Product Details

• Actors: Joan Sutherland, James Morris (IX), Judith Forst, Janet Stubbs, Gidon Saks
• Directors: Lotfi Mansouri
• Format: Classical, Color, NTSC
• Language: Italian
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Video Artists Int'l
• VHS Release Date: March 30, 1999
• Run Time: 157 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000ICDJ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,197 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sutherland/Morris/Forst Triumph in Bel Canto Classic, April 27, 2001

By 

Scott Holmes (Wilmette, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Donizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company (DVD)

On May 22, 1984 Joan Sutherland gave her very first performance as Donizetti's Anna Bolena in Toronto. Two performances later, on May 28, the performance was televised with the premiere cast and quite a premiere cast it was: James Morris as Henry VIII, Judith Forst as Jane Seymour, Michael Myers as Percy and in the small role of Hervey, the as yet unknown Ben Heppner. Pirate videos have been floating around for years of this performance but what a treat it is to see this mint copy looking as if it were being telecast today! Sumptuous costumes and appropriately stern sets along with excellent camera work help the singers to bring their characters vividly to life. Even though Sutherland was definitely in her later years, there is plenty of voice left to cope with the many vocal as well as dramatic challenges of this role. It is also a great opportunity to see James Morris as Henry -- a role he rarely performed and never recorded. The role offers no vocal difficulties that Morris cannot master and he is visually the antithesis of the overweight letcher we expect Henry VIII to be. Richard Bonynge conducts with sensitivity and style, bringing a "rightness" to this performance which many modern day bel canto performances rarely deliver. As with VAI's Norma -- subtitles are permanent and not optional but this is a small drawback which can be easily overlooked and indeed a plus for those who are hearing this opera for the first time. This DVD comes highly recommended not only as an aural but a visual treat as well. Many thanks to VAI for releasing its recent DVD's (Great Opera Stars on the Bell Telephone Hour and NORMA) -- keep them coming!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SUTHERLAND IS STILL SUTHERLAND, February 16, 2005

By 

L. Mitnick (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Donizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company (DVD)

In a perfect world, there would have been a video "Anna Bolena" with Maria Callas, but with that out of the question, I find this Sutherland version quite good. True --- her voice is not what it would have been ten years earlier ------ but it's still an impressive instrument quite capable of commanding the role. Secondly, she sounds considerably better here than she does on the London studio recording of 1987 (recorded three years after this performance). The supporting cast here is excellent, the orchestra plays well for Bonynge, and the picture is pretty good. I'm a great Callas admirer, but I truly find Sutherland's contribution to the art of bel canto to be as basic and fundamental as was Callas'. This is an excellent "Anna Bolena" , and if there are those who have a problem with Sutherland's downward transposition of the final scene by a whole step, they should simply give this performance a pass. Personally, I'm glad that Sutherland took this role into her repertoire, even at this late stage of her career. Is there any soprano out there today who could duplicate her accomplishment? If so, where are they??

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Close to 60----------Sutherland was still " La Stupenda", June 17, 2001

By 

Opera fan "bravadamejoan" (Southampton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Donizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company (DVD)

This Anna Bolena recording does not have the best audio or visual quality that we really desire.However, it is an extremely important document and shows why Dame Joan was still "La Stupenda" at age close to 60 !It is ashame that the Met refused to mount this opera for Sutherland during her raving success around the world-a great lost for New Yorker!This is a must for any opera lover---------including fans of Dame Joan.