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Tony Bennett - An American Classic [Blu-ray]
 
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Tony Bennett - An American Classic [Blu-ray] (2006)

Starring: Tony Bennett, Christina Aguilera Director: Rob Marshall Rating: NR (Not Rated) Format: Blu-ray
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

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Product Details


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

High concept and high class, An American Classic is a worthy visual complement to Tony Bennett's 2006 duets CD of the same name. The notion of pairing veteran artists with a variety of singing partners is nothing new, of course (cf. B.B. King and Frank Sinatra, among many others), but this one goes a step further; under the direction of Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) and his team, Bennett appears in what's described as a "docu-musical," faithfully re-creating a variety of performance settings much like the ones in which the 80-year-old singer has appeared in the course of his long, fruitful career. Thus we find him on a concert stage with Barbra Streisand ("Smile"), in a nightclub with John Legend (a swinging, uptempo "Sing, You Sinners"), in the studio with k.d. lang and trumpeter Chris Botti ("Because of You"), on a '60s-style TV variety show with Diana Krall (a classy "The Best is Yet to Come"), in Vegas with Elton John ("Rags To Riches") and then Michael Buble (an amusing "Just in Time"), and so forth, on up to Bennett's triumphant shot on MTV Unplugged with Christina Aguilera (no jazz singer, but she keeps most of her excesses in check on "Steppin' Out") and the inevitable "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (Bennett with piano accompaniment only). It's all very respectful, well staged, and entertainingly choreographed, but if this 45-minute cavalcade has a significant shortcoming, it's that it mostly lacks fire and spontaneity; the only time Bennett cuts loose is during an audio-only "I Got Rhythm" heard under the various DVD menus. Viewers may also be disappointed that Sting, Bono, Paul McCartney, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, and several others on the CD do not appear here, and it's a notable drag that not a single one of the composers or arrangers of the material is identified. Bonus features include a "making of" documentary and other featurettes. --Sam Graham


Product Description

Following it's successful broadcast on NBC this past Thanksgiving, the Emmy and Grammy-award winning "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" was released on Blu-ray December 12, 2006. Created and directed by acclaimed director Rob Marshall (Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha), An American Classic is a ground breaking show staged as a contemporary reinvention of the variety special. In this "Docu-Musical", Marshall and his entire Academy-Award winning creative team take us on an emotional musical journey of this legendary entertainer's life by re-creating the seminal venues of Tony's career: from the 52nd street swing club to the early Columbia recording studio; from the classic TV studios of the '60's to the "rat pack" Las Vegas stage; from Carnegie Hall to his triumphant performance on "MTV Unplugged". Throughout, Tony performs his greatest hits while joined by many of the superstars that appear with him on his recently released, platinum-selling Duets album. This show invites us to celebrate the life of who Frank Sinatra called "the greatest singer ever." As the special ends, Tony Bennett takes the empty stage, this time alone, to deliver a definitive version of his signature classic "I Left My Heart In San Francisco".

Blu-ray Disc Track Listing:
1. Smile - Barbara Streisand
2. Sing You Sinners - John Legend
3. Because Of You - K.D. lang and Chris Botti
4. The Best Is Yet To Come - Diana Krall
5. The Shadow Of Your Smile - Juanes
6. Rags To Riches - Elton John
7. Just In Time - Michael Buble
8. For Once In Your Life - Stevie Wonder
9. Steppin' Out With My Baby - Christina Aguilera
10. I Left With Heart In San Francisco - Tony Bennett

Special Features:
The Making Of
Shooting of Black & White Film
Walking the Stars Through Their Paces
Production Design From Page to Stage
The Trailer
The Tony Bennett Dancer's Rehearsals

Video/Audio:
Mastered in High Definition
PCM Stereo (uncompressed) and PCM 5.1 Surround Sound (48 kHZ/24bit)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (640 kbps)


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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
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 (13)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Rob Marshall's Creative Energy Sparks a Worthy, Ultra-Stylish Celebration of Bennett's Career, November 26, 2006
By Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)         
To accompany his lustrous "Duets" CD, perennial crooner Tony Bennett recruited some first-rank talent behind and before the cameras to help him produce this remarkable TV special to commemorate his 80th birthday. It is at once a throwback to the network variety specials from the 1960's and 70's (before pay-cable rendered them obsolete) and a reinvention of the format incorporating biographical elements within the context of mini-video performances. The result aired on NBC earlier this week as an hour-long special. Without commercials, the program scarcely runs forty minutes, but it remains a superbly crafted showcase for a timeless singer. Thanks to Rob Marshall's innovative conception and immaculate direction, the show follows a roughly chronological timeline of Bennett's career with nine starry-eyed duets connected by brief snippets of his professional milestones.

Things start on a high note with Bennett in an empty theater singing Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" joined by a mellifluous-sounding Barbra Streisand, his most accomplished partner for the evening. In a jazz nightclub setting, he is surrounded by the acrobatic Tony Bennett Dancers and swings though "Sing, You Sinners" with a confident John Legend. In a recording booth at Columbia Studios, Bennett sings his first hit, "Because of You" accompanied by smoky vocals from k.d. lang and a languorous trumpet solo by Chris Botti. Visually, my favorite part of the program is the black-and-white recreation of the 1960's-style variety show complete with dancers in sailor tops and Capri pants. In this segment, Diana Krall joins Bennett on a finger-snapping "The Best Is Yet to Come" followed by a sonorous version of "The Shadow of Your Smile" given a samba-accented makeover by Columbian rock singer Juanes.

The inevitable Vegas sequence features a bevy of feather-fanned showgirls. In this milieu, Bennett is joined by Elton John on a jaunty "Rags to Riches", by new-jack crooner Michael Bublé on a swinging "Just in Time" (whose Dean Martin-style behavior may rankle the more feminist-minded), and finally by a surprisingly stationary Stevie Wonder leaning heavily on his melisma on his own "For Once in My Life" (which includes his trademark harmonica interlude). To show his popularity with the current crop of chart-toppers, Bennett is joined by a retro-styled Christina Aguilera and the dancers in full Fosse mode on "Steppin' Out". It all ends appropriately with a shimmering solo of Bennett's signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco".

Providing the spoken interludes between the performances are Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Robert DeNiro. At about 45 minutes in total, the extras on the DVD actually last longer than the special itself. They start with a 2 1/2-minute trailer and go right into footage of the dancers rehearsing their four production numbers. What follows is an extensive making-of featurette which features interviews with Marshall, choreographer John DeLuca and other key members of the creative staff interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Where are the clowns?, November 24, 2006
I've seen Tony 5 times live and have all his records. The dvd was great, what there was of it! PLEASE, what happened to the filming with Sting, Bono, Celine, Mcgraw etc??????If time was a problem then I have no problem with the edited program-a one hour special on TV. BUT, why didn't Sony film the rest and offer it to us on a full length dvd???I would gladly have paid for a complete film. Shame on you Sony!
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Tony Bennett American Classic, December 24, 2006
By R. Stapleford "Rosanne" (Nashua New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This DVD was excellent as far as it went. However I saw the show when it was presented on TV. I was very disappointed that when veiwing the DVD at least four maybe more artists were left off . I never would have bought this product had I known that it was not complete. I feel cheated and want others to realize that they are not getting a complete show.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars poorly executed idiotic idea.
Bennett needs these "singers" to do duets with, like he needs a hole in the head. The most obvious thing that comes out of viewing this mess, is that Bennett is Bennett is now in... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Xagan

4.0 out of 5 stars TV musical showcase, au courant.
Cannot fault Tony Bennett, the performer, the talent. At age eighty in 2006, took up the idea from son Danny, Academy winner director/choreographer Rob Marshall ('Chicago') and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by MauricioD

4.0 out of 5 stars Tony Bennett--truly an American Classic
I've seen this fabulous birthday tribute to Tony Bennett, twice, once on my HDTV and again as a rental in Blu-ray--and it's fabulous. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dennis W. Wong

5.0 out of 5 stars American Classic captured my heart with pleasure
I saw this video on PBS a number of times and when I found out I could get it through Amazon, I hopped on the band wagon and bought it. It was one of the best buys I have made. Read more
Published 4 months ago by koala

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
A must have for any Tony Bennett aficionado! My only complaint would be, it's too short.
Published 6 months ago by G. Ortiz

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick overview of duets
I only own one of his greatest hits CD and the CD that goes w/ this DVD, both I enjoy listening to occasionally, but I tend to play more alternative style music. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Peggy

4.0 out of 5 stars Tony B
Bluray looks good on my 1080P, but I could have saved money by sticking with my regular DVD.
Published 14 months ago by Christopher M. Rivera

3.0 out of 5 stars Good
Excellent picture quality, the Blu-ray is outstanding.
Was somewhat dissapointed with the length of the disk, felt somewhat cheated.
Published 16 months ago by Robert W. Tait

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD!
Great performances both from Tony Bennet and the guests stars. Beautifully combined the songs with the introductions from the actors.
His voice is magic as usual.
Published 21 months ago by Stefania Valderetti

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra said, "he is the best singer because he moves me"
Everybody loves Tony Bennett. And see who he sings with:
- Barbra Streisand
- K.D. Lang plus Chris Botti in one number (Because of You)
- John Legend
-... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Michel Fabien

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