Stravinsky: Once at a Border / Tony Palmer
by Tony Palmer
List Price:
Our Price: $14.35
You Save: $10.64 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Robert Craft, Vera StravinskyDirector: Tony Palmer
Brand: Kultur
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 166 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: KULTUR VIDEO
DVD Reviews of Stravinsky: Once at a Border / Tony Palmer
DVD Review: Scenes from the life of the Inventor of music.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very interesting and nicely composed documentary film about the great Stravinsky. For those who are well-familiar with the composer's life and works, especially for those who read a great book on Stravinsky by Robert Craft, many episodes will not be a discovery, but still the narration and the natural enfolding of the story in the chronological order make it an easy and informative watch.
I think interviews with his children, his second wife Vera Sudeikina and the descendants of the artistic collaborators of Stravinsky, such as the daughter of Nijinsky, were excellent and interesting. It was also interesting to see the granddaughter of Rimsky-Korsakov, and even from very short fragments devoted to her, a Russian would immediately know from the manner of her speech and her way of carrying herself that she belonged to the cultural elite, as he grandfather did.
For me a few things were astonishing - first, that Diaghilev had died in Hotel des Bains from typhoid in 1929. Somehow before I never linked the story of his death with Thomas Mann's Aschenbach from Der Tod in Venedig. Considering that Diaghilev was a homosexual, it becomes even more suspicious. Diaghilev died in 1929, and Der Tod was written in 1912. How could it happen that Diaghilev lived the story of Mann's Aschenbach, or rather, lived Achenbach's death???
Next, to see Stravinsky's hand-written score was a stunning experience. Now only everything is laid out in a the most perfect order, he also uses different colors to stress certain points. It is amazing to notice that he writes in Russian in an "old style", with the pre-revolutionary grammar - something that a very young Russian viewer might not even know about.
His very think accent in English is profound, but as soon as he switches to French his speech flows! We can see how for people of his generation French was indeed a language of the educated and cultural elite, the international Latin.
Stravinsky has always astonished me as a man of supreme intelligence - not only his ideas and thoughts are very clever; in addition he never said anything outright stupid or uneducated. I am sure he had huge gaps in knowledge about many things, since he devoted himself completely to his art, leaving not much time for literature and art, but he appears to be intelligent enough to not expose his ignorance in other subjects, something that many musicians do, that is, displaying complete lack of knowledge in anything outside of the field of music - Taruskin, Harnoncourt would be some examples. Maybe this is because composers must be supremely intelligent, compared to conductors, musicians, musicologists? Because a great composer is always an excellent mathematician, and at least does not have problems with logic. Stravinsky's score seems to be printed out from a supercomputer. NO ERRORS. It is petrifying somewhat.
However, such an Apollonian mind still needs a strong Dionysus, and while we know that Stravinsky has plenty of it in his music we learn that he always loved wine, and that he considered water a drink for losers! What a MAN!
The films has great fragments from his most important works; I love especially his Oedipus Rex, Les Noches with the great choreography by Bronislava Nijinska and mise-en-scene by Natalia Goncharova; Symphony of psalms, Pulcinella; Firebird, of course; there were many more.
The only thing that I wish would be shed more light on is Stravinsky's visit to USSR. I know he left earlier than planned; and some commentary on that event would be interesting, just as Horowitz' visit to Russia is. The film refers to Shostakovich accusing Stravinsky of writing avant-garde music and composing nothing worthwhile in the 60's, but it is a well-known fact that in reality Shostakovich admired Stravinsky, while Stravinsky despised Shostakovich, considering his style secondary, outdated and totally lacking in innovation. I can imagine that Stravinsky despised Shostakovich even deeper, since it is quite obvious that he dismissed Wagner and his followers. He called himself a Mozartian, and indeed his strictness in structuire, and discipline of form confirm it. His severity is probably another reason why he hated familiarity and being called "Igor" by strangers.
It was also amazing to see that Stravinsky conducted his own compositions. I believe this is the best way to present a new work, unless a composer cannot physically do it. It seems obvious to me that whatever he imagines in his mind can be best conveyed to us by him, too.
Also, I did not find the fact of a poorly tuned piano so sensational. He was hearing his music in his head, so it seems that the piano might not be needed at all. Maybe he kept it this way to shock unsuspecting guests? It seems to me that Stravinsky had a great wry sense of humor. Also, he was not without showing off his genius - to refer to his occupation not as a composer, but as an "inventor of music" is quite inventive indeed!
I highly recommend this documentary.
More Stravinsky: Once at a Border / Tony Palmer reviews:
1
1
Description of Stravinsky: Once at a Border / Tony Palmer
ONCE AT A BORDER - DVD MovieBestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Chopin: Desire For LoveMTI; Release date: 2004-11-30; DVD
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress / Lott, Goeke, Ramey, Elias, van Allan, Haitink, Glyndebourne OperaNaxos OF America INC; Release date: 2005-08-16; DVD
Best price: $13.21
Price in other shops:
Benjamin Britten: A Time There Was / Tony PalmerKultur; Release date: 2006-11-21; DVD
Best price: $15.34
Price in other shops:
Coco Chanel & Igor StravinskyColumbia; Release date: 2010-09-28; DVD
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
TchaikovskyWarner Brothers; Release date: 2008-05-27; DVD
Best price: $9.49
Price in other shops:
StravinskyST Clair ENT GRP INC; Release date: 2004-06-29; DVD
Best price: $19.24
Price in other shops:
O Thou Transcendent: The Life of Ralph Vaughan WilliamsNaxos OF America INC; Release date: 2008-02-26; DVD
Best price: $14.38
Price in other shops:
Tony Palmer's Film of Shostakovich: TestimonyKoch International; Release date: 2009-09-15; DVD
Best price: $12.52
Price in other shops:
Harvest of Sorrow - Tony Palmer's Film About Sergei RachmaninoffRelease date: 2007-07-31; DVD
Best price: $14.16
Price in other shops:
Stravinsky and the Ballets Russes: The Firebird/ Le Sacre du PrintempsRelease date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $20.82
Price in other shops: