Richard Rodgers - The Sweetest Sounds
 | Directed by Richard Rodgers Wellspring, 2001, DVD |
|---|
How did some of the most beautiful melodies of the 20th century come out of a man described as depressive, hypochondriacal, remote, and alcoholic? This stirring 2001 documentary cannot answer that question about Richard Rodgers, but it provides a near-perfect blend of biography, personal reminiscence, and music appreciation. The latter comes via experts sitting at their pianos: Richard Rodney Bennett, Barbara Carroll, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The composer himself gives a lucid explanation of his working method, as he demonstrates how the lyric of "It Might as Well Be Spring" inspired the melody. Interviewees include Rodgers's daughters, who provide suitably unsentimental memories of dad. At the heart of the story is Rodgers's brilliant collaborations with two great lyricists: mercurial Lorenz Hart, whose problems made Rodgers look non-neurotic, and steady Oscar Hammerstein II. Ample clips give the best evidence of all, from Frank Sinatra upper-cutting "The Lady Is a Tramp" to John Coltrane jazzily bending "My Favorite Things." — Robert Horton
Title: Richard Rodgers - The Sweetest Sounds
Sales Rank: 76184 in DVD
Director: Richard Rodgers
Studio: Wellspring, 2002-02-19, Theatrical Release: 2001-09-07
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC, Acpect Ratio 1.33:1
Languages: English (Original Language)
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region Code: 1
Running Time: 117 minutes
Package Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches, 0.18 pounds
- A complex, unhappy man...and probably the greatest theater composer America has produced
- Compare the difference between the gorgeous, witty, romantic songs from a man who probably was America's most outstanding popular songwriter with these quotes about the man himself: "For somebody who gave such incredible pleasure to so many millions of people, not to have had the same kind of joy and contentment and comfort in his own life… More reviews
- The Music of Richard Rodgers . . . The Sweetest Sounds
- "The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears."
~ The Sound of Music ~
Words & Music by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
One of my favorite composers,… More reviews
- A well done documentary about an insanely talented man
- Featuring in depth interviews with friends, family and co-workers as well as rare film clips of Rodgers shows such as "No Strings", "Pal Joey" and "Babes and Arms", this is a very well done documentary.
Although it doesn not cover the era of Rodgers and Hammerstein as fully as it covers the era of Rodgers and Hart (perhaps because of Hart's horrific and… More reviews
- The man was a genius
- The only way to describe the musical composition of Richard Rodgers is that he was a genius, it's just that simple. In every age is seems like we are visited by someone who just seems to have a certain gift, an ability to communicate in an artistic medium such as music, so that all can understand. As Mozart wrote popular music of his own time, (it is the ages that… More reviews
- Almost perfect
- The few other "reviews" seem more paeans, eulogies to Rodgers, all deserved, but with little about the documentary, which I liked. Larry Hart was my first hero. Keats my second. But that's beside the point. I consider Richard Rodgers the finest composer (and he himself preferred the word "composer" to "songwriter") America has yet (and it seems, will… More reviews
