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Movies / On DVD / Broadway: The Golden Age
Broadway: The Golden Age

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Broadway: The Golden Age (2004)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:36

Rotten:8

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Broadway: The Golden Age is a breezy, affectionate tribute to a sparkling array of the era's best and brightest.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE is a labor of love from filmmaker Rick McKay to a bygone era stemming from his own experience of arriving in New York City in the early 1980s and discovering that the Great... BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE is a labor of love from filmmaker Rick McKay to a bygone era stemming from his own experience of arriving in New York City in the early 1980s and discovering that the Great White Way of his dreams no longer existed. Almost 20 years later, McKay began interviewing the legends of Broadway in order to investigate whether or not the 1930s through the '60s actually constituted a "golden age." McKay interviewed more than 100 performers, composers, and writers over the course of five years with no crew and no budget, just moxie and his digital camera. The result is a compelling walk down memory lane, with anecdotes from the stars and creators of the finest musical and dramatic productions of yesteryear. Among those interviewed are Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Ben Gazzara, Shirley MacLaine, Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Gwen Verdon, Uta Hagen, Bea Arthur, Jerry Orbach, Julie Harris, Robert Goulet, and Elizabeth Ashley. His interviews also result in the rediscovery of some long-forgotten stars. Peppered with clips of original Broadway performances, McKay's film preserves a period in the history of American theater that will likely never be repeated, and that should be celebrated. [More]

Starring: Beatrice Arthur, Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara, Uta Hagen

Starring: Beatrice Arthur, Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara, Uta Hagen, Julie Harris, Angela Lansbury, Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Chita Rivera, Elaine Stritch, Shirley MacLaine

Director: Rick McKay

Director: Rick McKay
Screenwriter: Rick McKay
Producer: Rick McKay

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Broadway: The Golden Age

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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It takes more than a fan to analyze the legacy of a period. But a fan is just what it takes to indulge in that legacy, which is exactly what Broadway: The Golden Age is all about.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
09/24/04
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Globe and Mail

The demise of the New York theater is, of course, too complex a subject to be contained in a study of less than two hours, but this free-flowing film certainly hits the high points as it flips around its talking-head celebrity sound bites at warp speed.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
09/23/04
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

there’s too little discipline here, and the parade of talking heads is too lost in nostalgia to be all that helpful

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/26/04
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

McKay's straightforward cinematic valentine, which also includes rare archival stage footage, is a treat for those bedazzled by the idea of Broadway in its prime.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/24/04
Misha Berson
Misha Berson
Seattle Times

I can think of no higher compliment than to report that after seeing it, I wanted to rush out and see a play.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
09/24/04
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

What makes Golden Age compelling cinema is the archival material that McKay has assembled to bind his loose and often casually unfocused interviews.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
09/24/04
John Coulbourn
John Coulbourn
Jam! Movies

It's like a love letter to live theatre. If you can recall the first time you saw a play that knocked your socks off, you'll probably get a kick out of this documentary.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
06/25/04
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Perhaps the screen's most authoritative encapsulation of Broadway history and an intimately resonant one.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/29/04
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An enthralling, timeless documentary. It's the closest you'll ever get to actually being there.

Full Review Source: Modamag.com | comment Comment
09/11/04
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
Modamag.com

Overstuffed with star power, but curiously lacking in focus.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/07/04
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

That the speakers are themselves fascinating characters is unquestionable. McKay's film is about as thorough a record of their time spent in the golden age as anyone is likely to produce.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
07/02/04
Evan Henerson
Evan Henerson
Los Angeles Daily News

Whether it's Julie Harris weeping as she recalls an Ethel Waters performance she saw 60 years ago or Marian Seldes lamenting the cruelty of show biz or Ann Miller blithely carving a decade off her age, there's no arguing that these years were golden.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/28/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The best way to approach Broadway -- The Golden Age (and the movie is fun, despite its messiness) is to enjoy it as a fan's worshipful notes.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
06/10/04
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fun, fascinating tribute to the glamour and giants of a golden era.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
06/11/04
Susan Horowitz
Susan Horowitz
culturevulture.net

[The subjects] eagerly unwind before McKay's one-man camera, reminiscing about everything from their finest hours to the days when ticket prices still ran in single digits.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
09/24/04
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

If you love the theater, you've got to see the film and simply enjoy as everyone from A (Edie Adams) to Z (Karen Ziemba) holds forth.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
08/06/04
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

What could have introduced a young audience to the Broadway songs of yesteryear instead focuses on talking heads well past their Broadway prime.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
06/24/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

It's the sort of history you could nibble on for hours.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
11/05/04
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

These anecdotes come across with powerful emotion, although many of them relay oft-documented events.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
07/01/04
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Boxoffice Magazine

Old-timers, showbiz buffs and big-stage wanna-bes will not be disappointed.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
10/01/04
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
 
 
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