Product Details

• Actors: Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Rigg, Len Cariou, Lesley-Anne Down, Hermione Gingold
• Directors: Harold Prince
• Writers: Hugh Wheeler, Ingmar Bergman
• Producers: Denis Holt, Elliott Kastner, Otto Plaschkes
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Henstooth Video
• DVD Release Date: June 5, 2007
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CWT3
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,131 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "A Little Night Music" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There are many enjoyable elements in the 1978 film version of Stephen Sondheim's exquisite chamber musical A Little Night Music, based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. First, Sondheim's score (all based on meters of 3) is full of riches such as "Now/Later/Soon," "Every Day a Little Death," "It Would Have Been Wonderful," and the famous "Send in the Clowns." There's even one reworking, of "The Glamorous Life," that became something of a collector's item for fans. Second, much of the cast is good, with original Broadway lead Len Cariou reprising his role as Frederik, the lawyer torn between his young wife, Anne (Lesley Anne-Down), and his former beau Desiree (Elizabeth Taylor). Others from the original Broadway company are Laurence Guittard (as pompous soldier Carl-Magnus) and Hermione Gingold (Mme. Armfeldt), and Diana Rigg adds a wonderful spice. Unfortunately Hal Prince couldn't translate his successful stage direction to this clunky film, Taylor's marquee value couldn't help her sing her big number, "Send in the Clowns," and a number of decisions--cutting songs, moving the setting from Sweden to Austria, eliminating the Greek chorus--just didn't work. It's worth seeing for the cast and for Sondheim's music, but all in all, A Little Night Music is one of the most dismal Broadway-to-movie adaptations ever made. --David Horiuchi

On the DVD
The 2007 DVD is in a barely perceptible 1.66 widescreen, not enhanced for anamorphic televisions. Years earlier, the film was scheduled to be released by Image Entertainment but the print was judged too poor to release. Hen's Tooth's DVD has visible print damage throughout; you won't use it to show off your home theater, but it is watchable, and the film's reputation makes an expensive restoration unlikely. If you want A Little Night Music, you're unlikely to get anything better than this any time soon, if ever. (Smalller quibble: only 12 chapter stops makes it hard to find the songs.) --David Horiuchi

Product Description

Elizabeth Taylor, Len Cariou, Diana Rigg, Lesley-Anne Down. After 11 months, Frederick gets a little tired of waiting for his 17-year-old virgin bride to have sex with him. His son, infatuated with his step-mother, is waiting, too! So Frederick visits his former mistress who is involved in a torrid affair. But before long, all these mismatched couples come together in this hilarious bedroom farce! 1978/color/120 min/PG.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 90 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Collectors, Beware! June 7, 2007

By Tom S. TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

This DVD is a major disappointment. Like so many other Sondheim fans, I'd been looking forward to this release because the 1978 film is--for better or worse--a rare record of one of my favorite Broadway shows. But, the film itself aside, this DVD is a problem. It is not professionally done. It's supposed to be a new, widescreen print in Dolby stereo, but it isn't. It's a terrible, scratchy old print, and the "widescreen" is apparently stretched out from a fullscreen TV print. The framing is so bad that the opening titles are all cut off, like on an old TV print. And the soundtrack is mono--not even very clear mono. There are more glitches and scratches and sudden jumps (indicating reel changes on old movie theater equipment) than you can count.

I swear, this looks and sounds like it was taken from a TV broadcast with second-rate equipment. Try pausing the picture, and you'll see the horizontal lines that indicate a broadcast on an obsolete TV. And there's a vertical slash down the entire center of the picture for much of the running time, projector damage from long ago. They didn't use the laser disc or VHF recordings, both of which are in much better shape, to make this DVD. Is this legal? Who is "Hen's Tooth Video," anyway?

I don't know what we can do about this, but you really want to think twice before ordering this title. I'm furious, and you will be, too. What a rip-off!

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars To watch it more helps you to appreciate it more October 18, 2004

By KerrLines

Format:DVD

Having seen the stage play several times I can appreciate the movie for what it is.The movie is much slower and less funny than the stage play, yet the movie has some much more tender moments and dramatic flair.I love being able to see the held close ups of Taylor and Cariou and the chemistry these two have.The movie fills in parts that cannot be done on stage.Yes,songs are cut from the stage version, but new lyrics for WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY ,GLAMOUROUS LIFE and EVERY DAY A LITTLE DEATH make this interesting for Prince-Sondheim fans.It definitely is different than the original show, but I love it and watch it often.I always laugh when Cariou and Taylor are chortling about "her Dragooooooon!"

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars PBS please March 11, 2000

By Carl Downs

Format:DVD

Actually I want to have a dvd edition of the musical play that was broadcast (too long to video tape,) a few years ago on PBS! The movie was fine, but art lovers everywhere want the real thing! I think mankind deserves real broadway masterpieces shown as they exist on the stage!