Arms and the Man

arms and the man

Good adaptation of the shaw play. Basically a play about the futility of war,honor, and the human condition. Slightly dated but still effective view of mankind and the upper classes in particular and their pretensions
and foibles. July 18, 2008

Dated and rather boring

I am an unabashed Anglophile and have read this play several times and loved it, so I was excited to see the DVD. But I expected something more modern, more realistic, less hokey. Maybe I tried to watch it too late at night, as I kept falling asleep. I prefer the characters in my imagination to the actors on this DVD. May 6, 2007

Two interesting plays

I have to admit up until I watched this dvd the other day I'd never read or seen anything by Shaw, so this was, in a sense, a really pleasant new experience for me. Given this, though, perhaps not in the best position to provide a reliable critique, so I won't even venture an attempt. Generally speaking, it seems to me that "Arms in the Man" isn't all that original (perhaps it was in its time) and the ending wasn't exactly unpredictable. Still, quite enjoyable to watch; the presence of Bonham-Carter alone makes it worthwhile. But to be honest, I preferred watching "The Man of Destiny." An interesting study in characted, with sharp and witty dialogue. Callow is truly a superb actor. February 17, 2007

Arms and the Man review

The characterizations and direction were all excellent; maybe Bluntschli seemed a little young and 'smooth'. The voices were easily understandable, in contrast to many new TV dramas where the speech is so fast that older people like us (79) simply can't follow! We guess there aren't many versions of this to choose from, but we'd certainly recommend it -- it's one of Shaw's favorite plays for us. F.J.H. and I.R.H. January 15, 2007

Beautifully done

I almost didn't buy this because, although I have always enormously enjoyed reading this play, I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be impossible to stage well. So many of the characters spend so much time being histrionic if not idiotic, and I was afraid that what was charming and funny in print might prove to be merely irritating when portrayed by an actual flesh-and-blood human.

But I am delighted to say that I was wrong; this performance was delightful. Much of the credit must go to a really lovely performance by Helena Bonham Carter that gives Raina exactly the right balance of real wit and gallantry with extraordinarily silly romanticism. The other performances were all also excellent; not one struck me as off or untrue to my readings of the play, though I could wish that the Sergious had been toned down just a tad.

It's really a very delightful story, and this performance is a keeper. If you know the play and are looking to see it performed, I recommend this wholeheartedly; if you don't know the play but are looking to see a very nice production of one of Shaw's lightest and funniest plays (well suited to kids -- I loved it when I was 12 or so) then this might an excellent option to consider. September 7, 2006

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