Product Details

• Actors: Teresa Stratas, Robert Sapolsky, Giorgio Tozzi, Willard White, Nico Castel
• Directors: Arvin Brown
• Writers: Gian Carlo Menotti
• Producers: Alvin Cooperman, Jerry Sherlock, Judith de Paul
• Format: Classical, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kultur Video
• VHS Release Date: November 29, 1994
• Run Time: 51 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302560012
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,523 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Metropolitan Opera Diva Teresa Stratas stars in this production of the popular Christmas opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, with boy soprano Robert Sapolsky singing the role of Amahl, the crippled boy who receives a blessing from the new born Christ child.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but flawed, introduction to a favorite Christmas opera., December 20, 2004

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The most frequently performed opera in history, Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors introduces a widowed shepherd woman and her crippled son Amahl, who are out of food, wood for the fire, and oil for their lamp, and will have to go begging the next day. Suddenly, the Three Kings, who are following a star to Bethelehem, arrive at their cottage needing a place to stay for the night. Though Amahl (Robert Sapolsky) is delighted by the excitement, his mother is in a state of extreme stress. Unless she gets help, she and Amahl may starve. In a powerful duet, King Melchior (Giorgio Tozzi) describes the child to whom they plan to give all their gifts, while the agonized mother (Teresa Stratas) sings about her own child, just as worthy and perhaps more needy. In the ensuing scenes, the first Christmas miracle occurs.

For someone unfamiliar with the story, this video beautifully captures the dynamics of the opera--the emotional tensions, the gap between the poor and the very rich, and the social milieu into which the Christ Child was born. The protectiveness of the mother, the enthusiasm of Amahl (a child who is constantly excited by life), and the lives of the shepherds are clearly portrayed. The problems with the video are a result of its age. The colors have faded, the voices are fuzzy, the sound quality, after thirty years, lacks the depth which newer recording equipment provides, and in the shepherds' ballet, the choreography does not fit the small screen.

For anyone who knows the opera or who may have access to the libretto, however, these are problems which are more than outweighed by the sheer drama of the live performance. Menotti has created a story with which mothers, fathers, and young children can identify because he succeeds in capturing the humanity of the characters--the child who exaggerates and does not come when he is called, the mother who will do anything to save her child, the kindness of one of the kings. Directed by Arvin Brown, and starring Teresa Stratas, Giorgio Tozzi, and Nico Castel, all of the Metropolitan Opera, Willard White of the New York City Opera, and a young boy soprano, Robert Sapolsky, the cast brings a classic opera to life for families who love music. Mary Whipple

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Time for a new video performance of Amahl?, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Amahl and the Night Visitors" is a great vehicle for introducing opera to young, English-speaking audiences. The music and story are very moving and accessible. The above mentioned video of "Amahl" is an adequate telling of Menotti's made-for-TV opera. The singing and performance by all involved is heartfelt, if not occasionally a little over the top. My complaint lies with the quality of the film (dark and muddy-colored) and the sound recording (clipped highs and fuzzy lows, especially apparent during the Mother's solos). These problems are probably due to the age of the film from which these videos had been transferred. I read (somewhere?) that this classic opera has recently been re-filmed, possibly during this year's Spoleto Festival. I look forward to a new video version being made available in the near future.

99 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars may be okay for an intro to this work, not for aficionados, November 17, 1999

By 

Lisa (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors [VHS] (VHS Tape)

First, the positive: Every Christian should know this opera; when well done, it is lovely beyond expression. The inspiring and emotional story is sung in clearly understood English, and the entire work is less than an hour long. If you want to introduce others to this charming opera, this might do for your purposes. It may appeal especially to families with young children. It is not a "stage presentation", but looks like an ordinary movie.

Better would be to take the kids to a local theater production and get them the book (which I haven't seen); get yourself the right CD (keep reading).

Now, some of the many negatives: Beware, this product comes from a company that calls itself "KULTUR". That spelling alone tells the story.

The quality of the product is abysmal. The sound wavers and there is a blank spot and skip in the video image. It looks and sounds like a dubbed, worn out tape.

The music, both notes and lyrics, is not always what Menotti wrote; there is even a short piece, for Amahl's calling of the shepherds, that is not in the original. The tempos are much slower, agonizingly slower, than Menotti's.

Some action doesn't make sense with the music or with the emotion being expressed. For example, the light, skipping music for Amahl's trips to and from the door is instead played while he is standing at it, and the mother vents her rage at Amahl's presumed lies while bent over tying her sandal. Kaspar's voice is awful, and his role is trivialized to the point that he is often missing from the screen. And Balthazar is somewhat unkind to Kaspar, which jarringly undermines the image of the graciousness of the Three Kings. Even the transcendental "He walks" is marred by inappropriate action, though, despite the poor quality of the product, this moment in the opera still brought tears to my eyes.

I'm no opera snob, but I passionately love this work, which has been an integral part of my entire life. If you share my love, or want to, get the real thing the way the composer intended it: "Amahl and the Night Visitors / Schippers" is how Amazon lists the CD. It was recorded just days after the original NBC broadcast, which was produced under the direction of Menotti himself.