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Liza with a 'Z' - Concert for Television (Collector's Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Bob Fosse
Actor: Liza Minnelli
Studio: Showtime Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $18.99
You Save: $11.00 (37%)
New (34) Used (9) Collectible (4) from $14.49
Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 9070
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 55
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.8
MPN: SHO1161D
UPC: 758445116120
EAN: 0758445116120
ASIN: B000EBFLHC
Theatrical Release Date: 1972
Release Date: April 4, 2006
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Product Description
Shot in 1972 for a TV special this Liza Minnelli concert shows her at the peak of her career. A medley from CABARET is among the songs and Minnelli demonstrates her impressive vocal prowess throughout.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: NR UPC: 758445116120 Manufacturer No: SHO1161D
Amazon.com
The DVD Holy Grail for Liza Minnelli fans finally surfaces after 30-some years: Liza with a "Z", a splashy TV special from 1972. And wow, is it ever a product of its era. Minnelli and director-choreographer Bob Fosse were at the top of their popularity in 1972, having just made Cabaret, the blockbuster musical for which both won Oscars. Liza with a "Z" places the still-coltish Minnelli on the stage of the Lyceum Theater, in a one-night-only performance covered by Fosse's eight cameras. Songs by Cabaret composers John Kander and Fred Ebb provide a spine for the show, including a breathless rendition of "Ring Them Bells" and the tongue-twisting "Say Liza (Liza with a 'Z')," a goofball number that sounds more like one of Danny Kaye's patter songs than a tune for Liza Minnelli. Liza treats each song as an emotional Mount Everest, never holding back a thing, and the result is a psychodrama played out in the klieg lights. (The outrageous costumes by Halston don't hold back a thing, either; Studio 54, here we come!) Memories of the all-or-nothing style of her mother, Judy Garland, are already heavy in the air by the time Minnelli reaches "My Mammy," and workouts on "God Bless the Child" and "Son of a Preacher Man" confirm the singer's approach. As for Fosse's choreography, there are signature moves aplenty--his dancing so frequently suggested a choreographer lusting for actual sex to break out on stage. "Bye Bye Blackbird" gives Minnelli and her backup dancers a chance to stretch out in an echt-Fosse feast of bowler hats and white gloves. The bell-and-booty shaking in "Ring Them Bells" and the loony tuxedo-clad cowpokes in "I Gotcha" hint that Fosse was in the midst of a manic phase. Speaking of which, Minnelli tackling Joe Tex's "I Gotcha" is one of those jaw-dropping mismatches that she salvages only through dint of daft commitment. No quarreling with the Cabaret medley; say want you want about Liza, she owns those songs. Minnelli and Fosse won Emmys for the show. The restoration of the original materials looks about as good as can be expected, with the spirit of a glitzy seventies TV variety special quite intact. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 78 more reviews...
 Not worth buying December 24, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Wow. What a disappointment.
I watched this earlier tonight on "Great Performances". Perhaps it was an edited version?
Most important criticism: Um, this whole thing was lip-synced??? How come no one who talks about how great it is, ever mentions this??? When people talk about Britney Spears they say she does the same thing and she gets flack for it ... (yes, probably the only time the two will ever be compared ...).
Liza does half the concert away from her microphone. Either she took a time-traveling rocket-ship to mid-1980's to get a wireless microphone or she faked the whole thing.
My assumption is that those in attendance heard her live, and that she was awesome.
That doesn't mean it's any good to watch.
I don't know where they got the vocals - from another concert during the tour? (The liner notes on this DVD say it was a "one-night only" concert ... so did she tape it at the studio, the next day?).
The credits for the DVD credit several men with "concert vocal recreation" or something like that.
So, watching someone lip-sync. Is it worth paying money for that, or should you just go watch MTV (if you can find a video on it ...).
A lot of it was boring to watch, as well.
I'd suggest buying the CD, instead. I have to say, Liza sounded awesome.
 Must Have, run buy it. December 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Perhaps one of the greatest TV specials ever done. All Fosse, all Liza. It has the charm, the innovation and that 70's taste that put on stage some of the good cliches that signed many shows. Filled with extras specially designed for Liza's fans or newcommer fans. Don't missed it. This was a classical lost do not loose it again buy it.
Liza is Fabulous! October 23, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the best put together DVD of a television special I have ever seen. Perfect digital transfer with amazing audio, "Liza with a Z" is spectacular! The DVD comes with a slew of bonus features including some great interviews with Liza Minnelli. The special looks like it was filmed yesterday. In one word AMAZING! The packaging of the disc is also great. A wonderful job by Liza's company.
Still Marvelous After All These Years August 23, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you love musicals, or Broadway, or Liza Minnelli, or Bob Fosse, you need this DVD. It's a terrifically remastered production of the original "Liza with a 'Z'" television special that captivated audiences, and has been out of circulation for some time. (Amazingly, Liza herself owned the rights to the original program, and had superb expert help in bringing it out of the vault).
This DVD captures Liza Minnelli at the height of her career and prodigious talent. Coming off her Oscar for "Cabaret," the show includes a closing segment of those famous tunes, but "Liza with a 'Z'" shows that "Cabaret" wasn't just a one-shot wonder. Listen to Liza sing some great, unusual musical-comedy songs. Watch her perform that incredible Bob Fosse choreography. Bask in her luminescence.
Hard-core Liza fans will also enjoy the DVD extras, which include an appearance at the Toronto Film Festival at which the DVD debuted. Liza's in her 60s now, but she has kept her unique style, down her patented hairstyle, makeup and sequined outfits. It's a big jarring, though, to hear her talk about such things as having had two hip replacements because Fosse's choreography stressed out her joints. Try not to be too sad at the inevitable ravages of time, because this new DVD has given all Liza fans a treasure of their heroine at her peak.
Liza With An 'A' June 23, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Is there anything better than an Amazon package arriving from the USA containing a magnificently put together DVD with really interesting extra's ? I think not.
When ever I think about this live to air concert from the glorious seventies, I am in awe of the preparedness of all concerned (Liza, Fosse, and a great team of dancers) to take such a risk, and I'm in even greater awe that they pulled it off so brilliantly.
This was the Liza Minnelli we lucky baby boomers remember so clearly - at the peak of her powers, a world class great entertainer.
The time it took to restore this film to pristine condition was six years,but it has been worth the wait.
As others have so well listed the songs performed on Liza With A Z -let me just pick out some moments truly memorable for moi.
How could anyone who saw the original show thirty something years ago EVER forget THAT RED DRESS !! It was a micro mini that barely covered the Minnelli derriere, and yet it was so effective as she sang I Gotcha and Son of a Preacher Man (a nice version of Dusty's original) and the black velvet outfit worn for a wonderful rendition of Bye Bye Blackbird with the memorable backing and dance routine with the dancers also in black with white gloves.
My most emotional moment came when Liza poured her heart and soul into the Al Jolson standard that was always sung with such gusto by Judy Garland - My Mammy. My cup runneth over.
The only complaint was the show's length - but it was a Special made for Television - I wanted it to go on and on.
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