Pippin
by David Sheehan
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Vereen, Benjamin Rayson, Leslie Denniston, Martha Raye, William KattDirector: David Sheehan
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-10-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Vci Video
Movie Reviews of Pippin
Movie Review: Great show, mediocre adaptation
Summary: 3 Stars
My school is currently doing the production of the show "Pippin" as our 2008/09 season play this year. Now I am fortunate enough to have seen a video of a professional production floating around on the internet somewhere, and it was really well done. Then I saw this movie... I'll break down this version of the movie.
THE GOOD: We have a version of Pippin out on DVD finally. Ben Vereen is in it and gives a very good performance, after all he IS the Leading Player, nobody else can hold a candle to him. The set is FANTASTIC, Most of the cast are really good (William Katt ESPECIALLY), and not to mention this video was shot in Canada!
THE BAD: Several songs are cut down here. For example, half of Spread A Little Sunshine is cut out, therefore making it confusing to anyone who has not seen the show on stage already or have had any experience with Pippin whatsoever. The second (and most essential) verse of "War Is A Science" is out, "Glory" is extremely missed opportunity. The slow-mo battle scene is cut out! This isn't no G-rated happy-go-lucky play. And What happened to I Guess I'll Miss The Man??? Pacing problems also ensue; some fast songs are too slow, some slow songs are too fast (Simple Joys is ruined by this), and the cast seems to be rushing it at times, as if they have somewhere to be after the show. EVerybody, even the incomparable Ben Vereen is guilty of this (Glory is a sign of this). And the final line (cutting out "But Happy") is a total WTF moment.
THE UNFORGIVABLE: THe social Commentary/political overtones of the show are missing, and elements like Pippin not being used to life are gone and replaced with happy-go-lucky family version themes. This is a show that kids shouldn't watch. And the band of players didn't really come off to me as creepy, not to mention as much as Ben Vereen is an amazing actor and singer, he seems to be a tad psycho in the last 20 minutes. I felt like I was watching a demented lunatic serial killer have a freakout. Martha Raye's performance was PATHETIC (what's with the microphone????), and the guy who plays Charlamagne YELLS a lot, which did get on my nerves after a while. At times I wondered if Fosse even saw a production of the original production. Lastly, the camerawork is not the best- the audience shots on "No Time at All" make me cringe. THe blame for this falls squarely at the feet of Bob Fosse, who apparently had the wrong ideas.
In short, I give this 3 stars for Ben Vereen and William Katt, and the sets. I'd say purchase it, despite its flaws, because this is the best version we'll currently get on DVD.
Summary of Pippin
Pippin is a pip of a Broadway musical that is not only a contemporary classic but also the play that made director choreographer Bob Fosse a famous name long before "Cabaret" and "All That Jazz". Using the medieval legend of Charlemagne's son, Pippin, heir apparent to the Holy roman Empire, the musical pageant called "Pippin" is a parable about a young man's search for meaning and truth. With the show's masterful master of ceremonies, Ben Vereen, jumping the time barrier from the 1980's to the Middle Ages and back again, while the music and costumes go through similar time and space warps, young "Pippin" embarks on an odyssey to discovery whether there really is "something worthwhile I can do with my life." William Katt plays-sings-and-dances the title role with a freshness and exuberance rarely seen in today's entertainment on stage or screen. Broadway's virtuoso baritone, Ben Rayson, is as regal as they come as Charlemagne. The sheer intensity of Vereen's many-faceted talents steals the show again and again, but he never upstages his co-stars. Martha Raye brings her boisterous energy to the role of Berthe, Pippin's 67 year old grandmother, while Chita Rivera ignites sparks every time she prances into a scene as Pippin's stepmother. The success of "Pippin," wining five Tony Awards and playing to sellout houses for six years is also what brought recognition to its star, Ben Vereen, long before his acclaimed portrayal of "Chicken George" in "Roots". With all of its distinctions, "Pippin" has never existed anywhere but Live, on stage, until this videotape production, supervised by Mr. Fosse, and produced and directed for television by David Sheehan. It's the one video experience you'll always treasure! Bonus Features: Bonus Interview with Bob Fosse| Actor Bios| Scene Selection. Specs: DVD5; Dolby Digital Stereo; 112 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1981; SRP - $19.99.Here's a Broadway musical about a young man who sets out to discover true meaning in his life, dabbling in war, sex, and politics before finding love. That may sound conventional, but it isn't. The title character of Pippin is the son of Charlemagne, the 9th-century emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and when Bob Fosse directed the original Broadway production in 1972, he transformed what had begun as a fairly innocent college project for composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz into a burlesque filled with broad comedy, bawdy characters, and magical but dark situations. Pippin (played by William Katt, of TV's The Greatest American Hero) embarks on his quest, all the way coaxed and goaded by a narrator figure known as the Leading Player (Ben Vereen) while his stepmother (Chita Rivera) schemes.
Schwartz's pop-rock score may not be as recognizable as his work for Godspell and various animated films (The Prince of Egypt, Disney's Pocahontas), but it does include the soul-driven opener "Magic to Do" (showing off Fosse's signature white gloves), the soaring "Corner of the Sky," the lovely ballad "With You" (indelicately presented in a brothel), and the romping "No Time at All" (by Martha Raye as Pippin's grandmother). Not as technically polished as newer shows preserved on video (Into the Woods, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), this live 1981 performance of Pippin is probably of greatest interest to Fosse fans as a record of his striking vision. (The original show won five Tony Awards, including for Fosse's direction and choreography and Vereen's performance.) Note, however, that this Canadian television production was supervised, not directed, by Fosse, and is missing some numbers from the original show. --David Horiuchi
Drama DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in The Stage Calls
A Chorus LineDOUGLAS,MICHAEL; Release date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
PippinRelease date: 2000-10-31; DVD
Best price: $11.62
Price in other shops:
Cats - The Musical (Commemorative Edition)WEBBER,ANDREW LLOYD; Release date: 2000-09-12; DVD
Best price: $9.80
Price in other shops:
Chess in ConcertUnknown; Release date: 2009-06-16; DVD
Best price: $13.12
Price in other shops:
Camelot (Broadway Version)Release date: 2007-05-01; DVD
Best price: $18.13
Price in other shops:
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Keepcase)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-04-15; DVD
Best price: $7.65
Price in other shops:
Into the WoodsPETERS,BERNADETTE; Release date: 1997-08-27; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops:
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatOSMOND,DONNY; Release date: 2000-03-28; DVD
Best price: $13.48
Price in other shops:
The Making of "Miss Saigon"A&E HOME ENT.; Release date: 2006-10-31; DVD
Best price: $4.33
Price in other shops:
Puccini - La Boheme / Baz Luhrmann, The Australian Opera (2002 Edition)Release date: 2002-11-12; DVD
Best price: $49.95
Similar DVD Movies
Camelot (Broadway Version)Release date: 2007-05-01; DVD
Best price: $18.13
Price in other shops:
Stephen Sondheim's Passion (Original Broadway Cast)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2003-06-10; DVD
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops:
Kiss Me Kate (Broadway Revival - PBS Great Performances)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2003-05-13; DVD
Best price: $12.48
Price in other shops:
Company: A Musical ComedyImage Entertainment; Release date: 2008-05-20; DVD
Best price: $12.48
Price in other shops:
GodspellGARBER,VICTOR; Release date: 2000-04-04; DVD
Best price: $7.91
Price in other shops:
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Keepcase)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-04-15; DVD
Best price: $7.62
Price in other shops:
Into the WoodsPETERS,BERNADETTE; Release date: 1997-08-27; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops:
Sunday in the Park with GeorgePETERS,BERNADETTE; Release date: 1999-03-23; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
FosseREINKING,ANN; Release date: 2002-02-05; DVD
Best price: $12.23
Price in other shops:
Stephen Schwartz - Pippin (A Decca Broadway Original Cast Album)Release date: 2000-09-26; Music CD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops: