Grades Grades 9-12, College, Adult
Directed by Larry Weinstein
Produced by Rhombus Media
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1989
Copyright Date: 1988
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-798-1
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-118-4
Subjects
Biography
Dance
European Studies
Humanities
Music
Awards and Festivals
Crystal Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival
Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival
Best Performing Arts, Gemini Awards, Toronto
Best Canadian Television Program, Banff
Brilliant portrait of the composer's elusive life.
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A beautifully made homage to the great French composer Maurice Ravel. Many of Ravel's foremost interpreters, Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Alicia de Larrocha, Victoria de los Angeles, Jean-Phillipe Collard, Augustin Dumay and others, capture the sensuality, sweetness and power of Ravel's works. Also rare home movie footage, photographs, and unpublished letters give the film deep insight into Ravel's elusive life.
Web Page: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/ravel.html
Reviews
"An outstanding example of what an entertaining musical biography should be...The performances are astonishing...brilliant rhythmic editing...weds the video's images to the music. It is a genuine work of art in itself... There is a large audience for RAVEL ranging from high school and college students to adults who enjoy voice, opera, dance, and music. It is highly recommended for anyone who loves the finer things in life."
***** Video Rating Guide for Libraries
"This sumptuously beautiful documentary... combines rare film of the composer, interviews with people who knew him, voice-over readings from Ravel's diary and spectacular performances of his music...Rich in production values, exhaustive in its examination of the composer's life and adoring in its representations of his work....you'll love RAVEL regardless of whether you are familiar with the composer's music."
The Gazette (Montreal)