Sunday in the Park with George

1986 "Sondheim's Pulitzer prize-winning musical in its original Broadway run."
8.3| 2h26m| G| en
Details

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

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
TheLittleSongbird Thought-provoking, emotionally soulful and extremely clever, Sunday in the Park With George is another Stephen Sondheim hit. Not his masterpiece(Sweeney Todd, though that is a subjective and very difficult choice to make) or his most accessible(Company), but it is a great show that will make you appreciate Sondheim more perhaps. Like a previous reviewer, some very close friends of mine disliked Sondheim initially but after hearing Sunday in the Park With George they converted and while not fans as such they appreciate him highly now. To get yourself acquainted or to re-visit the magic of this musical it doesn't get better than this production. Lushly produced, very intelligently staged and directed and well-photographed, this production of Sunday in the Park With George is a must see for Sondheim fans and admirers. The songs and score are wonderful, beautifully structured and highlights like Move On, Putting it on and Finishing the Hat are memorable. They are also very clever, because not only do they make an emotional impact but they interweave so well with the story and the characters' motivations and actually enhance them, often telling us what's happening within the music and lyrics. The arrangements are just beautiful and played and conducted just as much. Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin don't just have great voices but they are also great actors, and put real emotion into what they're singing and acting. Patinkin's voice is in slightly better shape, Peters occasionally sounds tired but mostly her singing is fine. And while Patinkin gives one of his best and accomplished performances, Peters is a revelation playing two different characters- sometimes in very quick changes- and is incredibly heartfelt. The supporting cast that include the likes of Dana Ivey and Charles Kimbrough are also on point, Frank Kopyc and Judith Moore are hilarious as ignorant American tourists with the over-exaggerated hand gestures and such. Also look out for Brent Spiner as a German servant, he's a pleasant surprise. In conclusion, beautiful, clever and affecting, couldn't be recommended more highly enough. 10/10 Bethany Cox
robb_772 Filmed by PBS television, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is one of the rare times that a play was filmed using its original cast. Composer Stephan Sondheim is one of the unarguable legends of musical theatre, and, overall, this is perhaps his most complex and personal play. The show brilliantly captures all of the romance and heartbreak that come with the creation of art, and includes some of Sondheim's most memorable songs (the side-splitting title song, "Color and Light," "We Do Not Belong Together," "Child and Art," "Putting It Together," and the absolutely stunning "Move On," just to name a few). In the lead roles, Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters are absolutely terrific, each playing dual roles flawlessly.The technical quality of PBS' presentation leaves something to be desired, with poor definition and even some shaky camera movements. Just having this theatrical milestone persevered on film, however, makes up for any such technical shortcomings. Highly recommended.
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.
Greedorr This is a masterpiece. Sondhiem and Patinkin: American theatre's greatest talents in their fields, join forces in a show of tremendous complexity and humanity. For the uninitiated this can be a hard one to warm up to; but stick with it. It's a play about how disjointed pieces of life and art, some of which are individually unappealing, can come together with such beauty, if the eye arranges them in a certain way. Patinkin is, as usual, amazing, Peters is heartbreaking, and Sondheim's score and lyrics take musical theatre to a new level. "Finishing the Hat" is the best marriage of song and singer in the history of the stage. What a wonderful meditation on art and life!