Britten on the Beach

[amateur51]

It was magnifique ! I suspect ams etc - with a camping seat , rug some of the mulled wine they were selling you would have been fine.

I'm very glad to hear it, Barbs - I'm envious of course

[aeolium]

I saw the film of this at a local cinema last night. It was very impressive and atmospheric, with a fine performance in the title role by Alan Oke and excellent support from Giselle Allen, David Kempster and Catherine Wyn-Rogers among others. The set was simple and effective and the period updating was not a distraction. The sea was definitely a powerful presence throughout in a way it could not be with a conventional staging. Someone I spoke with in the short interval said he had been in the area at the time of the beach production but had been deterred by the cost of £75 for sitting on the shingle (more for a proper seat)!

It was certainly one of the better opera productions I've seen in cinema recently, much better than Glyndebourne's Rinaldo and Hippolyte et Aricie.

[Barbirollians]

I saw the film of this at a local cinema last night. It was very impressive and atmospheric, with a fine performance in the title role by Alan Oke and excellent support from Giselle Allen, David Kempster and Catherine Wyn-Rogers among others. The set was simple and effective and the period updating was not a distraction. The sea was definitely a powerful presence throughout in a way it could not be with a conventional staging. Someone I spoke with in the short interval said he had been in the area at the time of the beach production but had been deterred by the cost of £75 for sitting on the shingle (more for a proper seat)!

It was certainly one of the better opera productions I've seen in cinema recently, much better than Glyndebourne's Rinaldo and Hippolyte et Aricie.

It wasn't that expensive - there were places at £20 to the sides which gave a good view and not much worse than our £40 places . £75 was maximum and they had seats .

It was a marvellous experience .

[Mary Chambers]

I'm waiting for the DVD. There had better be one! The cinema showing was very inconvenient for me, and since I don't see how any film can reproduce the excitement of actually shivering on the beach, the DVD will be fine for me.

[hmvman]

I'm waiting for the DVD. There had better be one! The cinema showing was very inconvenient for me, and since I don't see how any film can reproduce the excitement of actually shivering on the beach, the DVD will be fine for me.

I saw the film at my local cinema on Thursday evening. I would agree that the film can't possibly have reproduced the experience of actually being there but I thought it was a superb production and a fine document of the event. I hope there'll be a DVD too!

[underthecountertenor]

The film got better as it went on. The rolling clouds effect during the storm in Act I was overdone, too obviously artificial and led to continuity issues when we saw clear blue sky and hints of sunlight in close-ups. I think it was always going to be a problem given that it took place in broad daylight. Acts 2 and 3 were far more convincing, and very moving. The crowd scene in Act III was terrifying (as it was live). I will get the DVD as a souvenir of an extraordinary event.