  |
Title:
"Dream a Dream, Charlotte Church in the Holy
Land" |
| Format:
DVD/VHS |
| Length:
40 to 48 Minutes (depends on format and localisation) |
| Availability:
Excellent
in USA/CA Still Fair in UK/ EU |
Hello Charlotte fanatics, this will be a comprehensive
review of Dream a Dream Charlotte Church in the Holy Land. I
am reviewing the DVD format so some of this may not apply to
the VHS tape. Let's start with what the DVD contains as a
whole. There is a text biography, discography of all three
albums, photo gallery, and a bonus video of Charlotte
singing Silent Night in the Cardiff Cathedral. There is also
an option to switch from stereo to surround sound and the
option to go right to a selected song. Overall the picture
and sound quality is very excellent. As far as the sound
goes, like some of you mentioned in the forums, it is
actually better than the CD. In the CD Charlotte is
sometimes drowned out by the orchestra. This is NOT the case
with the DVD.
The acoustics of the Dormiton Abbey are quite good and
really compliment Charlotte both aurally and visually.
There are only two things that I have to complain about.
One, the "Making
of Dream a Dream"
video is not included on the DVD and two, the DVD is only 49
minutes long. I would have liked to see more of Charlotte in
Jerusalem in particular.
   
Let's get right to the body of the DVD. It starts with
a couple of commercials for the Three Tenors and Charlotte
herself and then the program starts. Charlotte introduces
herself and then we fade right into The First Noel with some
scenes spliced in of Charlotte tooling around Jerusalem. The
next song is Ave Maria, the version from Voice of an Angel
and after it is finished we see Charlotte in Nazareth.
  
While in Nazareth Charlotte meets Claire, her
historical guide, and we learn what Mary's home was like and
Charlotte dresses up in some period clothing. When asked how
it feels to be in period clothing Charlotte comments that it
is quite uncomfortable! Next up is Charlotte back in the
Dormiton Abbey singing When a Child is Born, Hark the Herald
Angels Sing, and Mary's Boy Child. We fade back to Jerusalem
and Charlotte tells the story of Mary and Joseph traveling
to Bethlehem and Charlotte gets to ride a donkey. Back in
Dormiton Abbey, Charlotte sings O Holy Night (my favorite),
The Little Drummer Boy, and Psalm 23 from Voice of an Angel.
Next Charlotte tells the tale of the Three Wise Men while
seated on a camel that is sitting on the ground. There is a
humorous moment where the camel starts to move around a bit
and Charlotte is like "oh my" as she nearly fell
off! The video then fades back to the Dormiton Abbey and
Charlotte sings Silent Night, What Child Is This, and Draw
Tua Bethlehem (another one of my favorites). Charlotte then
visits the Church of the Nativity and sees where Christ was
born.
   
Finally we end the program with O Come all Ye Faithful. At
the beginning of the song there are scenes of people
visiting the Nativity and as Charlotte's part of the song
comes, we fade back to the Abbey. The
credits roll and just when you thought it was over, Dream a
Dream starts playing. It is the version from the CD and I'm
glad to report that it is played in its entirety as the
credits scroll by.
Now let me tell you how I feltl about this performance.
Several words come to mind immediately: brilliant,
magnificent, beautiful, and awe inspiring. But one word
really stands out and that is FLAWLESS. Charlotte's
performance in this DVD is, in my opinion, absolutely
flawless. Her expressions, hand gestures, and singing all
come together in perfect union. The setting in the Dormiton
Abbey is perfect for Charlotte and as I said before is
complimentary to the whole performance. Lastly, I am
reminded of
a line from my favorite Christmas song, O Holy Night:
"?O hear the angel voices?" Indeed, I truly heard
the Voice of an Angel. -
Jason
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