A gem
Margaret Furness | South Australia | 06/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw this on TV years ago, and my memory of it was correct; for all that it was filmed in 1975, it beats the Morbisch production hands down. Excellent use of scenery (the opening sequence is masterly), both in the countryside and in Vienna. Wonderful singing, good acting, good use of the potential for humour. The dancing and costumes are well done. The plot is silly but that's operetta, and it's given enough time to seem more plausible than in the Morbisch production."
Excellent performance of a very good operetta
A. BOSS | Mountainside, NJ United States | 07/26/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gypsy Baron is one of Strauss's best operettas and this is one of the best performances I have seen of it. The cast is excellent (this was the performance that launched Sigfried Jerusalem's career); they sung well and looked and acted their parts. Scenery, much of which was filmed on location, is beautiful and costumes are bright and attractive. Although the movie was made in 1975, it has been transfered to digital very well and sounds and looks as good as a current recording"
Laugh-out-loud humor and sing-along delight!
Gene Gordon | Walnut Creek, CA | 03/05/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For a screening at a 152 seat theater at a senior community, I previewed and compared two productions of "The Gypsy Baron."
First, the Morbisch production: quite striking! The large audience, the moat, the island, the conductor all command attention. Costumes were excellent and singing fine. I watched only the first act and all was admirable.
But then I popped the Deutsche Grammophon version into my DVD player. An immediate difference! Big outdoor scenery: mountains, rivers, horses, oxen. The aria with pigs is astonishing! The complex story is more understandable in this version. Wonderful singing and acting... Laugh out loud humor. I have to say this is the superior production. And it is only 97 minutes long compared to the 130 minutes of the Morbisch.
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