Product Details

• Actors: Beau Bridges, Jordan Bridges, Cynthia Dale, Natalie Radford, George Hamilton
• Directors: Simon Wincer
• Writers: Lionel Chetwynd
• Producers: David Craig, David V. Picker, Delia Fine, George Horie, Hélène Boulay
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hallmark
• VHS Release Date: April 11, 2000
• Run Time: 138 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305763798
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,414 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The life of the great American showman is entertainingly chronicled in this dramatized biography starring Beau Bridges. While this made-for-TV movie isn't terribly ambitious, it does provide a credible look at how Barnum came to find that his calling in life was to dazzle people with things they could scarcely believe, all the time making sure that they paid handsomely to be "humbugged." As an ambitious youth at a time when America was enjoying explosive growth, Barnum's burgeoning career took off when he bought what was essentially a museum of freaks and frauds. As charmingly portrayed by Bridges, Barnum was a bundle of energy who instinctively knew what people wanted, and he unfailingly turned his acts, such as the famed midget Tom Thumb or the great soprano Jenny Lind, into national obsessions. This film captures the varied facets of Barnum's personality, from a natural playfulness that inspired his fantastic publicity stunts to a shrewd sense of business that could made him one of the wealthiest Americans of his time. And as Barnum was something of an emblematic American, this story of his life not only portrays a unique personality, but evokes the exuberant and growing American nation. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The show must go on", April 7, 2005

By 

RARE_BARGAINS - See all my reviews

This review is from: P. T. Barnum (DVD)

P.T. Barnum, well worth the price of the admission ticket !
A fascinating and most of all historic glimpse into P. T. Barnum's life.
Played with heart plus a wonderful exhilarating energy, in later years by Beau Bridges.
Phineas Taylor Barnum may have very well been responsible for the creation
of the 'Rain Check' and 'Wealth Seminars' still widely used in today's society.
The made for television A & E ( Arts & Entertainment Network ) 2 part film deals equally
with his showmanship career and family life. Barnum's forever brooding, never satisfied wife
causes the viewer to wonder why he pursued her approval and the marriage did not dissolve.
The truthfulness or embellishment of her portrayed character in the film plays very well as the
reason Barnum was highly motivated and thrived on being successful.
The picture quality and stereo sound of the 1999 film and 2004 released Platinum DVD is very good to excellent.
Do not fear when Part 1 ends, Part 2 is on the DVD disc as well.
Total of approximately 3 hours, each part being 90 minutes.
The DVD information insert states incorrectly 90 minutes in length, which is each parts running time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BOTH PARTS ON THE SAME DVD!!!, March 27, 2006

By 

Gandalf "a reader" (U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P. T. Barnum (DVD)

I am cobfirming there's a typo on the DVD cover. It's not 94 minutes, there's 3 hours here. Both parts are on the DVD, as Amazon has described. They're not separated out on the DVD menu, but rest assured that Part 2 follows right after the credits for Part 1. The movie itself is superb; well acted with incredible costuming and sets!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent DVD ... stupid cover typo!, January 23, 2006

By 

WHOru (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: P. T. Barnum (DVD)

If you love A&E's Barnum special on video, this is it on DVD. Completely perfect and always a joy to watch.

Please be aware that - as another reviewer has pointed out - there's a typo on the DVD cover. It's not 94 minutes, there's 3 hours here. Both parts are on the DVD, as Amazon has described. They're not separated out on the DVD menu, but rest assured that Part 2 follows right after the credits for Part 1.