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By PAUL BRENNER
Laurence Olivier's final film as a motion picture director was this consummate
adaptation of Anton Chekhov's bleak "Three Sisters" now released on DVD by Kino
Video as part of its American Film Theatre collection. In 1970, Olivier was deep
into his tenure as the artistic director of The National Theatre Company of
England (now the Royal National Theatre) and Olivier's stage version of the
Chekhov play was one of the National Theatre's more resounding triumphs.
Olivier's film is a virtual transposition of the stage production, featuring
most of the actors from the stage production along with Alan Bates (substituting
for the Absent National Theatre Company actor Robert Stephens) and Olivier
himself, playing the supporting role of the alcoholic Dr. Ivan Chebutikin (with
Olivier in his cuddly mode). The film revels in its artifice and for any viewer
desiring to see a film with a zippier cinematic style "Three Sisters" will prove
to be a sedative. But as a filmic appreciation of theatrical space and blocking,
"Three Sisters" can be appreciated for what it is -- a marvelous stage
production of a classic. Although filmed in 1970, the film remained unreleased
in the United States until a few years later, when it was picked up by the
American Film Theatre and distributing under the Ely Landau banner.
The special features of the DVD include an interview with Alan Bates, the
theatrical trailer, an essay by Michael Feingold, the AFT Cinebill, a stills
gallery, and an AFT scrapbook of articles on The American Film Theatre. |
