Customer Reviews

Sarah Brightman - Harem Desert Fantasy

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was already a huge aficionado of Sarah Brightman's work and knew I'd eventually come around to buying this DVD but seeing her in concert just a few weeks ago is what truly inspired this purchase. When you catch her live it's really important to have up-close seats, if you can get them, and I was fortunate to be near enough to the stage to see the wonderful set as well as the goddess in action. She put on a phenomenal show and, as always, looked and sounded like an angel.

It's rare for an artist to do this but "Harem: A Desert Fantasy" features 12 videos filmed around Morocco and Egypt. The track listing says 13 songs but "Nessun Dorma" was actually taken from a live performance she did, which can be found on her "La Luna" DVD, seemingly a bit out of place.

From the outfits to the settings to the sites and props used, every video is a dazzling feast for the eyes but a few stood out in particular with me. "Harem" is understandably a very energetic video because of the lively Middle Eastern beats and soaring strings that make me want to jump in and join them in dance for the song is so infectious! In "Beautiful" Sarah is scantly clad as she lay upon a bed of roses as the vibrant petals descend like softly falling rain. I also love the part where she's surrounded by a wall of licking flames... "Un Bel Di" is probably my favorite. It was exquisitely shot with exotic landscapes and Sarah looks absolutely stunning as her hair and silky trellis blow behind her as the sun sets beyond the hilltops, and on "The Journey Home" she looks like a mystical being twirling in slow circles, often seen riding over the sandy dunes on a gorgeous black mare.

The extra features consists of a 30 minute behind the scenes documentary that's mildly entertaining and a photo gallery that only shows about 5 pictures... If you want to see some breathtaking images, buy the limited edition version of her "Harem" CD that includes a bonus DVD that's well worth the extra cash.

In Sarah's own words, "The true power of fantasy is that it releases us from the bonds of reality. You can be any place and become anyone." This is made apparent in these lavish videos and I recommend it to anyone who wants to be taken on a magical journey.

This is a collection of music videos Sarah filmed in exotic locales such as Morocco and Egypt. "Desert Fantasy" is a terrific name for this DVD.

What we get is a visual feast with this DVD. If you enjoyed her 'Harem' album, this could definitely be a delight for you. She re-visits songs from previous albums ("Anytime, Anywhere" and "Time to Say Goodbye") and reshoots new videos for them. There's also included a live "Nessun Dorma" performance from her 'La Luna' tour. If you've seen the 'La Luna' concert, though, it's nothing new.

The list includes:

1) Harem
2) Beautiful
3) Mysterious Days
4) Anytime, Anywhere
5) It's A Beautiful Day
6) Free
7) The War Is Over
8) What You Never Know
9) Stranger In Paradise
10) Nessun Dorma (live)
11) What A Wonderful World
12) The Journey Home
13) Time To Say Goodbye

The cinematography is beautiful, Sarah is gorgeous, and the entire DVD is a lovely compliment to her music. As we all know, Sarah B. loves themes, lush images, and her albums have every bit to do with her imaginative sceneries as it does the music. I'll use this DVD to hold me over until the 'Harem' concert's released on DVD (which I sincerely hope happens). If only MTV played videos like this!

Oh, and, yes, as another reviewer noted, Sarah does a bit of light dancing in the videos, but I must correct the statement that she's not a dancer. She was a professional dancer (a classically trained ballerina, I believe) before she ever got involved in singing, which is a fact she demonstrates wonderfully in this DVD with her grace and carriage.

Sarah Brightman's ethereal voice needs no introduction. But spice her music with some vibrant rhythms of forbidden places from the mediterranean to Arabia and India, and you have an album that you'll listen many times over.

Excellent collaborations and great range of sounds. The DVD itself could have accommodated so much more, it barely manages to include some still pictures, but that's a minor quibble for this absolutely fantastic purchase. Highly recommended.

This is a tremendous DVD. I have watched it three times so far and each time it leaves me with tears of joy. Sarah has really produced a masterpiece.

The most impressive part is the sound. It is not DTS but rather Dolby 5.1. However the music clarity and quality surpass almost every music DVD I own! Also, there is great use of the back speakers on many songs.

The videos are all entertaining, colorful, and creative--a joy to behold.

The only true negative, which one reviewer has already mentioned, is that the videos are all a bit hazy looking instead of being razor sharp. I'm not sure why they filmed it that way.

Having one live concert segment thrown in also seemed a little out of place but I can live with that.

In summary, I have not felt this level of excitement over a DVD in ages! WOW.

I saw Sarah Brightman's Harem World Tour in Columbus, Ohio on January 27, 2004. What an amazing show!!! Sarah is truly a remarkable talent!! I bought the Harem DVD at the concert. First, the sound quality is awesome! This DVD certainly delivers if you have a surround sound system. The videos of the songs from Harem are very captivating and beautiful. Sarah performs each song with mastery and grace. The filming locations for the videos are breath-taking. There are many DVD extras that give a look at behind the scenes and interviews with Sarah. Sarah Brightman fans won't be dissappointed with this DVD. I have played it 8 times and counting!

Sarah Brighman has long been known in the nebulous category of "classical crossover" as someone willing to take at least a little risk. Unlike other popular members of that sub-genre -- Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, and even ex-duet partner Andrea Boccelli -- Brightman has never been afraid to pursue new musical ideas. Often, her albums are accompanied by artwork and photography that mirrors this adventurous spirit, even to the sometimes dislike of her fan base (see the controversy over the mostly nude back cover of her "Classics" album). While Brightman's concert DVDs have always been on the conservative side, her new DVD to accompany her Middle-Eastern-themed album "Harem" doesn't fail to live up to the playful spirit of the singer herself.

An hour-long montage of music videos, on-location footage, and interviews, the "Harem" DVD presents most of the highlights of the album as well as new videos for some previously released songs. In each one, Sarah is shown, raven hair past her waist, in exotic and often revealing outfits, arrayed with any manner of jewerly and/or make-up. That Sarah looks this good at her age (42 at time of filming) is amazing. The footage itself is all bright, vivid, and amazingly colorful, and even with the sound off, the images are wonderful to watch. Highlights of the DVD include the quiet "Stranger In Paradise", the erotic "Anytime, Anywhere", and the VH1-ready "Free." Of particular note is the brilliantly gorgeous video for "Beautiful," featuring Sarah surrounded by flames in a white outfit, or being showered with rose petals.

For all its beauty and wonder, the program does falter in a few locations. While a live performance clip of "Nessun Dorma" is nice, it is simply a repeat from her previously-released "La Luna" DVD, and most Brightman fans will have already seen it. Sarah is also a singer foremost, not a dancer, and occasionally, her posturing during the musical numbers seems overly theatrical, mechanical, and a bit distracting, most obvious in the otherwise-fine video for "It's A Beautiful Day." Some people may also be turned off by the romanticized, Victorian view of the Middle East that Sarah presents. While it makes sense when Sarah explains the Harem project in the interview clips, some may not appreciate it.

The DVD includes a video for "The War Is Over", a duet Sarah performs with Arabian singer Kadim Al Sahir. This clip was cut from many broadcast versions of the special, and it includes a number of images that may offend some particularly sensitive viewers, including Arabian men riding on horseback to battle armed with guns or another scene of a Muslim funeral procession. While it's all very "Lawrence Of Arabia", some people may find the images a bit inflammatory given the current political events surrounding the Middle East. Still, the song is lovely, and the video is very nice.

This DVD is a fine addition to any music lover's collection, and Brightman fans should not hesitate to pick up a copy. Rarely has Sarah been so vibrant and alluring as she is here. A beautiful DVD album for a beautiful voice. 4 out of 5 stars.

I am a Sarah Brightman fan and saw the PBS presentation of Harem.
On the strength of the PBS show I ordered the DVD. The music is great, but I found the video quality poor.
I don't know if this is due to "artistic" camera and/or editing work or just bad quality.
On the plus side, the behind the scenes segments on the DVD were tremendous

Combine eastern textures with operatic flamboyance and what do you get?

This is a breakthrough video from Sarah Brightman and her very versatile band. The pure passion, crafted professionalism and sheer artistry she and her team put into this wonderful sell-out concert in Las Vegas, illuminates the final product!

A very moving experience awaits you whether new or familiar to Brightman's wonderfully diverse output over the years. So many of the songs have a greater sense of depth and vibrancy over the CD versions. Example; "The Journey Home" from "Harem" ends with evocative and dreamy sitar chords that you can just float away on.

The artistic stage-set is a sheer marvel in engineering, and provides for a warm and intimate stage presence. Almost all her best hits are given the professional and eclectic flavor we have come to expect from Brightman; including her smash hit, "Time to Say Goodbye." What a striking stage presence she has, exuding her diva beauty with such grace and passion. With frequent costume changes, her outfits are marvels of elegant design and artistry, complementing her songs with a vibrancy that is refeshingly unique. There is a superb version of Satchmo's "What a Wonderful World", that she perorms while swinging on a trapeze, in what appears to be a eye-catching shower of rose petals.

The accompanying DVD documentary and segments are a tribute to the artistic talent displayed by band members, vocalists, sound and stage crew, and her stunning dancers. There are lots of photos, interviews and even a quiz! My favorite "out-take" is a magnificent "Percussion Battle" between two of the band members.

Another show-stopper; the opening Islamic prayer and lead into for the first song had me break out into goose-bumps! I also recommend the CD "Harem", as her most eclectic work by far. This is definately a superlative quality DVD that delivers!

Eqsquisite cinemetography and crystal like sound transend the viewer into mystical like Harem's set all over exotic middle eastern locations. Brightman herself steals the eye with lavish costumes, either draped in stunning custom made gowns, or eastern influenced breathtaking attire. The music, settings, and costumes fuse to create a mystical setting and take the music to an entirely new level.

Costumes and makeup are key in changing the mood and defining the particular "Harem." Brightman herself is stunning in each setting and scenes are created in such an "Over the top" way that the viewer is lost in what is the "dessert fantasy" that she is trying so hard to re-create.

Filming for this special took place all over the middle east, as did recording for the accompnying Harem album. Brightman wanted to ensure artistic quality in the recreation of these settings. This collection does glamorize the middle eastern culture but it is done in a way of fantasy, not in particular "real life" war-time settings. It is apparent that great time went into costumes and settings. Brightman proves that she can strech herself.

The video for "Anytime Anywhere" which sound takes on a very Arabic feel within this setting, is gorgeous and Brightman outdoes herself in a long black beeded costume. Brightman remains sexy but in a way that is not distracting to the music, it only adds to it.

This DVD is better than the Live from Las Vegas DVD. Her music videos are beautiful, somewhat dirty, but still really good. My favorite song is probably Anytime, Anywhere because of the middle eastern re-make of the beat, not because of the video which is really dirty. Mt favoite video is It's a Beautiful Day (Un Bel Di). It's a real shame she couldn't do a music video on Arabian Nights, not just little clips after videos. I really like how she talks about her songs between songs. It make me feel like she is talking to you. One sidenote: Kadim al Sahir can't really perform in front of the camera. He's not as graceful and elegant as Sarah always is. I got the last copy of this at the store and I'm glad I did. Overall it deserves mor than 5 stars. 5,000,000 stars here!