In-Theater/Streaming/Virtual Cinema/VOD Release of the Week 

Director Christian Petzold collaborated with that extraordinary actress Nina Hoss on several films, but without Hoss, he seems lost: his last film, Transit, was a disappointment, and he continues that trend with his newest, which is Petzold’s take on the mythic tale about a water spirit, here in the modern world and falling in love with an ordinary man.

 

 

He reteams his Transit costars, Paula Beer and Franz Rogowskis to middling returns: although Beer is no Hoss histrionically, she more than holds her own in a borderline ridiculous role (especially as filmed by Petzold), but Rogowski, a basically inexpressive performer, remains a disastrous cipher. Petzhold proves to have little affinity for fantasy, wasting the elegance of his visuals.

 

 

 

 

 

Blu-ray Releases of the Week 

One of the mildest romantic comedies of any era, this original 1954 musical is pretty much a dated relic in its story of two men, in love with two sisters, discover five more at home along with grandparents who have them all follow a strict health regimen.

 

 

Although ahead of its time in the “healthy” angle, but otherwise director Richard Thorpe doesn’t do much that’s original or interesting; despite likable performances by Vic Damone and Edmund Purdom as the guys and Debbie Reynolds and Jane Powell as their gals, the movie meanders around to tunes by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. There’s a superb hi-def transfer; extras are three outtake musical numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

La bohème 

Two towering operas are given new life by terrific performers starring in Royal Opera House (London) stagings. In a 2020 performance of Puccini’s La bohème, Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva is a terrifically appealing Mimi and American tenor Charles Castronovo an equally fine Rodolfo who embody the tragically youthful romance of the story.

 

 

Mozart’s best opera, Cosi fan tutte, in director Jonathan Miller’s modern update—seen at a 2010 performance—is more a clever lark than a seriously comic exploration of relationships and their ambiguities, but the half-dozen cast members give it their all, led by the redoubtable Thomas Allen as Don Alfonso. Both discs have first-rate hi-def video and audio; Bohème has brief interview extras.

 

 

 

 

 

Escape from Fort Bravo 

The American Civil War is the backdrop for this tidy 1953 western set in a Union prison camp in in the desert lands of the Arizona Territory: when a woman named Carla (Eleanor Parker) visits, Union camp commander Roper (William Holden) falls for her, not realizing she’s in cahoots with the Confederate prisoners, led by their leader Marsh (John Forsythe).

 

 

Efficiently directed by John Sturges and superbly shot in the rugged confines of Monument Valley and Death Valley, the colors of Escape look bright and sharp on Blu-ray.

 

 

 

 

 

Romeo and Juliet 

Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet, one of the greatest ever created, is a masterly demonstration of how music is as powerful as Shakespeare’s own words in telling the timeless tragic tale of the “star-cross’d lovers.”

 

 

The 2019 revival of choreographer Kenneth MacMillan’s classic production—filmed at London’s Royal Opera House—is highlighted by the wonderfully agile Juliet of Yasmine Naghdi and the tough but tender Romeo of Matthew Ball; their dancing, along with the glorious playing of the Opera House Orchestra under conductor Pavel Sorokin, makes this a must for all ballet and Prokofiev fans. Hi-def video and audio are excellent; extras are short interviews.

 

 

 

 

 

The Tender Trap 

In the mid ‘50s, Frank Sinatra was a heartthrob with chart-topping songs and movies to his credit: this 1955 comedy, based on a routine stage play, relies on his charm to put across this tired tale of a bachelor who finally falls for a woman (Debbie Reynolds) but realizes it will end his single lifestyle.

 

 

The supporting cast—including David Wayne, Celeste Holm and Carolyn Jones—prods this along into watchable territory, and Sinatra and Reynolds are good if not combustible together, but in director Charles Walters’ hands, this never becomes anything more than competent and occasionally amusing. The film looks great on Blu; extras comprise Frank in the Fifties featurette and The MGM Parade excerpts.

 

 

 

 

 

DVD Release of the Week 

The latest entry in this invaluable art series surveys the path-breaking Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who was unafraid to put her own physical and psychological difficulties on canvas—subtlety and softness be damned.

 

 

As director Ali Ray juxtaposes her paintings—awash in blood, dead bodies, and other uncomfortable images—with details of her eventful, too short life, Kahlo’s artistry in all its daring nakedness is intelligently displayed. It’s too bad that another Exhibition on Screen release isn’t on Blu-ray; hi-def would really show off her art in all its vividness and complexity.

 

 

 

 

 

CD Releases of the Week

Although Walter Braunfels (1882-1954) wrote a memorable opera, The Birds, that was so popular upon its 1920 premiere that, for awhile, he was the most performed opera composer in Germany after Richard Strauss, he’s nearly forgotten today, despite labels such as Capriccio recording much of his repertoire in recent years.

 

 

The latest Capriccio release collects four of his works for orchestra written between 1910 and 1930, and they make up a fine overview of his style: attractively scored, heartfelt and Romantic with a capital R. His 1929 Divertimento even shows hints of American jazz with the presence of two saxophones. Gregor Buhl leads the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in marvelous performances of these winning works. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lisette Oropesa— Ombra Compagna: Mozart Concert Arias 

She’s already shown off her golden voice in starring roles in Mozart operas, so this new recording by Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa is a no-brainer for her to tackle: a series of standalone arias penned by Mozart, all shaped for the specific singers he had in mind to perform them. In spans of 8 to 15 minutes, Mozart poured everything he had into these pieces, turning them into vocal showcases as virtuosic as they come.

 

 

Oropesa dives into these arias unafraid of their torturous twists and turns, especially the stunning “Ah lo previdi,” easily the emotional high point of the album. Oropesa’s gorgeous singing is wonderfully accompanied by the Il Pomo d'Oro ensemble, led by the estimable Antonello Manacorda.