Stephen Sondheim Movies
Over the course of his distinguished career, lyricist Stephen Sondheim has penned some of Broadway and Hollywood's most memorable song lyrics known for their sophistication and intelligence. Having won almost every major American entertainment industry award available, he is responsible for changing the course of the American musical from pure froth to something that is as substantial as it is entertaining. Some of his best-known musicals include West Side Story and Gypsy. He also penned movie soundtracks. During the '60s, Sondheim played a key role in making British crossword puzzles popular in the U.S. His fascination with language puzzles resulted in his co-writing the screenplay for the unique The Last of Sheila with Anthony Perkins. The film is a mystery patterned after a British crossword and is filled with enough puzzles and movie-making in-jokes to please both film buffs and crossword lovers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Mort Swinsky and Ellen M. Krass produced the 2007 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning stage musical Company, at The Ethel Barrymore Theatre in Manhattan; Lonny Price filmed one of the shows for WNET public television in New York, which appears in this release. Raul Esparza stars in the lead role of Robert, with Angel Desai, Elizabeth Stanley and Kelly Jeanne Grant in the supporting cast. John Doyle directs and handles the musical staging. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raul Esparza, Kelly Jeanne Grant, (more)
- 2007
- R
- Add Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to QueueAdd Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to top of Queue
Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller comes to the big screen in this adaptation directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Timothy Spall, and Alan Rickman. Embittered at having been wrongly imprisoned and determined to seek vengeance against his accusers due to the grim fate that befell his wife and daughter while he was incarcerated, ex-convict Sweeny Todd (Depp) returns to his hometown and opens a modest barber shop. The one thing different about Todd's shop, however, is that no one who walks in for a trim is ever seen again. Subsequently branded "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" by the frightened community, Todd continues with his murderous exploits with a little assistance from his amorous accomplice Mrs. Lovett (Bonham Carter) -- whose popular meat pies are proven to have a most unsavory ingredient. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, (more)
Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, (more)
Patti LuPone and George Hearn star in this concert production of Stephen Sondheim's wildly funny and macabre musical Sweeney Todd, as staged by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Also appearing in the cast is Neil Patrick Harris. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
- NR
Leonard Bernstein was one of the best known and most compelling figures to emerge in classical music in the 20th century, bringing symphonic music to a whole new audience, and this documentary follows his life and career from his first concert as a conductor in 1943 to his final one at Tanglewood. Reaching for the Note features rare footage of his concerts, home movies, selections from the Broadway shows he helped compose, and interviews with his friends, relatives, and colleagues, including Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Seiji Ozawa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A soldier learns about himself and love in this made-for-TV filmed version of the Stephen Sondheim musical. Jere Shea stars as Giorgio, a soldier who has a passionate affair with a beautiful and married woman named Clara (Marin Mazzie). When Giorgio gets stationed in distant Italy, he is separated from Clara and attracts the attention of a homely, ill woman named Fosca (Donna Murphy). He at first repels Fosca's advances but over time he slowly warms up and not only accepts her love, but returns it. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Warren Beatty directed and starred in this big-budget action comedy featuring Chester Gould's square-jawed, two-dimensional comic strip detective. Ruthless gangster Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) touches off a gang war against underworld boss Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), with Big Boy and his minions rubbing out enough of Manlis's goons (along with Manlis himself) to take over his nightclub, and a healthy percentage of the city's criminal activities in the process. Caprice also gains proprietary rights to Manlis's girlfriend, nightclub chanteuse Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Big Boy's next move to is unite the rest of the city's crooks under his command; this wave of corruption attracts the attention of lawman Dick Tracy, who is determined to smash Caprice's criminal network once and for all. As Tracy plots to put Big Boy behind bars where he belongs, Breathless uses her considerable charms in an attempt to sway Tracy from the path of righteousness; this causes no small amount of anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering female companion, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and the street-smart kid (Charlie Korsmo) they've been keeping an eye on. The various bad guys, heavily made up to resemble Gould's cartoon characters (though Beatty is not made up to resemble Tracy), include Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, R.G. Armstrong, and William Forsythe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, (more)
Mike Nichols lends some comic structure to Carrie Fisher's best-selling confessional novel concerning a woman's struggles with drug addiction and mother-daughter rivalry (subjects Fisher admits to understanding all too well). Meryl Streep, in her most full-blown comic performance up to that point, plays Suzanne Vale, a popular movie actress well on her way to a Hollywood crack-up. Suzanne suffers from blackouts and memory lapses, and awakens in the beds of men she doesn't remember; she is a barely-functioning wreck on the set of her latest movie. When a coke dealer who delivers stops by her dressing room between takes, she swiftly finds herself being rushed to the hospital, suffering the effects of a narcotics bender. While in detox, Suzanne attempts to piece her life and career back together, but her confidence is shattered when her mother arrives at the rehab clinic -- Doris Mann, a famed film icon from the 1950s and 1960s (Shirley MacLaine). Doris is soon soaking up the adulation and applause of Suzanne's fellow recovering drug addicts. Upon Suzanne's release, she must compete with her mother for attention and fame as she tries to walk a thin line as a recovering drug abuser. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, (more)
Originally broadcast as part of the American Playhouse series on PBS, this video captures a performance by the original cast of the popular Broadway musical. With songs and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, who also directed the stage production, Into the Woods humorously combines a number of classic fairy tales into one over-arching narrative. A baker and his wife are assigned a number of tasks by a nearby witch; only after completing these duties will they be able to give birth. During their quest to fulfill the witches' demands, they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and numerous other fairy tale figures. The traditional stories are parodied and altered at will, yet the original fairy tales' sense of wonder and, at times, darkness remains intact. The score, winner of Broadway's Tony Award, includes such songs as Children Will Listen, Giants in the Sky, and No One Is Alone. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
James Lapine directed this television adaptation of his acclaimed musical, which he created in collaboration with the great composer Stephen Sondheim. In the first act, artist Georges Seurat (Mandy Patinkin) is working on his latest painting with the woman he loves, Dot (Bernadette Peters), posing for him. The work is to become the impressionist masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte, and along with Dot, Georges interacts with the various people who happen through the park and become characters in his painting. In act two, Seurat's great grandson George (also played by Patinkin) and his grandmother Marie (also played by Peters) return to the place where Seurat had created his masterpiece 100 years earlier. George, a sculptor, is in dire need of inspiration, and the visit leads both him and Marie to ponder their ideas of what is art, and what is life. This performance of Sunday in the Park with George also features Charles Kimbrough, Barbara Byrne, and Brent Spiner (the latter before he gained fame as Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, (more)
Including such songs as "Broadway Baby," "I'm Still Here," "The Ladies Who Lunch," and "Losing My Mind," this video features a filming of the well-known Stephen Sondheim musical as it was performed at New York's Lincoln Center in 1985. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Originally broadcast on television, Sweeney Todd is a videotaped performance of Stephen Sondheim's acclaimed Broadway musical, as staged by director Harold Prince. This morbidly dark-humored tale, set in the 19th century, begins with the arrival of the mysterious, severe Sweeney Todd in London. He soon encounters Mrs. Lovett, owner of a local meat-pie shop, who recognizes Todd's true identity: Benjamin Barker, a local barber who had been unfairly sent to prison by the evil and powerful Judge Turpin. Todd discovers that after his exile, his wife Lucy was raped by the judge and soon afterwards committed suicide; even worse, the judge subsequently adopted Todd's daughter, Johanna. Consumed with rage, Todd plots a bloody revenge with help from the admiring Mrs. Lovett; it seems she has not only kept Todd's razors sharp all these years, but has an inspired plan for disposing of the corpses. Sondheim's witty songs and lyrics find dark comedy in this Grand Guignol story without neglecting the tale's more horrific elements. This production, largely taped at a Los Angeles performance during the show's national tour, features the original Mrs. Lovett, Angela Lansbury (who won a Tony for her performance), and George Hearn as the demon barber. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a videotaped staging of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's 1979 Broadway musical. This winner of nine Tony awards was based on Christopher Bond's adaptation of the venerable Victorian melodrama of the same name. The eponymous Mr. Todd (George Hearn), an ill-tempered London barber, pursues the grisly sideline of slashing his enemies' throats, grinding up their bodies, and selling the results in meat pies! This is material for a musical? Yes, and it's terrific. The production is at its best when Angela Lansbury, as Todd's looney mistress, belts forth one of the score's 26 songs. When first offered on the Showtime cable service in 1983, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street carried home a shelf-full of ACE awards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Hearn, Angela Lansbury, (more)
Few filmmakers other than Warren Beatty would have had the courage and vision to fashion an epic film from the life of famed American Communist John Reed (who is the only US citizen buried in the Kremlin). The film is an effort to humanize a political movement that has previously been depicted on screen in a series of unsubtle and prejudicial broad strokes. The film begins in 1915, when Reed (Beatty) makes the acquaintance of married Portland journalist Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). So persuasive is Reed's point of view--and so charismatic is Reed himself-- that Bryant kicks over the traces and joins Reed and his fellow radicals. Among the famous personages depicted herein are Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton), Eugene O'Neill (Jack Nicholson) and Max Eastman (Richard Herrmann). The second half of this nearly-200-minute film skims through the years when Reed, now a Russian resident, becomes disillusioned by the harsh realities of Bolshevism. Despite the celebrity line-up of real-life "witnesses" to the events depicted in the film (ranging from novelist Henry Miller to comedian George Jessel!), historians took Reds to task for its oversimplification of events and its laundering of the notoriously promiscuous Louise Bryant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, (more)
Beginning its several incarnations as an Ingmar Bergman film named Smiles of a Summer Night, the story was adapted by composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim into a successful Broadway musical directed by Harold Prince. This film, also directed by Prince, is adapted from the stage musical. In the movie, in the early 1900s, a group of friends bound together by complicated romantic entanglements, have come together for an elegant dinner at a country estate. The men present are the current, previous, or prospective lovers of the beautiful actress, Desiree (Elizabeth Taylor), and the other women are all united by their jealousy of her. Sadly, Desiree herself wants to simplify things and settle down -- she envies the wives. The adapted score later won an Oscar. The musical's well-known songs include Every Day a Little Death, A Weekend in the Country, and You Must Meet My Wife. The most famous song from the musical, Send in the Clowns, is sung here by Elizabeth Taylor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Rigg, (more)
- 1976
- PG
Nicholas Meyer based his screenplay for the "retro" Sherlock Holmes adventure The Seven Percent Solution on his own best-selling novel. As any Baker Street Irregular will tell you, the title refers to the dosage of cocaine taken by Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson). The Great Detective's friend and chronicler Doctor Watson (Robert Duvall), concerned that Holmes' drug dependency is getting out of hand, suggests a cure under the auspices of Viennese psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (top-billed Alan Arkin). While undergoing treatment, Holmes comes to the realization that his archival Professor Moriarty (Laurence Olivier) is not the Napoleon of Crime, but instead a somewhat pathetic philanderer. Not yet completely cured, Holmes recharges his deductive batteries by undertaking a tricky conspiracy case involving another ex-addict, beautiful actress Lola Devereaux (Vanessa Redgrave). The traditional Holmesian sleuthing and split-second rescues of the film's second half are not as innovative as the Holmes-Freud scenes at the beginning of The Seven Percent Solution, but they provide this largely cerebral effort with a rousing climax. A success with both critics and filmgoers, The Seven Percent Solution opened the floodgates for subsequent TV and movie "reprises" of Conan Doyle's immortal literary figure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1974
This film by French director Alain Resnais (Last Year in Marienbad) is loosely based on a true story from the 1930s about financier, con-man and swindler Stavisky who was arrested in 1934 for selling phony stock but was never brought to trial. While in jail, he continued to engage in doubtful monetary transactions. As the rumors that he was being protected by high-ranking members of the government of the French Third Republic were undoubtedly true, the scandal had a profoundly unsettling effect on the French nation, already suffering from poor government handling of the Depression, and this incident nearly brought down both the government and the Republic. Stavisky's death in prison (an apparent suicide) triggered widespread unrest and rioting. In the movie, when Stavisky (Jean-Paul Belmondo) goes to jail as a young con-man, his embarrassed father commits suicide. Ruining countless lives in his stellar career as a big-money swindler, including that of his nobleman friend Raoul (Charles Boyer), Stavisky is shown to be a pawn in a still bigger swindle, one which will destroy the Left and open the way to fascism. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, (more)
Two giants of American humor, Ring Lardner and George S. Kaufman, collaborated for this stage comedy (a major success on Broadway when it was first staged in 1929) about a young tunesmith's struggle to succeed in the dog-eat-dog world of Tin Pan Alley. An up-and-coming songwriter (Tom Fitzsimmons) arrives in the big city hoping to make good, and is soon befriended by a veteran composer (Jack Cassidy) whose career isn't what it used to be. The kid looks like he may have a solid career ahead of him, but he soon attracts the attentions of a brass-hearted dame (Susan Sarandon) who wants to take him for his future fame and wealth. This production of June Moon (created for PBS, where it first aired in 1974) features a top-notch supporting cast, including Kevin McCarthy, Estelle Parsons, Austin Pendleton, Marshall Efron, Lee Meredith, and one of Broadway's greatest composers, Stephen Sondheim, in a rare acting role as a fellow Tin Pan Alley melody maker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This suspense drama features an all-star cast, including Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane, and Raquel Welch. An interesting production fact about the film: its screenplay was written by actor Anthony Perkins and lyricist/songwriter Stephen Sondheim. Their careers depend on keeping in the good graces of Clinton (James Coburn), a powerful movie producer. That is why a group of actors, director, agents and other movie professionals (who hate each other) accept an invitation to spend a week on the producer's yacht on the anniversary of his wife's untimely death in a hit-and-run car accident. Once on board, Clinton requires them to play a vicious game which involves each person's revealing a damaging secret about themselves or someone else in the party. When one of the secrets to be revealed involves the hit-and-run murder of his wife, the game turns fatal. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, (more)
This documentary video shows the eighteen-and-a-half hour recording session by the original cast album for the 1970 Broadway musical "Company." ~ All Movie Guide
