News

 
Kultur is proud to announce the up and coming DVD release of  “Burn The Floor – Floor Play” the sizzling hot dance show that opens in Las Vegas April 1st 2008.

For the first time ever in the USA, the American audiences can be dazzled by this breath-taking performance.

Ballroom dancing has always been about a man and a woman, moving together up close and personal. Today, stripped back to its soul, it is hot, sweaty and sexy. This is ballroom dancing in the new millennium. This is Floor Play.

Conceived, directed and choreographed by World Champion Ballroom dancer Jason Gilkison who choreographed the original, ‘Burn the Floor’ which has been seen by over 3 million people worldwide. Floor Play has been ten years in the making, and features a hand picked cast of dancers. Breath-taking, action-packed, unpredictable, sensual, and ultimately inspiring, this is Jason’s legacy to us all.

Airing Now on PBS:
Mike Douglas
Mike Douglas: Moments & Memories is a nostalgic look back at the Emmy® award winning The Mike Douglas Show and the man behind it who became America's best loved daytime talk show host to over 6 million viewers.
 
The program features new interviews and performance segments with former guests, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, Dr. Martin Luther King, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Tiger Woods, Mel Brooks and many others.
 
Archival clips guide viewers through Douglas' career and the "who's who" of stars featured on the original show which aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982. With first-time access to the full catalog of episodes and Douglas' personal memorabilia, this program provides an entertaining and heartwarming reminder of the era of classic television entertainment. 

You can purchase this memorable DVD by visiting our store, or by click here.  

Primo on PBS
Primo, the acclaimed one-man play written by and starring South African actor Sir Antony Sher, will be broadcast on PBS stations around the country in April. The "Great Performances" presentation is scheduled for broadcast April 24th

Primo, directed by Richard Wilson, features Antony Sher as Italian chemist and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi. The play is based on Levi's 1947 memoir that chronicles the time he spent in a concentration camp during the final year of World War II.

Primo was a hit at the National's Cottesloe Theatre in 2004, subsequently playing Cape Town, South Africa, before returning to London at the Hampstead Theatre. The production, starring Sher, opened on Broadway in July 2005.

You can purchase this emotional DVD by visiting our store, or by clicking here.

The Righteous Brothers on Public Television
In this 1983 concert Airing on Public Television in June 2008, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield -those seminal rock 'n' rollers known to the world as The Righteous Brothers -have reunited to bring back "blue-eyed soul" music. Filmed live at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, this show includes all of their greatest hits!

Including: You've Lost That Loving Feeling * Unchained Melody * Ebb Tide * (You're My) Soul And Inspiration and many more!!!

You can purchase this DVD by visiting our store, or by clicking here.

Kultur Remembers
Charlton Heston
Film Legend Charlton Heston dead at 84 
Charlton Heston, the Oscar winner who portrayed Moses and other heroic figures on film in the '50s and '60s died on April 5^th at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 84. "Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played," Heston's family said in a statement.

Kultur is proud to feature Charlton Heston in our DVD-Opera Stories: An In-Depth Look At Ten Of The World's Favorite Operas

 

Kultur Remembers
Arthur C. Clarke

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, an aide said. He was 90.

Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s and sometimes used a wheelchair, died at 1:30 a.m. after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.

Clarke moved to Sri Lanka in 1956, lured by his interest in marine diving which he said was as close as he could get to the weightless feeling of space. "I'm perfectly operational underwater," he once said.

Co-author with Stanley Kubrick of Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey," Clarke was regarded as far more than a science fiction writer.

He was credited with the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before they became a reality. Geosynchronous orbits, which keep satellites in a fixed position relative to the ground, are called Clarke orbits.

He joined American broadcaster Walter Cronkite as commentator on the U.S. Apollo moonshots in the late 1960s.

Kultur is proud to preserve his legacy in the DVDs Arthur C. Clarke: The Man Who Saw The Future and God, The Universe And Everything Else   

Reviews

John McCormack: The People's Tenor

My deadline for March column had passed by the time I received an interesting new DVD that would have made a perfect St. Patrick’s Day gift for a record collector. John McCormack: The People’s Tenor  (Kultur), is an hour-long documentary on the great Irish singer. While a few brief clips of his films Song of My Heart (1930) and Wings of the Morning (1937), are shown, most of the time is spent with comments by various McCormack biographers – principally Gordon Ledbetter, author of The Great Irish Tenor. His grandchildren and grandnephew are also interviewed. Robert White, the singing son of the Joseph White (“The Silver Masked Tenor” on radio in the 1920s) gets a fair amount of screen time as well. True cylinder record collectors will probably cringe when they hear the rare 1904 recording that McCormack made for Edison being played and then watching the speaker take the cylinder quickly off the mandrel halfway through the record. The 55-minute film – a  2006 British production, probably for television – is supplemented by another 30 minutes of bonus interviews. Definitely something McCormack’s loyal fans will want.

- Steve Ramm, In The Groove

 

Paul Robeson: Speak of Me As I Am

(Britain/U.S., 1998) A fine one-hour documentary on the rise and fall and revival of an American legend, the deep-voiced, statuesque actor Paul Robeson, narrated by Pam Grier. - A BBC Wales/New Jersey Public Television co-production. J. Heinrich, The Gazette April 4 2008

The Lovin' Spoonful: Do You Believe In Magic
As the title implies, this PBS documentary is the history of the '60s jug band superstars according to its lead singer/songwriter. Sebastian's self-aggrandizement aside, there are some vintage performances here, from a Shindig! clip of the title track to the psychedelic excess of "She's Still a Mystery," and a solo Sebastian performance of TV tune "Welcome Back." Sebastian provides extra commentary. - VH1.com

 

Pulp Fiction Art
I found Pulp Fiction Art: Cheap Thrills & Painted Nightmares interesting and informative, and it gave me a new appreciation for the artistry behind the tempting cover art of old. - Appellate Judge James A. Stewart, DVDVerdict.com

Music For The Movies: The Hollywood Sound - This is a fascinating blend of archive and movie footage and a modern day recording session. This is all wonderful stuff and a marvelous insight into the Hollywood industry of the 30s and 40s, the composers, their music, their legacy and their influence on the filmusic composers that would follow. Very highly recommended and a must for any self-respecting cinephile. - Max Pemberton, FilmsInReview.com

Pop Legends Live Concert Collection - I have attended many “reunion” concerts and have found most of them to be better than expected. Most of these concerts sound good. Such is the case with these Standing Room Only productions. The bands all sound extremely tight and have plenty of energy for their classic hits. Tasteful camera movement and adequate lighting make them entertaining to watch. - Mark Wiechman, DVD Movie Central

The John Cleese Comedy Collection - If you’ve had even minimal exposure to Monty Python, you’re well aware that John Cleese is a borderline comedic genius. This three-DVD collection takes Cleese away from his Python mates, at least some of the time, and places him into more standard comedic situations. The best of this DVD trio is “John Cleese on How to Irritate People”. This disc offers a series of human volcanic eruptions. - Dan MacIntosh - Popmatters.com

England My England
This film is simply wonderful to behold on any number of levels: the Restoration period is recreated with loving detail, with sumptious costumes and production design, and Purcell's music is simply breathtakingly performed, conducted by the renowned John Eliot Gardiner. The performances by Simon Callow, Michael Ball, Corin Redgrave and a host of fantastic British character actors are uniformly excellent. The film looks generally sumptious, in a nice 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer and is one of the best sounding films I've experienced lately. Dialogue is crisp and clear and the music is unbelievably gorgeous and well recorded.

Tropic of Gallagher - In these stress-filled times, it is imperative to take a little time out for some pure, unadulterated fun. In this rare, never-before-seen comedy special, one of the wackiest comedians to ever appear onstage -- Gallagher -- pulls out the stops to generate some terrific laughs. - Todd Schwartz, WCBS Radio

Great Russian Writers - From Kultur comes a very rewarding series of biographical DVDs on Russian authors from the Golden Age. The writers included are Alexander Blok, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Boris Pasternak, Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy. In addition to biographies, each 30-minute segment ($19.99) offers substantial insight into the works, putting them into the context of their times and showing how they influenced future generations. Gary Dretzka, Movie City News

Dawn at Dusk: Late Night Recital by Dawn Upshaw - In this new DVD, 'Dawn at Dusk: Late Night Recital by Dawn Upshaw' we are transported back to a specially recorded late-night recital from the Royal Albert hall during the 1996 Promenade Concerts. Ms. Upshaw gives a truly wonderful performance, full of expression, heart, soul, harmony, sublime singing  and is thankfully now here on DVD for one and all to enjoy ... over and over again. - Annecarlini.com

The Legendary Crooners - Frank Sinatra! Dean Martin! Bing Crosby! Nat 'King' Cole! Perry Como! Classic music from America's greatest lounge singers. If you want to elevate the hipness quotient of your next party, pop in this DVD and let it play while your guests mingle and enjoy their cocktails. - Todd Schwartz, WCBS Radio

Tango Among Friends - Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim returns to his native Buenos Aires and reconnects with the tango and the legendary Carlos Gardel. Archival material and interviews carry us back to the early 20th Century to discover the earthy, working-class roots of the tango. -- Gary Dretzka, Movie City News

Stuart Sutcliffe: The Lost Beatle - A fascinating glimpse into a little-known piece of history surrounding the greatest rock group of all time -- The Beatles. You know Paul, John, George, and Ringo. But how many people have ever even heard of Stuart? Utterly intriguing! - Todd Schwartz, WCBS Radio