Customer Reviews

Stage By Stage - Les Miserables [VHS]

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This video came out when Les Miserables was beginning its phenomenon. Now it's bigger that what was expected. I thought it very interesting to see all the backstage stuff and comments from Cameron Mackintosh and Claude Michel Shonberg and Alain Boublil. The musical has made itself into a life of its own and seeing everything going on afterwards is interesting. The magic is still there though and from the comments of the producers and creators, it's obvious that their whole hearts and souls were put into making this musical. This is great for anybody that enjoys the musical.

Sorry to all the people who liked this video, but the entire thing struck me as a big promotional tool for the Complete Symphonic Recording. The majority of the songs on this video are lifted directly from it, even in studio scenes.

The only two highlights really are the Norwegian version of One Day More (which unfortunately they talk all over) and Linzi hately's version of On My Own.

I first saw this documentary on PBS when it was first produced (1988?) I hadn't seen the musical yet, but I fell in love with the music and the concept. In particular, I loved Linzi Hateley as Eponine singing "On My Own" as well as excerpts from foreign non-English productions.

I probably wouldn't buy this by itself, but when I found out that it is now packaged as Disc 2 of "Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert Two Disc Collector's Edition," I jumped at the chance to get it.

Really! Where is the DVD of the stage production of Les Miserables? Everybody is waiting on baited breath for it. What is the problem? These hybrid monstrosities just don't cut it. Put a truly descent version of the stage production on DVD and see if there is not a revival of audiences returning to see it all over again. A DVD doesn't diminish audiences. It creates new ones. Believe me. The story has passes the test of time (Thank you Victor Hugo). For proof, people are still reading his original version! It already started out as a classic thanks to the author. Now, thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber, it is also a musical classic. It's also already a movie classic several times over (although Liam's version is the best, in my opinion). Let's see it made into a stage classic, by a great director who has done both stage and screen...say the director of Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann. Use the best vocal cast who can also act and who look the part of each character and you can't loose. You just need the right combo. Now, go make it. All the ingredients are already there for the chef to cook a masterpiece. Will they sell? Yes, if the right PR person does the work. Start by selling a version with an international tour and then go from there.

I always wonder why they never filmed Les Miserables on stage completely. The concert version and this video only show little bits of it. I don't know what Cameron Makintosh is thinking, but he better make his mind up of if he wants to make a movie musical of Les Miserables or what. It needs to somehow be filmed completely without having just the singing. [Just as the Concert version did.] I would be very happy if they just send a crew of camera men down to the London production of Les Mis [To late to film it on Broadway =( ] and film every little bit of the show. I don't care if they have the original cast or anything. Just the show. They keep telling us more is going to happen with this piece but really all we get is just a lazy concert and a VHS of little bits of the show. I loved what they already had on this tape [Such as Master of the House and One day more] but 3 or 4 songs out of a list of 44 dosn't cut it. You say for yourself, would you rather see the whole show or just little bits of it?

I don't know when we are ever going to get to SEE the show. It's off Broadway now, most of us are not in England and the tour is very slow and they say there will be a movie and all of this, but all they could deliver was this Stage by Stage nonsense. If they wanted to just film the recording sessions, that should have been separate with this. If they wanted all this, I would expect it to be maybe 2 hours longer because really all it is are just a few interviews, a few brief musical moments and the credits. That dosn't cut it. Don't they get the fact that we are all tired of waiting and want to actually SEE the show?

Master of the house was pretty good only if they wouldn't have so many freakin' close ups! And what I thought was really weird was that they had a production singing "lovely ladies" and the girls sang in English but Fantine and the begger woman spoke in some other chant. I don't know what Cameron Makintosh was thinking releasing such filth as this and telling us a movie musical was going to happen and having us wait 15 years for something to happen and all they give us is this!!! The writers and producers should be ashamed of themselves because nothing good had happend on B'way since Les Mis! Are they just waiting until Broadway shuts down or something?!

All in all, I don't reccomend this nor the concert version if you really want to SEE Les Miz. If you are in London or near a local production of the show, I reccomend you see that instead.