O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams
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DVD details
Actor: Barbara Dickson, Brian Kay, English Chamber Orchestra, Jill Balcon, Thomas AllenBrand: KOCH ENT.
Conductor: Sian Edwards
Conductor: Andrew Nethsingha
Conductor: Tamas Vasary
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 148 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-02-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Tony Palmer Films
Product features:
- Produced by the multi-award winning director Tony Palmer, this is the first ever full-length film biography on Ralph Vaughan Williams. This film features interviews with many of those who knew and worked with him, including the Gloucester Cathedral Choir conducted by Andrew Nethsingha, archive performances by Boult and Barbirolli, newly discovered interviews with Vaughan Williams himself, speciall
DVD Reviews of O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams
DVD Review: A transcendent film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not so much a review as an opportunity to add five stars to this outstanding production. It deserves even more stars, were that possible.
After seeing so many awful films biographies of Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin,Mozart, et. al. only a few great film biographies stand out in my mind, e.g., Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff. Now one more can be added to the list at or near the pinnacle. That is Palmer's, O Thou Transcendent. Some reviewers disagree, I see, but their reasons seem a bit superficial to me: for example an objection to the minute of carnage in a 2 1/2 hour film...not to forget that RVW was an ambulance driver and saw in real life a lot more than a few seconds of the bloody horrors of war and the death of very close friends who worked with him. No it is not pleasant. No, it may not be suitable for children. But when has war ever been?
In this production we have a great balance of biographical material, interviews, and samples of the great variety of his works, wonderfully performed by Sian Edwards, Tamas Vasary and Sir Adrian Boult among others. Not only are the slections perfect for RVW, but here is an opportunity to listen to reflections by his second wife,Ursula, and of Sir Michael Tippett, Lord Armstrong, the composer Mark Anthony Turnage and Lady Barbarolli, among others. This is an extraordinary work of film- making about a great English composer. If you do not see it you will have missed 2 1/2 hours of pure delight. Most highly recommended.
DVD Review: beautiful music, beautiful shots of England
Summary: 5 Stars
I knew nothing about Ralph Vaughan Williams. I have heard very little of his music. Tony Palmer's film left me wanting more -- to know more about his music and to listen to it. On that basis I think that film must be rated a success. In addition the scenic shots of England were beautiful. Even with only a standard upscaling DVD player and a 53" Sony SXRD HD Screen there was amazing clarity and vibrancy in the images presented. Like other reviewers I felt that the final sequences of dead bodies and the horrors of war seemed a bit overblown and out of place, but in general I found this to be an amazing and moving work.DVD Review: A Promising Documentary Ruined By Incompetence And Lack Of Direction
Summary: 1 Stars
"O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams" has to be one of the worst documentaries I've seen in a long time. From start to finish, there was nothing of remote substance found. The interview segments made absolutely no sense and didn't even pertain to the subject matter about 99% of the time. The editing, or lack of, was terrible as it was completely cut-up and very erratic. The entire documentary didn't follow any kind of timeline at all. The stories told from the various people being interviewed made absolutely no sense and were more of a personal nature and not much in the way of Vaughan Williams' actual history. The images involved throughout were very distasteful, which I'm sure this has been mentioned, but there were several images that were totally uncalled for like the images of a dead child and not to mention stacks of dead bodies, which are out-of-place in this type of documentary, which is supposed to be about Vaughan Williams and not trying to provoke controversy.
That said, I can't possibly think of one good thing to say about this pathetic excuse for a documentary other than I wish I had the 2+ hours back from watching this film. If you are expecting a documentary that follows a timeline and that deals with Vaughan Williams' life in a competent way, then do not watch this. I would have been ashamed to have even released this garbage for people to see. It surely doesn't do any justice to this man's beautiful music, if anything, it makes a mockery of it.
DVD Review: Better than his biography
Summary: 4 Stars
I read the biography of Ralph Vaughan Williams, RVW, written by his widow, Ursula, to present to a book club to which I belong. The book was long, full of musical minutia, and if I hadn't been obligated to discuss it, I would not have finished the book. After slogging through 400 pages of details that made my eyes cross, but compeletly skipped over the main story, I was left with not much interesting information to discuss with my group so I began researching more about the man.
I found this film to be very helpful. It includes footage of Ralph Vaughan Williams himself, Ursula, and several people who knew them well and revealed more of their fascinating story than Ursula was willing to tell.
The music is breathtaking, the English landscapes are beautiful, and this film gives more insight into this giant of 20th century music than any other single source that I found during the course of my research.
DVD Review: Marred by the director's stupidity
Summary: 3 Stars
I love the music of Sir Ralph and was looking forward to seeing this long "documentary". Surely the 2 hours 28 minute duration could have been much shorter and make the same impact, if not moreso.
Perhaps Mr Palmer is getting old and this forms part of the stupid elithist political left that usually comes from the UK, but to show recent images of burned children (and twice!) was totally unnecessary.
Such manipulation has made me lost respect for Mr Palmer and will make sure that next time I buy anything with his name on it I will inform myself carefully. There was absolutely no need to put such incendiary material (especially considering its recent origin) in a documentary. I wonder what sir Raplh's would have thought.
Description of O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Produced by the multi-award winning director Tony Palmer, this is the first ever full-length film biography on Ralph Vaughan Williams. This film features interviews with many of those who knew and worked with him, including the Gloucester Cathedral Choir conducted by Andrew Nethsingha, archive performances by Boult and Barbirolli, newly discovered interviews with Vaughan Williams himself, specially recorded extracts from "The Symphonies," "Job," "The Lark Ascending" and "The Tallis Fantasia" as well as contributions from Harrison Birtwistle, John Adams, Richard Thompson, Mark Anthony Turnage, Barbara Dickson, Michael Tippett & Neil Tennant of The Pet Shop Boys.General DVDs
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