driven by an impressing rythm section comprising a group of young Brazilian drummers, which gives for another paste than the more orchestral string sound of the 1994 Fina Estampa concert.A guest appearance by his son Moreno, some introductory excerpt readings from his book and some of his Tropicalia hits played acoustic (guitar and voice only) make the 90+ minutes go by much too fast, the three extra songs (2 videos / one live)are consumed as quickly. The intellectual wording of his songs can be read as subtitles in Spanish, French or English (my option) which is a great way to experience the music and the text at the same time. The sound is great and the set and the camerawork very stylish. Only in a few songs the picture moves too hectic for me, who prefers fast music to speak for itself. Were it not for these 3 songs with a pulsating zooming camera view, I would have given 5 stars."