Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George
G | 16 June 1986 (USA)
Sunday in the Park with George Trailers

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte by Georges Seurat is one of the great paintings of the world, and in "Sunday in the Park with George," book writer James Lapine and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim bring a story based on the work brilliantly to life. While the painting depicts people gathered on an island in the Seine, the musical goes beyond simply describing their lives. It is an exploration of art, of love, of commitment. Seurat connected dots to create images; Lapine and Sondheim use connection as the heart of all our relationships. Winner of the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Originally broadcast as part of "American Playhouse" on PBS (season five, episode nineteen).

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Reviews
Karry

Best movie of this year hands down!

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Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Moustroll

Good movie but grossly overrated

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Taha Avalos

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

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ijonesiii

Sunday IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE was the first, if memory serves, Broadway musical based on a painting. This sensitive and moving look at the artist Georges Suerat, through his most famous work, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grand Jatte", was unlike anything Broadway had seen up to this point. Suerat serves as sort of a narrator and Greek chorus, as well as the main character, as James Lapine's smart book takes what little was known of the artist's life and fleshes out characters from the people in the painting. Broadway's most gifted composer, Stephen Sondheim, crafted a lilting and beautiful score filled with clever lyrics and lush melodies. Sondheim is the best lyricist in the theater because he writes as people talk, not as they sing. The first act follows the relationship between Suerat, electrically portrayed by Mandy Patinkin and his model/mistress Dot, the luminous Bernadette Peters, as their on again off again relationship is constantly challenged by his obsession with his work. The second act features Patinkin as Suerat's grandson and Peters as his grandmother as we see the modern sculptor struggling with a heredity he continues to deny until a fateful trip to the island where the original painting had been done. Director Terry Hughes has lovingly captured this intimate story on video and given us close-ups and sweeping camera shots that were not possible to experience seeing the show onstage, making the show even more personal and involving. Mandy Patinkin commands the stage as George with a stylish stage presence and magnificent singing voice that fills the theater as well as the television screen and is matched note for note by Peters, who makes Dot a tragic and fragile heroine and brings a lovely touch of humanity to the ditzy grandmother, Marie. It should be noted that at the time this was filmed, Ms. Peters was vocally and physically exhausted. She had already left this show and was in rehearsals for the show that would finally win her a Tony Award, SONG & DANCE. Some vocal strain can be noted with Peters, particularly in one unmerciful close-up where her voice just gives out on her, but Peters is a pro and delivers a performance of opening night quality. Though not for all tastes, Sunday IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is a lush and lovely musical theater experience that all those with a passion for the genre should experience.

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alison24601

Sondheim is a musical genius, and Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters are two of the most brilliant performers I have ever seen, so it is no surprise that this is such an excellent film. The music is gorgeous, and has the ability to touch your soul. The emotions conveyed by Patinkin and Peters are very real, and heartfelt. This makes me cry every time I see it. This show really captures the difficulties and detachment that can be applied to the lives of all artists, not just painters. This musical is well-written, well-cast, and well-acted, and I would highly recommend it, especially to anyone involved in the arts. One warning is that people who are not familliar with Sondheim should go into it with an open mind, because if you are expecting a typical Hollywood musical, it's not what you'll find. If you watch this on DVD, don't miss the commentary by Sondheim, Peters, and Patinkin (and possibly James Lapine), because it gives a lot of nice extra information.

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hanksank

Yep, this is just absolutely brilliant. The new DVD has great quality as well, that's the way to see this if you missed it on stage. There's a reason this musical got the Pulitzer Prize, and it's evident in this astonishing film of the play. Patinkin and Peters are perfectly cast and do brilliant work. I can't speak highly enough of this- go and rent it, you'll see. True, it's a bit thick in the beginning, but it's worth the ride.

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rogerandjudy

If you or someone in your life is an artist (regardless of the art form), this is a must-see. Sondheim and Lapine have illuminated the nature of art and artists in a way I've never seen surpassed. Yes, the songs are wonderful and Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin, the consummate interpreters of Sondheim, have never been better. But the insight into the often perplexing and frustrating world of the arts goes so much deeper. This is not a mere entertainment (though entertain it does) but a soul-searching treatise on what we do and why we are so compelled to do it. Watch this one and be prepared to see life a little differently after the experience.

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