Customer Reviews

Truman Capote's Trilogy: Miriam, Among the Paths to Eden, A Christmas Memory [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

IF you have been looking for years to find "A Christmas
Memory" on video, AND you FINALLY have the good fortune
to find it, order it, wait for it with anticpation, get
it, watch it, only to discover many little things have
been cut out, you will be disappointed as I am. On the
other hand, ANY copy of "A Christmas Memory," with the
late great Geraldine Page, is far better than NO copy!
The one part where Buddy and his dear friend discuss the
fact that he is tall enough to take the star from the
tree is gone, as well as other things that were IN the
PBS video of the same...one would THINK that THIS video
would surely contain it ALL, but alas!
The other two stories on this, are "Miriam, starring
Mildred Natwick, and "Among The Paths To Eden," starring
Martin Balsam and Maureen Stapleton---both of which are
good...however, since I have never seen these before,
these may have had alot cut out of them too!
Aside from this sad disappointment, I still encourage
any fan of either Capote or Ms. Page to purchase this
video...it is STILL well worth the having.

In a similar vein as the previous reviewer's comments, I'd buy any copy of this I could get my hands on. I must say however that the video quality is VERY POOR, even for VHS. Should you know someone who taped this from TV, a second quality dup may be of higher quality. Be forewarned.

IF you have been looking for years to find "A Christmas
Memory" on video, AND you FINALLY have the good fortune
to find it, order it, wait for it with anticpation, get
it, watch it, only to discover many little things have
been cut out, you will be disappointed as I am. On the
other hand, ANY copy of "A Christmas Memory," with the
late great Geraldine Page, is far better than NO copy!
The one part where Buddy and his dear friend discuss the
fact that he is tall enough to take the star from the
tree is gone, as well as other things that were IN the
PBS video of the same...one would THINK that THIS video
would surely contain it ALL, but alas!
The other two stories on this, are "Miriam, starring
Mildred Natwick, and "Among The Paths To Eden," starring
Martin Balsam and Maureen Stapleton---both of which are
good...however, since I have never seen these before,
these may have had alot cut out of them too!
Aside from this sad disappointment, I still encourage
any fan of either Capote or Ms. Page to purchase this
video...it is STILL well worth the having.

The video quality on this VHS tape is almost unwatchable, but it gives us a glimpse of what was and what may someday again be. Trilogy, as well as the three films that it is composed of, deserve better treatment: they could all four be packaged as a single DVD set.

At a minimum, the original version of A Christmas Memory should be restored and presented unedited in full color. The edits in the Trilogy version are choppy -- did Allied Artists, the distributor, know that Trilogy existed in several forms, the editing being problematical in early versions? Maybe this tape is one of the earlier iterations of this film. Anyone who has seen the full length version of a Christmas Memory with Geraldine Page will notice immediately that something is amiss.

A highlight is the second segment, Among The Paths To Eden, starring Maureen Stapleton. It's very touching -- you may be surprised by the high quality of ABC Television in 1967. Ms. Stapleton won an Emmy for her performance here.

As it stands, these films have been virtually lost; we can only hope for the day when they are returned to the present as restorations, for us now, and as a gift for future generations to enjoy. Well worth the purchase with the above caveats.