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Adams: Doctor Atomic
starring: Finley, Rivera, Owens, Fink, Maddalena
directed by: Sellars, Renes

List Price: $39.99

Off The Bookshelf's Price: $35.99

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Used Price: $30.86
Third Party New Price: $29.85

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0809478009986
Format: Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Label: Bbc / Opus
Manufacturer: Bbc / Opus
Number Of Discs: 2
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Bbc / Opus
Release Date: September 30, 2008
Running Time: 230 minutes
Studio: Bbc / Opus
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Sales Rank: 3787
MPN: 998

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
The longing to overcome human boundaries lead the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to begin an experiment that formed a threat to the whole of humanity, and whose scientific results still do today. The question of the moral implications of the atomic bomb is raised in John Adams opera, just as much as that of the influence on the private lives of the main characters. Doctor Atomic is the fifth work to result from almost twenty years of collaboration between the American composer and his fellow American director and Erasmus Prize-winner Peter Sellars. Doctor Atomic concerns itself with the work of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists at the test site of the first atomic bomb outside Los Alamos, New Mexico during the lead-up to the first detonation. As Zero Hour relentlessly approaches and conditions become less and less favorable, individual tensions build feverishly and Oppenheimer and his staff struggle with the moral implications of their work on 'the Gadget', and the strong possibility of global annihilation. Recorded in high definition video and true surround sound, John Adams' fascinating, overwhelming score and Peter Sellars' forceful staging (and TV direction) portray Oppenheimer, exquisitely sung by Gerald Finley, as a profoundly troubled man, at odds with himself but moving inexorably forward, representative of the great ethical dilemmas of humanity itself.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Great singing, Beautiful music, horrible filming
This production is 95% very, very close-up full face shots. There are no, zero, full stage shots. Very Occasionally there is a full body shot. There is absolutely no sense of theater at all.

This opera could have been filmed in an 8 x 12 foot room. No sense of space exists. DAS BOOT had more wide shots. Even the dance sequences, by famed choreographer Lucinda Childs, are shown in half body, never in full ensamble. There were close-ups that showed only an EYE, full screen. The average cut away was about every two seconds. The camera never lingered on a singer for more than a second or two. The fine chorus was shown, guess what, as only full face individuals. Gerald Finley was excellent, but did we have to see him in extreme close-up ALL THE TIME. Paul Newman he's not. ... Read More

Rating:

- Finley's aria is fantastic, but it's in the wrong opera
When a local theater subscribed to the Metropolitan Opera's HD LIVE series and broadcast DR. ATOMIC on November 8th I decided I shouldn't miss it. I'm not a fan of Adams, but the subject matter is so important, and it had been brought to my doorstep...

DR. ATOMIC has its moments. The first act builds up to a tremendous aria, Gerald Finley singing "Batter My Heart," one of the Holy Sonnets of John Donne, as the character of Robert Oppenheimer. The first scene is the assembled throng of Manhattan Project workers. I was decidedly underwhelmed. The second scene is a love scene with Oppenheimer and his wife Kitty -- much better, with Finley in fine form. Then back to the bomb, with the test blast impending and a rainstorm, building tension. Finally, the Faustian scene with Oppenheimer ... Read More

Rating:

- Finley alone worth watching
This is an excellant production. If you don't like modern, dissonent opera, then this might not be for you. The production is powerfully done and the singing and symphonic quality top notch.

Rating:

- Is it History or Opera?
Thanks for the history lesson, Tom, but Holy Cow! If the only acknowledgment of the music you heard today is "While the score is certainly engaging and momentous at times.." and your best recommendation is to forget the opera and read a book chronicling the Manhattan Project, why did you spend the money to go to the opera? Like any theater piece, opera is at its best dealing with human passions and the conflicts which arise between people in relationship to each other. Words, music and visuals combine to create a vivid metaphor for the human condition, and perfect historical accuracy need not be part of the equation. The hopes and fears of the scientists as they struggle with creating a device they hope will save lives but may indeed pose the threat of annihilation; the personality conflicts between ... Read More

Rating:

- Almost perfect
The plot is based on the last days of the Manhattan project, but in fact the greatness of this opera is the portraying of the human struggles of the people involved in the project. The plot itself is the reason to get into those very human emotions and struggle, so the full accuracy of the plot doesn't seem to me of crucial importance. The best music is for those internal looking moments, with the necessary "actions" to put everything in perspective (sounds familiar?). Some of the tense moments in the plot are for music only, masterly composed by John Adams.
I have the feeling the production is over played which sometimes disturbs and distracts. In addition, some of the close-ups (for the DVD) are over-dramatic veering the attention from the poetry and the music. The music and the lyrics are beautiful ... Read More

DVD : Adams: Doctor Atomic