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Reviews
The Sacrifice (2005)
An extraordinarily fine first feature film from an indie.
"The Sacrifice" is the first feature film by Jamie Fessenden, who wrote the screenplay, the score, and directed the film. It is a remarkably fine film: the acting by the leads is subtle and natural, befitting the New England setting. The director's eye catches many details that contribute to an understanding of the unfolding narrative of the film. The horror plot is more than clever and takes surprising twists and turns, much to the viewer's delight. The musical score caught me off guard, since it is so successful and fitting that it took me a while to realize that Jamie Fessenden had written it himself.
Disclosure: I play a cameo role in the film, appearing (sort of) for about five seconds. Except for the filming of those five seconds against a black background, I had nothing to do with the production of the film and saw none of its making. And I received no fee for my five terrifying seconds on screen - nor did I ask for any. Looking ghastly is its own reward.
On the other hand, I do teach interdisciplinary seminars at a nearby university and I can claim some experience in the history of film-making and familiarity with the horror genre. If his first film is this good, Jamie's future films ought to be first-rate and widely shown.
The Rake's Progress, a Fable (1979)
The Rake's Progress as Stravinsky and Auden envisioned it.
I have watched this David Hockney production of The Rake's Progress over and over and over. The singing and acting are superb. The orchestral playing is equally so. Bernard Haitink's conducting could be a mite snappier but this is a very small complaint. He knows his Stravinsky, as his discography demonstrates.
The colorful production is based upon the series of 18th Century engravings by Hogarth. These engravings along with the Faust legend informed the librettist and the composer. Felicity Lott brings youthful innocence and an exquisite vocal technique to her performance of Ann Truelove. Samuel Ramey is the quintessential Nick Shadow, just as he is the perfect Mefistofele in Boito's opera of that name. Goeke's Tom Rakewell is totally charming: his degeneration and eventual salvation (ironically by way of insanity) breaks the heart to hear and watch. Rosalind Elias as always is a consummate artist. Her Baba the Turk is musically enthralling even as the portrayal is both hilarious and imperious. Richard van Allan is a dignified and compassionate Father Truelove. The chorus sings and acts to perfection.
I use this film when teaching college seminars on topics such as "The Faust Legend" or "The Hero's Journey." Students are invariably drawn deeply into the heart of the work by the wonderful qualities of this production. It was as of April 2005 very hard to find on VHS, but it has since then been digitalized and released on DVD. The picture and sound quality are better in the later two-cassette edition than in the earlier one cassette version. Both picture and sound are better in the DVD version.
The Rake's Progress (1994)
Listen to it, don't watch it.
Superb singing and orchestral playing, but the production is the ego trip of the stage director and designer and ignores everything Stravinsky and Auden were trying to get across. A fine example of "Euro-trash." Tom Rakewell becomes a bohemian artist in search of his aesthetic (so we are told in the notes). Costume: paint-spattered jeans and Brando T-shirt. A wooden airplane on stage signifies his dream excursions. Ann Truelove appears in a shift or perhaps it is a slip. Baba the Turk wears a butterscotch leather jacket over a black T-shirt with a yellow happy face along with a mini-skirt. A group of monkeys come and go. Nick Shadow is sort of a Mafia hood. Father Truelove wears Levi's and acts the hick farmer. It's such a shame, since the singing and the playing are so fine. If you want to see and hear Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress as he and W. H. Auden intended it, find a copy of the 1975 production designed by David Hockney and conducted by Bernard Haitink with Felicity Lott, Samuel Ramey, Rosalind Elias and other outstanding singers. The production is designed with Hogarth's engravings (upon which the opera is based) in mind. I should add that I am not against innovative staging. Sarah Caldwell did an innovative Rake's Progress in Boston in the late 60s and it worked because she honored the text and the music.