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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A welcome tribute, but ..., June 20, 2005
This review is from: Kathleen Ferrier - An Ordinary Diva (DVD)
First broadcast by the BBC on the fiftieth anniversary of Ferrier's death, this documentary is a must-see for her admirers. It also serves quite well as an introduction to her unique gifts (a CD is included of her singing) and a personality that was both compelling and elusive. But for those in the middle, who value her best recordings without much knowledge of her biography, the film will prove more tantalizing than satisfactory. The single private film of Ferrier is edited and manipulated past the point of comprehension, and the same goes for the treatment of "Songs my Father Taught Me": a private burlesque of some of her own vocal repertoire that fortunately is available on a CD. The raw film footage in particular should have been presented near the outset of the documentary. More successful is the editing of interviews (most of them archival) with Ferrier's relatives and associates, and there are insightful comments from Dame Janet Baker, Ian Jack, and Christopher Fifield, the editor of Ferrrier's letters and diaries. On the downside: what misplaced desire to keep up appearances inspired the selection of Patricia Routledge to recite the words of Kathleen Ferrier? Ms. Routledge sounds as old as Ferrier would have been had she lived into this century, and she ends up reading from the singer's broadcast tribute to the Edinburgh Festival, in place of Ferrier's own voice in an archival recording!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable material, fills an enormous vacuum in the US., November 19, 2008
This review is from: Kathleen Ferrier - An Ordinary Diva (DVD)
This DVD does contain material available elsewhere to anyone willing to invest the time and the money, but here for the first time is an enormous amount of material, from family, other musicians, critics, and friends of Kathleen Ferrier. I learned for the first time what a comic she was; there is a film clip of her performing a naughty song at the piano, with all the funny faces she makes as she improvises for a laugh. One learns how anxious John Barbirolli was to try and prevent Kathleen Ferrier from becoming what was called -with obviously derogatory intent- an Oratorio vocalist. The Ferrier legend continues to live; there is general agreement about her character and her sweet nature, and a picture that already exists of a woman not spoiled by her evident physical beauty is confirmed. Highly recommended, until something better comes along. Archimedes
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kathleen Ferrier - An Ordinary Diva, March 28, 2008
This review is from: Kathleen Ferrier - An Ordinary Diva (DVD)
This is an absolutely phenomenal DVD about Kathleen Ferrier. I had heard the name before, but I never had any idea everything she had accomplished, and how amazing her voice was !!! HIGHLY Recommended !!!!
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