Customer Reviews

Robin Williams: Inside Actors Studio

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had originally given this product a single star because the technical data showed a run time of only 50 minutes. However, it looks like Amazon goofed (thankfully, not me!), and it now shows double that time (well, almost!) which look like it gives the full two-hour interview showed on Bravo. Also, there are two hidden bonus tracks - "James Lipton: Flashbacks" and "Great Moments That Didn't Make The Cut". I'm hoping the latter shows the poor shmoe who laughed himself right into an ambulance (hernia, don'tchaknow). And no, it's not the fat lady in the front row - the hernia victim was male.

When you watch, feel deep pity for poor James Lipton. I mean, he's a serious guy, and he's pitted against the Fastest Comedy Brain in the West. He shows his frustration only once, to the delight of both Mr. Williams and the audience. Williams DOES occasionally give a straight answer (and not a straight line), otherwise you'd think he needs a straight jacket. When he's serious, you can still see the twinkle in his eye. When he's NOT serious (which is most of the time), you'll swear you can see smoke curling out of his ears as the gears in his head grind at warp speed.

The only way this could have five stars is if they showed all four hours of his antics, completely uncut. That said, I'm still pre-ordering it!

This was an amazing interview, and the small amount of extras they showed were fantastic. However, they admit that they took 5 hours of Robin Williams, and condensed it into 2.5 hours for this dvd. I want my other 2.5-3 hours of Robin. Amazingly, they also cut out the part I remember seeing on tv, where Robin talks about his friendship with Christopher Reeve. This was very strange.

Overall, it was excellent, hence 4 out of 5 stars. If they come out with an extended version, buy that one instead.

One part of the interview which stands out for me, is when Robin took a scarf from a female audience member, and used it as a prop to make many hilarious examples of his amazingly quick improvisational talent. Known for his lightning fast wit, he still surprised my family with how many different examples he could come up with, for how the scarf could be used to make so many jokes. Robin's talent *was* the interview, not answering many questions; although he did answer as many as he could before he had to give in to the lure of having an audience ready & willing to enjoy his humor!

James Lipton knew going in that he was going to have a challenge keeping Robin answering questions, lol! But Robin did show the process of how he used & utilized his talent, and it was a highly entertaining and interesting interview which I will never forget.

I love the entire series but I think that this may be one of the crowning moments. There are a lot of great interviews but Robin Williams steals the show and really lets us know why he's one of the greatest comedic performers today. If you don't like to laugh don't watch this. I was laughing out loud the entire time since Robin Williams took the stage. If you don't like this episode it's a simple fact that you don't like Robin Williams' comedy. This is a must see for anyone that loves hilarious improv. I'm definitely getting this.

I have seen this show several times and I still laugh at Robin's humor and the reactions he gets. In these hard times there is not much to laugh at. I find this show is good therapy for sad and hard times. Laughter will make you forget your problems for a while and it will not effect you like alcohol or drugs. I would recommend this show for a good laugh.

If one was to buy only one episode of Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio," then this would be the easiest decision to make. This timeless episode is special because Robin Williams is figuratively the "energizer bunny"; he is performing through actions, words, and gestures why he is who he is. The interviewer, James Lipton, gives Robin Williams free reign to showcase his talent and enthralls any audience, whether it be the students in the crowd or the fans watching the DVD. "Humorous" does not even scratch the surface of what this in depth analysis captures. I would argue that if one had a friend with no sense humor, watching this is one of the few recommendations that will change them. This interview is a ride with a high octane boost that I have watched so many times that I have stopped counting.

Actors Studio Drama School alumnus Robin Williams was interviewed by Lipton on January 29, 2001, and the resulting episode of *Inside the Actors Studio* became one of the most popular that Bravo ever aired. In his inimitable style, Williams takes control of the evening away from his host the moment he steps onto the stage, and spends more than five hours (from which the original two-hour episode was edited) committing serial improvisation for the very entertained students. He also, when Lipton can get a word in edgewise, answers questions, discussing his childhood, different film roles and how he moved from stand-up comedy to acting.

The DVD version is extremely enjoyable. Everything that made the original broadcast episode so popular is intact, along with additional footage from Williams' live interview. It's futile to say any more about it, because Robin Williams can't be described - you just have to watch him, and repeated viewings are recommended. Sometimes he's gleefully predictable: when Lipton ingenuously asks Williams if he has an introverted side, we know exactly how Williams will respond, and we're just waiting for it. But more typically, Williams takes Lipton and us on the kind of roller-coaster ride we've come to expect from this brilliant comedian and actor. Only two things about this DVD disappointed me.

James Lipton takes up a bit too much of the allotted time, speaking for four and half minutes at the beginning of the interview. There is a dictum among writers: "show, don't tell." Lipton talks at great length, needlessly describing things we're about to see in the interview, when all we, as viewers, want is to see Williams himself. Lipton's tone and demeanor toward his subjects are so reverential, he could be delivering their eulogies, a mood that the soft, somber series theme music underscores. But his respect would be better expressed by stepping aside and giving his subjects the center stage.

Along with this, I was slightly offended that the producers of the DVD saw fit to "bleep" Robin Williams' speech when he says something that normally couldn't be broadcast on network TV. No one expects this kind of coy caution on a commercial DVD. It's also rather absurd to bleep out individual words when much of the physical content of Williams' improvisation involves sexual humor that skirts the edges of obscene. In his introduction, Lipton promises us Robin Williams "unleashed, uncensored [and] uncut." I'm sorry to say that Lipton isn't being truthful.

Despite these nuisances, *Inside the Actors Studio: Robin Williams* is well-produced and worth the price. Theatre students, teachers, and fans of Robin Williams will all enjoy and learn from this interview. The DVD includes about 30 minutes of extra footage that didn't make it into the final episode.

LOL
This was so funny my facial muscles hurt from smiling and laughing so much!
Any fan of Robin Williams would LOVE this interview.
It is 90 min. of bust a gut Robin Williams!

This is a fantastic video that any fan of Robin Williams needs to own!! Very informative about the man and what makes him so funny.

I had saved this show with my DVR and was hoping that the DVD would have included all five hours of the interview, but it did not. All the DVD contains is the two-hour, edited-for-TV interview plus a dozen or so edited out footage in separate segments.