Brigadoon

Brigadoon (1991 London Studio Cast)
$11.94
Have you ever dreamed about a land where life is simple and happy and where the worries of the outside world are far away? Almost all, I am sure. That`s why the spell of Brigadoon is so strong. The score contains so many beautful melodies. The story is perhaps a little "over-romantic"by today`s standards but it has a strong charm of it`s own.
What I find great in this recording that it contains ALL music of Brigadoon, also the dances. What I also enjoy is that a lot of dialogue has been included.You really know what`s happening in this story. And also the texts have been included in the booklet. The singers are exellent and I especially enjoy John Mark Ainsley,who is a singer of classical music, making so well this musical role. If you don`t know Brigadoon yet, buy this recording!This music is really worth knowing.

Finian's Rainbow
$19.98
In my opinion, this is not a well-crafted story or a movie worth watching, unless you really like a certain actor or actress or really want to see Fred Astaire dance in his last role. I thought it would be interesting because Tommy Steele was so great in Disney's musical The Happiest Millionaire and because Keenan Wynn can be very funny, but in this movie, Tommy Steele acts more like he is on a drug high, and the songs in this had less to do with the plot than in most musicals. For example, there's a lot of good dancing and there are some good tunes, but when everyone's spending the day running through the fields, and it has so little to do with the plot, you have to wonder what the point or current plot is. The point at that particular part seems to be that everyone's happier in communal living, and the rest of the movie clarifies that communal living is specifically Marxist. The messages of the movie are Marxist, and the writers of the musical also managed to put in a bit about witches overcoming discrimination, a big deal to the feminists of the 60s. The Marxist message is more blatant than some of the reviewers here suggested, portraying Fred Astaire's character as greedy for wanting to keep his money and calling the rightful owner, the leprechaun (Tommy Steele), a member of a "subversive underground group" for wanting it. The writers of the musical were Marxists or socialists who were portraying capitalists as selfish, accusatory hatemongers. One last thing: I felt that the movie's subplots weren't very well connected to each other until the end of the movie, and that the cuts in the movie were done in a very psychedelic, disjointed fashion, reflecting the hippie era that director Coppola apparently embraced. All of these things were negative aspects to me.

The Music Man (Special Edition)
$19.97
Thoroughly enjoyable DVD, with excellent color and excellent quality. I love the music in this musical. Robert Preston does an incredible job as the con man who comes to town to start a boy's band. The "76 Trombones" number is lots of fun. And it's fun to see Ron Howard as a little boy. Great musical.

Brigadoon
$24.98
This is the entertaining musical set in Scotland. The plot is pretty basic- a young American and his alcoholic friend want to go hiking in the highlands, and encounter a magic town which only appears once a year. Tommy (the hero) falls for a villager, and they spend time courting. The villager's sister is going to be married, and the two Americans are invited. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and a young scorned suitor (Harry Beaton), decides to leave the village which would break the miracle which protects the village and curse everyone.

I have long liked this film, although, there are several musical numbers that I could do with out as they are protracted and overly sentimental. I think the costuming is beautiful, as are the voices of the singers. As with most musicals... The plot isn't terribly deep... Don't expect an explanation as why people can emigrate to Brigadoon (for instance) and yet disatisfied people may never leave, or why a village of supposedly God-fearing people are so afraid of Witches. It seems the easy answer to their problems would be to run the witches out of town. What reason to make the entire village disappear?

I've always sympathized with Harry Beacham as the scorned 'other man.' It seems cruel that he must be trapped in Brigadoon, against his will and forced to watch his love marry.

4 stars. Beautiul singing, excellent sets, nice acting... But not particularly deep.