Product Details

• Actors: Sarah Vaughn, Billy Eckstine
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Bmg Special Product
• VHS Release Date: November 23, 1993
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302932874
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,837 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

She was Sarah, Sassy, the Divine One-the incomparable Sarah Vaughan. "Sarah Vaughan-The Divine One" recount the stellar singer's career form her beginnings at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, to her debut at the Apollo Theater and her preeminence in nightclubs, concert halls and jazz festivals around the world. Packed with live performances spanning her entire career "Sarah Vaughan-The Divine One" offers a portrait of a woman who was personally shy and professionally unparalleled. Friends, family and fellow musicians speak illuminatingly of Sarah; among them Billy Eckstine, Roy Haynes, Joe Williams, George Gaffney, Sarah's mother, Ada, and her daughter, Paris.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Divine One - says it all, October 5, 2004

By 

Avesraggiana "Divine Madness" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sarah Vaughan - The Divine One (Masters of American Music) (DVD)

I have loved this video-biography of Sarah Vaughan, from the day I first viewed it. I have two copies on VHS and one on DVD. If I have to fault this video, it is that the live performance clips are far too short, leaving you wanting more. They offer nothing more than a tantalizing glimpse of Sarah Vaughan's musical genius.

By far my most favourite excerpt is "The Shadow of Your Smile". This live performance outdoes any other recording I have ever heard by another artist and even outdoes Sarah Vaughan's studio recording with Mercury Records. I wish I could obtain the complete performance of this live rendition.

It sounds trite I know, but this is a must have for any self-respecting Sarah Vaughan fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portrait of a true Diva!, July 15, 2001

By 

Clarissa Bolding "clbzone" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sarah Vaughn: The Divine One [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I recently saw Dianne Reeves in concert. During her show she talked about how Sarah's voice inspired her to sing. She told the story of how she met Sarah before a show and didn't realize it was her because everyone kept calling her "Sassy". After leaving that incredible performance I became even more curious about "Sass" and her legacy.

I enjoyed this video tremendously. Like the previous reviews stated, it is filled with performances from her early years to later. Other greats of jazz and close friends (Joe Williams, Billy Eckstein, fellow musicians, etc) speak candidly about her as a friend and artist. Her mother and daughter also give insight to her life (her self-image woes) as well as refreshing antecdotes (the apollo experience and her "sailor's tongue")

The performances are breathtaking. Sarah Vaughan didn't just sing. She SANG. Her voice was an instrument and it is truly amazing to listen to her on songs like "Summertime", "Misty" and "Send In the Clowns" She had style, grace and a presence all her own. Sarah Vaughan commanded attention and mesmorized audiences in every performance.

I recommend this video for anyone who wants to learn about one of the greats of music. Sarah Vaughan: The Divine One is a wonderous glimpse into the life of a jazz jewel, whose music still sparkles.

Peace. CLB.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sassy' voice did not deserve to be butchered..., August 1, 2005

By 

Jazzisticus (Lisbon,Portugal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sarah Vaughan - The Divine One (Masters of American Music) (DVD)

I'm sorry to say this: THIS DVD SHOULD NEVER HAD BEEN RELEASED.
If you notice they call it a videocassette in the inital copy warnings, twice... Video quality is pretyy much NTSC VHS.

I'm a great fan of Sarah since 1973, when I heard her, at the Cascais Jazz festival, weeping and apologizing for a failure that occurred in the sound system, and own 13 LP's of her great art. All of them sound better that the Dolby crap on this DVD, including above all the "Mono" Mercury with Clifford Brown. The 1978 "How Long has this been going on" is a treasure..

Sarah Vaughn is to be heard and to TO BE FELT. This DVD contains too little music, too much babbling, no PCM Audio, no Subtitles.

It is pure exploitation and BMG should be ashamed of publishing it.
If there is no better video/film footage of Sarah available anywhere, do no publish any video, leave us blind. I'm only sorry for the earing impared, but what can I do?...