Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

An Exercise In Nonsense

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Almost 40 years ago, when I was a student in Indiana, a group of us drove to Chicago for a day, just to get away from campus. It was spring break 1968, and part of our day was spent in a small theater seeing the live production, "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris." I remember it well, it was my first up-close live stage production. We had a table right at the front of the room, and we were looking upwards as the performers sang the songs, loosely connected by a vague story line. It wasn't the story we enjoyed, it was the live singing, and really good singing.Last week I found the DVD of this title at my public library. Eagerly I put it into my DVD player, let it spin, while the surround system was plugged in, much like Michael J Fox did in the opening scene of 'Back to the Future.' I was very disappointed.My biggest disappointment was the singing. Some of it is so bad that I simply couldn't listen to the whole song. Second, it has a definite 60s and 70s feel to it which, in this case, was not good.I cannot recommend the DVD. It will be a disappointment for most Jacques Brel fans. This version has no real flow to it, and the singing is not first-rate.

I saw the Jacques Brel Play in NY with the Original Cast years ago. I have seen the film many times and even saw it when it was shown in Movie Theatres. I now own the DVD. The cast is tremendous and talented. Elly Stone, What else can be said of her.She is a marvel to listen to in person and on record. She is a woman who sings with passion and she is the best person to come along and sing Brel's music. Stone has a vibrant focus in her voice and clear diction and her strong singing comes through with each lyric. The late Joe Masiell has a great screen presence and a voice that can strip paint away. His acting through song is the best on screen. The talented Mort Shuman has great comedic flair with a a great barrel chested voice and demanding presence Overall Jacques Brel is Alive and Well will live on forever on film.

No hyperbole here: this was simply the worst cinematic experience of my life. And yes, I've seen Manos: Hands of Fate.I was talked into seeing this by an older "child of the 60s" friend who absolutely loves Brel and this movie. While she went into raptures at every song, I cringed in my seat. I know that many people enjoy this movie, but if you're not already a fan of Brel you should probably avoid this like unanesthetized rectal surgery.At a basic level, Brel's music is simply not for me. His melodies are at once meandering and repetitive. Harmonic progressions are almost non-existent. I can't recall a single non- diatonic tone in any of his songs. This, coupled with the excruciatingly banal and monkey- wrenched rhyme scheme, was just too much to bear.While his songs may evoke nostalgia in others, I was reminded of John Ashcroft's "Let the Eagle Soar". The low point of the movie came when I realized that I would prefer Ashcroft's performance to any of the songs presented here.And the performances....yikes. Elly Stone, poor dear, simply cannot match pitch. Her voice is sharp, strained and impossible to listen to. Joe Masiell is a bit better, but his jackhammer vibrato ruins any sustained tone he attempts. Mort Shuman and Brel himself were my favorites as they were merely boring.1/2 hour in, I wanted to gouge out my eyes so I could use them to stuff my ears. After an hour, I was seriously considering chewing off a limb so I would have an excuse to leave the theater. Even one week later, I'm still having post-traumatic flashbacks to the horror that was this movie. I'm sure that most fans will say I'm missing the point -- that the social commentary and "soul" are the reason to see this film. My feeling is that unless you already love Brel, French cabaret and/or surrealist cinema, you'll likely be in too much pain to perceive a point, soul or anything but your throbbing migraine and urge to flee.

I Saw this movie in 1984 when it was screened on local TV. I did not bother to tape it as it was so good I felt it would be repeated. 20 years later it still hasn't been shown and until last year it was unavailable. Kino released it on DVD and I got my copy this year. A true Gem of operatic proportions. The Songs are poignant, moving and strong. "Timid Frieda", for example, moves me to tears every time I see the clip. "Mareke" sung by Elly Stone in that harsh way in Flemish virtually rips the heart out. "Les Bourgeoise" or "The Middle Class" as it is called on this disc is extremely funny but it contains within it the seeds of warning of our impending old age as the characters disappear into the bar and re-emerge having aged by 20 or 30 years.