Cats

( 27 )

Overview

With the help of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, this version of Cats was specially produced for video. With the enhancements of DVD, it's a high-quality, first-class version of this long-running Broadway musical. Presented in 1.78:1 letterboxed widescreen, the quality of this DVD will make viewers sit up and take notice. The color and texture are outstanding, and the wildly detailed costumes are perfectly rendered. The sound is 5.1 Dolby Surround in English, doing justice to Lloyd Webber's outstanding score. There...
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DVD (Wide Screen / Dolby 5.1)
$18.84
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More About This Product

Overview

With the help of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, this version of Cats was specially produced for video. With the enhancements of DVD, it's a high-quality, first-class version of this long-running Broadway musical. Presented in 1.78:1 letterboxed widescreen, the quality of this DVD will make viewers sit up and take notice. The color and texture are outstanding, and the wildly detailed costumes are perfectly rendered. The sound is 5.1 Dolby Surround in English, doing justice to Lloyd Webber's outstanding score. There is also closed-captioning. Released by Universal, this ode to cats everywhere will please anyone who loves spectacular Broadway shows, captivating music, outrageous costumes, and outlandish entertainment. There aren't a lot of extra features with this DVD, as most of the production went into the staging and re-recording of the digital sound. But there is a fascinating documentary featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber discussing how this new version was filmed, staged, and scored. It's as captivating as the show itself. Those who loved the show owe it to themselves to own this excellent rendition. The only missing feature would be a lyric sheet.
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Special Features

Widescreen version; The making of "Cats"; Interactive menus
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Kevin Giordano
It's one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history, but even if you have seen Cats onstage, this version will certainly be like nothing you've seen before. Filmed over 18 days at the Adelphi Theater in London's West End under the direction of David Mallet, Cats comes vividly, cinematically to life. From this new vantage, the characters' faces are striking. Grizabella's expression has rarely seemed so sad, and in "The Rum Tum Tugger," the funk and fun among the troupe is especially thrilling, accentuated by lively and exciting camerawork. The ghostly figure in "Gus: The Theater Cat" makes an eerie entrée, while we are given a haunting close-up of the older cat whose days are numbered. Lighting sets off all the costumes wonderfully. "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat" seems to beam with red and orange colors, while "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" is drenched in blue light. Andrew Lloyd Webber's score has been rerecorded with a 70-piece orchestra, and the sound is exceptional. For newcomers this will be a delight, and for fans of the stage version, you'll be treated to a whole new way of looking at Cats.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/12/2000
  • UPC: 025192111624
  • Original Release: 1998

    • Rating:

  • Source: Universal Studios
  • Region Code: 1
  • Aspect Ratio: Alternate Wide Screen (1.78:1)
  • Presentation: Wide Screen / Dolby 5.1
  • Sound: Dolby Digital
  • Language: English
  • Time: 2:01:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 127

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Elaine Paige Grizabella
John Mills Gus, the Theatrical Cat
Jacob Brent Mistoffelees
Ken Page Old Deuteronomy
Technical Credits
David Mallet Director
Gillian Lynne Choreography
Andrew Lloyd Webber Score Composer, Producer
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Scene Index

Side #1 --
0. Select a Song
1. Opening Credits/Overture [3:37]
2. Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats [2:45]
3. The Naming of Cats [4:12]
4. The Old Gumbie Cat [2:27]
5. The Rum Tum Tugger [3:29]
6. Grizabella, the Glamour Cat [3:09]
7. Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town [1:10]
8. Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer [4:23]
9. Old Deuteronomy [1:39]
10. The Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles [2:02]
11. The Jellicle Ball [4:40]
12. Memory [:12]
13. The Moments of Happiness [3:32]
14. Gus: The Theatre Cat [2:58]
15. Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat [1:01]
16. Macavity: The Mystery Cat [5:37]
17. Mr. Mistoffelees [:20]
18. Memory [6:11]
19. Journey to the Heaviside Layer [6:33]
20. The Ad-dressing of Cats [1:30]
21. Closing Credits [5:09]
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Menu

Side #1 --
   Play
   Soundtrack Selection
      Dolby Surround
      5.1 Dolby Surround
   The Making of Cats
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 27 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(20)

4 Star

(4)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 27 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Vivat! Life to the everlasting cat.

    This video staging of the musical is excellent. The international cast drawn from various productions is absolutly first rate, an ''All Cats Team''. Sir John Mills' portrayal of Gus the Theatre Cat is quite touching. One slight drawback: fans of Growltiger will find the ''Terror of the Thames'' missing from this production. You'll want to watch this again and again to get all of the details that you'll miss in the first viewing.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 28, 2012

    Great production - But missing Growltiger!

    Although I agree that this is a really wonderful production, I was extremely disappointed to find that they cut Growltiger's Last Stand, which is my favorite scene.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Awesome musical!

    Andrew Lloyd Weber was right on with this. I just wish the movie could have had everything in it. I know some things had to be edited to keep the time down, but wish it hadn't been.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    One of the Best Musicals EVER!

    I took my husband recently to see this live. I absolutely fell in love with it. I'm really not sure what took me so long to see it. Though the DVD contains a different cast than the one we have seen the story is the same. The music is superb. If you've seen the play this is like being able to rewind a memory.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

    The only thing better would be a real live performance

    Jellicle cats come out tonight
    Jellicle cats come one, come all
    The Jellicle moon is shining bright
    Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball

    T. S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" has been beloved by children and adults alike for years. Originally written as a set of comical verses for his godchildren, they were collected into a book and published in 1939. And one of the people charmed by the poems was Andrew Lloyd Weber, who went on to turn the slim volume, along with one additional important fragment not in "Old Possum's" original edition, into the musical "Cats."

    The performance on this DVD is the closest you will come to an actual performance without being in a theatre. The reason: this *is* an actual stage performance, in effect; no real alterations were made to it to turn it into a "movie-fied" version of the play; no additional backstory was added, as is normally done; etc. The set you see the cats dancing in is the same set that you would see in a West End or Broadway performance of the musical. And at least two of the performers here are veterans of actual stagings of "Cats," including the doyenne of West End musicals, Elaine Paige, as Grizabella, the role she originated. Other great performances include Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy, Jacob Brent as Mister Mistoffelees, John Partridge as the Rum Tum Tugger, and an incredibly moving appearance by Sir John Mills as Gus the Theatre Cat. But these are just my favorites. Overall, you won't find a clunker in any portrayal here.

    This performance is shorter than a normal stage production, which is why I don't call it perfectly "definitive" above in the star ratings. Notably, the number "Growltiger's Last Stand" was cut, as the production was seen as running long. Other pieces of choreography are trimmed as well, and a few characters' names are changed here and there. Still, this is a fantastic version, and an awful lot cheaper than a pair of tickets to a performance! My daughter and I love to trade off singing the parts as we watch this, and I can think of no higher testimony than that kind of appeal.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Andrew Lloyd Weber is amazing!

    This was one of my daughter's favorites as a child. I finally updated my VHS copy to a DVD. I was playing it during the weekend and I had several teenagers in the house. They all came in to watch bits and pieces and recalled watching it as children. Each one had a different favorite and we had a lot of fun with our 'memories'.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Not quite as good as a live performance

    Outstanding production.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Outstanding cast, lyrics, and moves! A Classic!

    Gave as a gift to my 14 year old daughter at her request. She watches it often. Each time she watches, she raves about how much she loves it!

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Great Show....

    I saw this last night @ NJPAC in Newark. It was a great show, well done and entertaining. I still wish I had seen the original when it was on broadway however, I was very pleased with the show last night. My fav cat would be The Rum Tum Tugger.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Love it!!

    This is my favorite musical of all time! The re-recorded music, choreography, and international cast are amazing! The way it is filmed is so cool, you can see the actors makeup, costumes and dancing up close! Its fun to watch really closely and find all of the mistakes/bad editing made while filming. You WILL love it, and if you dont, try to be a little more open-minded about things!!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Amazing

    It is a great movie. the music is so beautiful you will have stuck in your head for ever. It is great and you will love.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A reviewer

    I enjoyed it but I like almost fell asleep at some parts of this movie. I think the writer should have made the movie more exciting to keep people awake. If you fall asleep easily, don't watch this movie!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Love it!!!

    I love this movie...seeing all the way they use the make-up and the dances is amazing!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    If you were, than you are, you're a Jellicle cat

    It's the best ever!!!! you can see the make up which is amazing in the movie and the actors are the best ever!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The best musical ever!

    I was left completely in awe after first witnessing Cats on video. It is absolutely fantastic! The video captures the atmosphere brilliantly- the lighting is wonderful and the special effects used add emotion (particularly in Gus' scene). My favourite cat has to be the superb Mistoffelees (played by the amazing Jacob Brent). He is in my opinion the best dancer in the show,which is a huge compliment considering how talented the entire cast is.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Cats

    ''You've heard of several kinds of cat, And my opinion now is that, You should need no interpreter to understand our character!'' I have seen Cats on stage before, but you cannot fully grasp its excellence until you have seen this! An outrageous cast, an unbelievable orchestra. Pure fun and excitement. See it and you will never be able to froget it!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Cats

    Absolutely amazing! You will never froget this. No matter how many times you have seen it on stage you have never seen it like this. In my opinion the best cast you will ever see! Sir John Mills as Gus the Theater Cat, and Elaine Paige as Grizabella. Along with an 80 piece orchestra that is incredible. It doesn't matter if you have seen it a hundred times or not at all, Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit will take you away like it never will again!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 2, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 1, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 25, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 27 Customer Reviews