Original Cast Album: Company
Original Cast Album: Company
PG | 28 October 1970 (USA)
Original Cast Album: Company Trailers

In 1970, right after the triumphant premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking concept musical Company, the renowned composer and lyricist, his director Harold Prince, the show’s stars, and a large pit orchestra all went into a Manhattan recording studio as part of a time-honored Broadway tradition: the making of the original cast album. What ensued was a marathon session in which, with the pressures of posterity and the coolly exacting Sondheim’s perfectionism hanging over them, all involved pushed themselves to the limit.

Reviews
Cubussoli

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

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Huievest

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

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Kinley

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

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Wyatt

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

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Syl

This documentary is done after the Broadway premiere of the original production of the musical, "Company," by Stephen Sondheim and directed by Harold Prince. Anyway if you've listened to the soundtrack or have seen a stage production, you will find this behind the scenes at the recording studio where they belt out the numbers from the production to be quite interesting. You can't help but love and admire Elaine Stritch who is a Broadway veteran and legend. She may not have the best voice but her "Ladies That Lunch" is memorable and a battle at the studio. You can't help but like Elaine, Stephen, Harold or Hal, and even Howard Furth who wrote the book. They and the other cast members which included Beth Howland (before TV's Alice as Vera) and her partner/husband Charles Kimbrough (long before TV's Murphy Brown as Jim Dial) along with other cast members like veteran stage actress Donna McKechnie. They all do a fabulous job in displaying why people pay to see them perform when it was more affordable as it is now. Sometimes, a good musical doesn't have to wow you as much or have special effects. Sometimes, reality can make a pretty good show.

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gosnellb

This one is for musical comedy fans only, but if you are, this somewhat mythic documentary will remind you why you love them so much.Watching Sondheim at work, correcting the pronunciation of Bobby, Bubby (booby) Bobby Bob is worth the price of admission.I've waited years to watch this and finally Netflix made it possible.A month later, I watched the PBS screening of the John Doyle revival of Company. Since it won a Tony, I expected a decent show though I knew Doyle had staged it with his three-time gimmick, the performers playing their own instruments. (When I heard he was directing "Peter Grimes" at the Met, my first thought was how on earth the opera singers were going to manage to play their own instruments.Not that I didn't care for the new Company, but I couldn't believe anyone on the planet earth would want to be friends with anyone of those people. They were unlikable, unsympathetic and wore incredibly ugly costumes. No dancing, of course, since you can't play an instrument and dance but there was the marching band doing What Would We Do Without You, which sort of worked. You Could Drive a Person Crazy was sort of cute, with them stopping to blow saxophones rather than do the Do-do-dododo part. Amy had none of the whimsy that makes "I'm Not Getting Married Today" work. In fact, this Amy looked old and hard.Joanne, however, had not a whit of the charm Elaine Stritch brought to the part. She seemed to mistake off key for acerbic and walking around playing the triangle just didn't work for me. Maybe it's hard to be picky about a cast when they all have to play an instrument. What a stupid way to cast a musical comedy. Doyle seems to forget it's a musical.So rent the Making Of because it truly captures the musical. And listen to the commentary. It's priceless. Once you know what Dean Jones was going through, his "Being Alive" is heart wrenching.

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kentaro

Sound quality is awful, like very old cassette tape or records. This is not either musical nor concerts but like the sound track making documentary. Songs are not completely sung (interrupted) or talking or chattering voices are imposed. I expect the musical or concerts and so very much disappointed for this high price awful contents DVD.

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Mscellany

I memorized this soundtrack and could sing along with every song before I ever saw the play. In the many years since, I try to see this production whenever it appears...such a fun Sondheim musical. Nobobdy will ever compare to Elaine Strich's vocals on the album as a jaded, oft married, oft divorced friend of Bobby's. She is wonderful. Another great number is "Barcelona", when Bobby beds numerous airline stewardesses... very clever. Listen and enjoy!

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