Peter Wood Movies
- 1991
This video is from a production of the Mozart opera Abduction from the Seraglio, performed in German. The story of a young Spanish nobleman who seeks to rescue his lover from her imprisonment by a royal villain has passion and pathos, beautiful music, and social commentary, set amidst lavish costumes and scenery. The Dresden State Opera performs under the direction of Harry Kupfer, with Peter Gulke conducting. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his comic opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) in 1782. The three-act piece concerns Belmonte's attempts - with the help of his servant Pedrillo - to liberate his paramour, Constanze, from the seraglio, or the sequestered living quarters of the Pasha Selim, the Ottoman ruler. The Glyndebourne Festival Opera staged Entführung in 1980, with a cast that included Ryland Davies as Belmonte, Valerie Masterson as Constanze, and James Hoback as Pedrillo; a filmed record of that production is now available in this home release. The Glyndebourne Chorus and The London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Gustav Kuhn, provide musical accompaniment, with Peter Wood in charge of the stage production. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
British actors perform Eugene O'Neill's family drama A Long Day's Journey Into Night in a made-for-television performance. This filmed play was originally broadcast on March 10, 1973. For his portrayal of aging actor James Tyrone, Laurence Olivier won an Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Lead Actor. Constance Cummings plays his morphine-addicted wife, Mary; Denis Quilley plays his alcoholic son, Jamie; and Ronald Pickup plays the ill writer Edmund. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Constance Cummings, (more)
- 1972
Created by Wilfred Greatorex, the British miniseries The Man From Haven was a showcase for the versatile Ian Holm. The "man" in question was Jack Byron Lever (Holm), an unscrupulous businessman. Gaining access to a number of Swiss bank accounts, Lever used the knowledge gleaned thereby to blackmail several prominent British citizens. Codirected by the innovative Mike Newell, The Man From Haven was presented by ATV in 1972, running for six hour-long episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
In this psychological drama, Catherine (Julie Christie) is an attractive young woman living in Rome who is infatuated with a man named Gregory, whom she's never actually met. When her father informs her that he intends to remarry, Catherine is not interested in attending the wedding until she learns that Gregory will also be a guest. She flies to Geneva for the ceremony and imagines Gregory to be an athlete in an advertising poster she sees at the airport; she's lost in fantasies about him, even as her brother Daniel (John Hurt), with whom she once had an incestuous relationship, attempts to seduce her. While she misses meeting Gregory, she does run into the sports star from the poster (Michael Sarrazin); they soon repair to a hotel where they make love. However, Catherine discovers that his chiseled looks don't match his drab personality, and she soon leaves him behind. Before returning to Rome, Catherine makes a last attempt at finding Gregory, whom she's been told is also looking for her. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Christie, Michael Sarrazin, (more)
