Search - Sunday in the Park with George on DVD


Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George
Actors: Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Bryne, Mary D'Arcy, Sue Anne Gershenson
Director: Terry Hughes
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Television, Musicals & Performing Arts
NR     1999     2hr 26min

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte by Georges Seurat is one of the great paintings of the world, and in "Sunday in the Park with George," book writer James Lapine and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim brin...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actors: Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Bryne, Mary D'Arcy, Sue Anne Gershenson
Director: Terry Hughes
Creators: Hector Ramirez, Bernard B. Jacobs, Emanuel Azenberg, Gerald Schoenfeld, Iris Merlis, Michael Brandman, James Lapine
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Television, Musicals & Performing Arts
Sub-Genres: John Hughes, Love & Romance, Television, Musicals, Musicals
Studio: Image Entertainment
Format: DVD - Color
DVD Release Date: 03/23/1999
Original Release Date: 01/01/1986
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/1986
Release Year: 1999
Run Time: 2hr 26min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 13
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English

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Member Movie Reviews

George K. from COLCHESTER, CT
Reviewed on 11/18/2015...
It's just lovely, with Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin outstanding as the leads.

Know that George is a rather philosophical stage musical, largely about the art of George Seurat, the pointillist.

Filmed before a live audience, complete with audience responses, it's not a conventional movie. By today's standards, it's quaint.

So what?

The ideas are worth consideration and the music is worth hearing and the actors are excellent.
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

DVD Features Story Behind Sondheim's Musical
Matt Howe | Washington, DC | 12/05/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

""But it's warm inside his eyes ... and it's soft inside his eyes ..." Some say Sondheim is cerebral and sophisticated. However, I am always very moved by SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. I especially find the first act to be the best part of the show. And Sondheim constantly warms my heart with his lyrics and beautiful music.The production of the video of the show is very good. Lapine gets some good shots, even though it's basically a taped version of a Broadway show. The editing in spots is very good.Bernadette Peters, a favorite performer of mine, is not in very good voice for the taping. I think I've read that she was having vocal problems at the time. Some dubbing is apparent in spots. Mr. Patinkin is very subdued and subtle in his performance.The DVD is a preferable way to watch this show due to its extra audio track of Sondheim, Lapine, Peters and Patinkin reminiscing about it. There are some great stories told by the group. Mr. Sondheim sheds some light on the earlier drafts of songs and scenes.Remember, this show won the Pulitzer Prize! It is not an "Oklahoma" kind of musical -- it's very artsy and concerns a difficult man obsessed with his art. But it is so sweet and clever. Like Seurat's famous painting that the musical is based on, the stellar talent behind the show blend together to produce a truly luminescent experience."
So many things to love!
Robert Moore | Chicago, IL USA | 10/30/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"As someone who did not see the original production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, I am more grateful for this film of the stage play than I can possibly express. Although both Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin have both enjoyed fine careers in film and television in addition to their stage work, their best work has been on stage, and by the nature of the medium, it has been more or less lost to us. This performance captures them doing what they do best. It is ironic that with the semi-rebirth of the film musical in recent years, there has been no attempt to do so with Patinkin, the premiere musical stage performer of the past thirty years. Here he is a marvel, crafting songs with vocals stylings of an inconceivable range.

Sondheim's score is a thing of glory. Unlike many previous composers, Sondheim was concerned with making each song an organic part of the work as a whole. They don't stand alone, but absolutely require their setting in the rest of the musical. It is as if Sondheim wanted to make it impossible for any of them to be excerpted. Yet, each one is utterly remarkable, stamped with the highest possible craft and talent. What sets Sondheim's art apart from his fellow composers is the brilliance of his arrangements. He clearly has invested as much effort in arranging the music as he has in crafting the lyrics and writing the initial music. The arrangements are so hypnotic that at times I actually had to listen twice to a couple of musical numbers because I realized that I had failed to listen to the lyrics. The effect of the brilliant songs, the extraordinary performances, and the astonishing arrangements is absolutely breathtaking.

The cast is beyond reproach, with numerous stellar performances beyond those by Patinkin and Peters. Barbara Byrne, Dana Ivey, Charles Kimbrough, and many others perform their roles to perfection. Interestingly, shortly after the run of the musical was over, two of the cast members went on to major television stardom: Charles Kimbrough stood out as Jim Dial in MURPHY BROWN while Brent Spiner created one of the most beloved characters in television history as Data in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.

In general, I have a low opinion of the stage musical. Most of them are more glitter and surface than substance, with superficially appealing music. SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, however, is one of the grand exceptions. The word "genius" is thrown around far too often, but it can be applied here with no impropriety."
"Pretty isn't beautiful. Pretty is what changes...
Scott Advani | Edmonton, AB | 01/08/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"'Beautiful does not...'This is more than a pretty play. There is a significance, sophistication and depth in this musical that goes well beyond what you would expect. Every time I have had the opportunity to catch this musical on HBO or PBS I have taken it - it has been well worth seeking out.This story is a complete work of fiction that centres around the life of the painter. It's not really about the painter, or about the painting. It's about art. It's about the art of making art. It's about the search for significance and meaning to our lives. It's about connecting with the world around you. It's about living life for all it's worth, with all you've got, and not settling for the mediocre or second-best. It's about standing back from the dots that make up our lives and looking how it all fits together, allowing the perspective (or lack) fall into its proper place.This DVD is worth obtaining for two reasons. First, you WILL want to watch this over and over, and review it from time to time. Because you have changed between viewings, the play will say different things to you. Second is the commentary with James Lapine who wrote the libretto, Stephen Sondheim who scored the music, and Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. There are times where the commentary goes completely quiet, which is sometimes confusing (I would have preferred if they spoke through the whole thing, and I can't tell if the recording equipment failed to record some parts, or if they were really silent. This is a minor complaint, and I'm still very happy to have this DVD.)I have recommended this movie to many friends, of different backgrounds, and with a few exceptions most have come away with many reasons (often different from my own) as to why they enjoyed and were touched by the play."