My DVD-R of Light in the Piazza scrambels up the whoel second act--makes me incredibly sad--I really wish there was a way I could just get a good copy (that said I completley missed the Lincoln Center broadcast of Contact because I was out of the continent so shouldn't complain). I was sitting down to rewatch it just this week and when it started to screw up literally felt a weight in my throat
Anyway, I think the three Lapine/Sondheim shows are very well done. Normally I like shows being done in a slightly more "fil;m" style and without an audience but I think doing Passion from an empty stage works for it. (Terry Hughes who did Sunday and Woods also did Sweeney but that one isn't nearly as satisfying even from just a film version with a few too many weird angles from the wings etc for my tastes)
I have to admit i'm a traditionalist--I'm ok with the Lincoln Center Archive approach of basically filming the frame to hold all the major action as you'd see it from center floor. Nothing pisses me off more for instance than when they film a dance number and decide to focus on the performer's faces, or what have you.
SPeaking of those SOndheim tapes the 1976 Japanese taping of Pacific Overturs is near perfectly done IMHO too--and that's not an easy show to film. Image needs ot get back ont heir feet with their plans to released this NOW.
The Japanese broadcast of Will Rogers (not a fave show of mine) is likewise basically everything you could want in a taping except for missing some of the start due to Tommy Tune's intro. As is Jeckyll and Hyde (again not a fave show but...)
The ones that annoy me is when they can't decide if they want to be a film or a filmed record of a live show. Yes Andrew Lloyd Webber I mean you. All three of his major "live" recordings (I haven't seen Jeaves) IMHO would work much better if they simply were filmed on stage with an audience, not filmed ona soundstage with most of the stage setup, etc. You get the worst of both worlds. Nunn's taping of Oklahoma suffers from this too (and in a way is even more insulting cuz they insert shots of the audience that's not even there!)
E
