http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html en-gb 30 Tue 22 Dec 2009 21:11:45 GMT+1 A feed of user comments from the page found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=17#comment6 I managed to see Phedre last night at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. it was sold out.I greatly enjoyed the experience (although i found the story to be a little dull). The set and acting were fantastic and the show transferred to camera very well. The use of 5 cameras allowed the cinema audiences to see close ups of the actors at key moments.however my only disappointment came from the fact that at no point you ever got a sense of there being a live audience there with the actors. It felt much more akin to a television production along the lines of the 1980s Shakespeare productions made by the BBC. Fri 26 Jun 2009 12:17:52 GMT+1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=14#comment5 Why can't I have them of the "big screen" (it's 70")in my apartment? rather than have to go to the Cinema or even free in Manchester's Open Air Cinema. I am paying for the (English) National Theatre. Fri 26 Jun 2009 07:47:21 GMT+1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=11#comment4 I have just come from seeing the broadcast in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (why there was no broadcast of this in Boston is beyond me; we are the home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for heaven sake). What a true delight. I saw two hours of fine, fine acting, and of course being able to watch Helen Mirren act was such a pleasure (that Phedre, she had ALOT of emotions to, um, emote). Some things didn't translate well to the screen--I'm sure the set was stunning in person but it appeared disproportionate and distorted on the screen--but they did not mar the experience or the pleasure of being able to take in such a great production of the National Theater's. Fri 26 Jun 2009 03:50:08 GMT+1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=8#comment3 I am delighted that I will be able to see Ms. Mirren and Ms. Tyzack here in New York in a comfortable, small theatre in midtown Manhattan, and look forward to future productions on film. It allows me to sample a small part of the London 'season', and although we have a sterling production of Godot on stage presently, I would dearly love to see McKellen and Stewart, Cowell and Pickup as well. Being in London would be best, but this is a very good second best, and I, for one, am grateful. Thu 25 Jun 2009 15:25:44 GMT+1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=5#comment2 Hytner is right. The technology is there to give a 'live' feel to the production. This allows the audience to *associate* into the actor's performance and feel corresponding emotions.Directors don't like the 'live' look because it doesn't look like film with all its optical distortions and its unmerited association as 'big budget'. They prefer to impose motion artifacts on the content; a low picture repetition rate of 24 frames per second, distorted lighting and focus effects and limited depth of field. This creates an opaque barrier between the players and the audience.I hope this production demonstrates how the medium can emotionally involve audiences once again. Thu 25 Jun 2009 10:02:58 GMT+1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=2#comment1 It's a fantastic idea. I'm sure lots of people who weren't lucky enough to get a ticket (or couldn't afford one) will go to see it on screen instead. The NT should be congratulated for following ROH in trying to bring culture to as wide an audience as possible. Thu 25 Jun 2009 09:49:48 GMT+1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/raziaiqbal/2009/06/theatre_on_the_big_screen.html?page=0#comment0 Brilliant choice of lead. Phedra (and Medea) are some of the most powerful female roles in drama. The destructive forces unleashed take the breath away. To bring this work to a wide audience is quite splendid. Wed 24 Jun 2009 18:28:49 GMT+1