Barrymore

Excellent!
This is a wonderful mixture of stage and film as Christopher Plummer recreates his successful stage role as tragic stage and film legend John Barrymore. It's 1942 and Barrymore is a washed up alcoholic actor trying to make a comeback, He rents a small theater for a night to practice his famous Shakespearian roles. He is alone except for a prompt assistant that appears only in voice and shadow. Plummer's acting is really spot on for Barrymore and this is a great performance. He is at once funny and tragic and has a great state presence. I also liked the way it's mainly a stage show with some occasional visual forays utilizing the camera's unique capabilities. For instance, there is an audience watching this film being made but at certain sequences when they want to emphasize Barrymore's isolation and loneliness the audience vanishes. There is also an interesting sequence or two where Barrymore fantasizes and we can see the visuals he is having. The DVD also comes with an extensive...

An actor at the peak of his craft
There's nothing profound going on in this script - bits of interesting information about Barrymore's career - but the sheer joy of watching Plummer's performance makes the time well spent. At his age, with his experience, this is an acting lesson both in technique and in exuberance. He is obviously having fun, and you have fun with him, as well as getting to experience, among other things, some Shakespeare phrased elegantly.

Excellent Entertainment
A tremendous one man show! I would think the Barrymores would approve the performance and the content. We both agreed when it was over which exceptional for us.

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