LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING
Stoddard dominated the track and offered the strongest material. She gave us a good history of the era and
the reality of the story. Stoddard related the social situations dominant in the era and provided tidbits about
the real Han Suyin, her life, and her book. The comments helped flesh out my understanding of the flick and
placed it in perspective. I didn’t agree with Stoddard’s positive appraisal of the movie, but I appreciated her
attempts to detail the flick, and the other men also contributed to this useful commentary. --Colin Jacobson, DVD Movie Guide
First up is a full-length commentary by
Film Historian Sylvia Stoddard (whose particular
interests are in Asian history), Daily Variety
and Los Angeles Times music columnist John
Burlingame and director of photography Michael
Lonzo. This is quite a team of individuals
assembled here when you consider that each of
their expertise represents a significant aspect
of this film. Scene
by scene, Sylvia Stoddard meticulously explains
the actions happening on screen as well as giving
us background information on the real people this
film is based upon. Stoddard is a real fan of
actress Jennifer Jones and gives us some detailed
information on how she was discovered by David O.
Selznick who persuaded her to change her name and
offered her a film contract in the process. Though I only had the
opportunity to sample a quarter of what is here, it
is evident that this is just simply an outstanding
commentary. --Ron Epstein, Home Theatre Forum
ANASTASIA
However, Stoddard definitely dominates the commentary. I’d not feel surprised to learn that her statements
occupy fully half of the track, though my estimate could be incorrect. In any case, Stoddard provides a
wealth of information about both the movie and the historical case of Anastasia. She clearly adores the film,
and her enthusiasm comes through swimmingly as she imparts scads of useful notes. All in all, I really
enjoyed this diverse and highly informative commentary. --Colin Jacobson, DVD Movie Guide
TITANIC
One additional audio feature appears. We get an audio essay called “Titanic Aftermath” conducted by Sylvia
Stoddard. In this concise discussion, she goes over the actions that followed the sinking and lets us know
what happened to some of the survivors. She also gets into some cinematic explorations of the topic. It’s a
nice 11-minute and 20-second chat about the subject. --Colin Jacobson, DVD Movie Guide
SYLVIA STODDARD has done liner notes
for the following 20th Century Fox DVD releases
Additional titles coming in 2005 include In Old Chicago, Kiss of Death,
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, The House on 92nd Street, Somewhere in the Night, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Whirlpool.