Meeting Venus

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Meeting Venus is based on a play cowritten by the film's director, Istvan Szabo. Glenn Close plays a celebrated Swedish opera star Karin Anderson who is slated to appear in an internationally-telecast production of "Tannhauser." Ms. Anderson balks at the notion of working with obscure Hungarian conductor Zoltan Szanto. The much-anticipated production may never get off the ground, thanks to labor-management difficulties, intramural jealousies, and clashing egos. Admidst all this chaos, the mismatched Anderson and ...
See more details below
DVD (Wide Screen)
$17.99
BN.com price
(Save 10%)$19.99 List Price
Other sellers (DVD)
  • All (15) from $16.28   
  • New (13) from $16.28   
  • Used (2) from $21.03   
Note: This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. This disc is expected to play back in DVD Video "play only" devices and may not play back in other DVD devices including recorders and PC drives.

More About This Product

Overview

Meeting Venus is based on a play cowritten by the film's director, Istvan Szabo. Glenn Close plays a celebrated Swedish opera star Karin Anderson who is slated to appear in an internationally-telecast production of "Tannhauser." Ms. Anderson balks at the notion of working with obscure Hungarian conductor Zoltan Szanto. The much-anticipated production may never get off the ground, thanks to labor-management difficulties, intramural jealousies, and clashing egos. Admidst all this chaos, the mismatched Anderson and Szanto fall in love. Filmed in Budapest, Meeting Venus was far from a box-office hit thanks in great part to an inadequate advertising campaign; hopefully it will gain the wide audience it deserves on videocassette. PS: Glenn Close's singing is dubbed by real-life opera luminary Kiri Te Kanawa. We tell you this because the lyp-synching is done so well that you might actually believe that Close is performing those arias herself.
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Dan Friedman
Before tackling the eccentric diva-esque roles of Norma Desmond in the stage version of Sunset Boulevard or Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians, Glenn Close prepared by playing a true diva, opera singer Karin Anderson in Meeting Venus, a fine film that manages to combine both comedic and dramatic elements on a subject which, by public definition, is rather esoteric. Director István Szabó turns up the satire on the world of Grand Opera, and simultaneously pokes fun at what is supposed to be the "European Union." The conductor, played very charmingly by Niels Arestrup, must deal not only with out-of-control egos, but an international cast and the aforementioned diva. The supporting roles are a smorgasbord of European actors, and one can only expect that the difficulties the actors experience in mounting an opera somewhat mirrored Szabó's efforts to produce the film. The casual opera fan can certainly get some enjoyment from the film, but true aficionados will surely get more pleasure from the fine recorded performances of such talents as Kiri Te Kanawa, Rene Kollo, and Håkan Hagegård than they will from the onscreen actors. Close does a credible job but it's hard to believe she isn't just going through the motions. In keeping with it's subject matter, the film does feel a little slow and dragged out at times, but it's a very interesting examination of a world not often brought before the cameras.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 3/16/2010
  • UPC: 883316237458
  • Original Release: 1991

    • Rating:

  • Source: Warner Archives
  • Presentation: Wide Screen
  • Time: 1:58:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 38,110

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Glenn Close Karin Anderson
Niels Arestrup Zoltan Szanto
Erland Josephson Jorge Picabia
Macha Meril Miss Malikoff
Johanna ter Steege Monique Angelo
Maite Nahyr Maria Krawiecki
Victor Poletti Stefano Del Sarto, Stefano Del Sorto
Dieter Laser Von Binder
Maria de Medeiros Yvonne
Ildikó Bánsági Jana
Dorottya Udvaros Edith
Moscu Alkalay Jean Gabor
Sandor Altemann Vogelwind
Manfred Andrae Eurowood President
Maria Becker Szanto's Mother
Iren Bordan Eurowood TV Crew Sound Organizer
André Chaumeau Etienne Tailleur
Etienne Chicot Toushkau
Jozsef Csor 4th French Singer
François Delaive Thomas
Monteith Douglas Computer Operator
Eva Ebner Von Binder's Mother
Zsuzsa Fazekas Szanto's Daughter-Agnes
Gyorgy Fenyves 4th Journalist
Jozsef Fonyo Police Officer-Budapest
Ferenc Gerdesits 3rd French Singer
Jean Guerbay French Immigration Officer
Buda Gulyas Eurowood TV Crew Cameraman
Balazs Hantos 2nd French Singer
Ferenc Harangozo 5th Journalist
Kiri Te Kanawa Karin Anderson (singing)
Eszter Karasz Malgrozeta
Sandor Kecskes 1st French Singer
Lili Kepes 3rd Journalist
Istvan Komlos 1st Orchestra Member
Andras Krepes 2nd Journalist
Michael Kroecher Cashier
Marian Labuda Von Schneider
Lithuanian Ballet Group
Zsuzsa Manyai Fat Lady from the Chorus
Andras Marton New 1st Violinist
Laszlo Barany Paal 5th French Singer
Jeno Pataky 2nd Violinist
Roberto Pollak Isaac Partnoi
Fruzsina Pregitzer Marie France
Johara Racz Dancer
Pierre Remund French Police Officer
Jay O. Sanders Stephen Taylor
Pal Schiffer 6th Journalist
Rita Scholl Delfin Van Delf
Sandor Simo 7th Journalist
Brigitte Sy French Customs Officer-Woman
Sandor Szabo Sr. 1st Violinist M Leuchter
Istvan Szilagyi Stageworker
Gyorgyi Tarjan 2nd Orchestra Member
Erika Toth Eurowood TV Crew Director
Karoly Ujlaky 1st Hotel Receptionist-Budapest
Andras Vamosi Eurowood TV Crew Sound Engineer
Ivan Verebely 2nd Hotel Receptionist-Budapest
Technical Credits
István Szabó Director, Screenwriter
Jim Clark Editor
Michael Hirst Screenwriter
Lorand Javor Art Director
Lajos Koltai Cinematographer
Attila Kovacs Production Designer
Catherine Leterrier Costumes/Costume Designer
Uberto Pasolini Associate Producer
Gabrialla Prekop Producer
David Puttnam Producer
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously