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Six by Sondheim

Play trailer Poster for Six by Sondheim 2013 1h 26m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Filmmaker James Lapine examines the life and career of Stephen Sondheim, Broadway composer and lyricist.
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Six by Sondheim

Critics Reviews

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David Wiegand San Francisco Chronicle Lapine's direction is almost the star of Six by Sondheim. Not only has he used the six songs to illuminate the composer's life, he organizes years and years of interviews as if they are an ongoing conversation - which, in many ways, they are. Rated: 4/4 Dec 9, 2013 Full Review Matt Zoller Seitz New York Magazine/Vulture Six by Sondheim's awareness of its own design is unobtrusively embedded beneath every moment of the film, like a refrain buried so deep in a musical's score that the ear doesn't register it until the final curtain. Dec 9, 2013 Full Review David Hinckley New York Daily News Six is tour of his past, with special emphasis on a half-dozen tunes. Rated: 3/5 Dec 9, 2013 Full Review Gerald Peary Arts Fuse This program is Lapine's heartfelt gift to his great musical theatre collaborator. Oct 27, 2017 Full Review Phil Hall Film Threat All told, it is a mess - but it is a tuneful and happy mess centered around a charismatic musical genius, and the film will certainly delight Broadway devotees. Rated: 3/5 Aug 8, 2014 Full Review Richard Knight Windy City Times A rich portrait of this great treasure of the American musical. Jun 28, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Taking a half-dozen of Sondheim's signature songs, James Lapine - friend and collaborator - succeeds in cracking open the dark heart of the great man's art: his mother's cruelty, his solitude, his need to teach. The myth, promoted by too many early critics, that Sondheim is all intellect and no heart, is punctured not just by the musical examples shown here but by Sondheim's own emotional opening up. A glorious overview and deserved tribute. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member An extraordinary documentary/entertainment about the man who has, with help from only a few terrific artists. upheld the excellence of the musical theater during his career, and pushed in forward, expanding the envelope with each new work. He's the star, too, our guide, our teacher. We see him at every age in his life, talking about the hows and whys of his writing and career. Want to work in musicals? Already doing it? THIS IS TOTALLY FOR YOU, and you must not miss it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member A great documentary, not too long, and well paced! Sondheim is engaging in interviews and a great subject. Also gave me a different perspective into a world that I knew little about. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Awesome. Every songwriter needs to watch this immediately. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member If, like me, you think of Stephen Sondheim as the father of modern theater then you'll love this overview of the work through six very important songs. You also get to hear the famous songwriter's take on it all. Entertaining and informative. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member If you like musical theater, you have to see this documentary. I found it fascinating, hearing Sondheim explain how he came up with some of his songs. I also loved hearing great actors and singers take on some of his greatest work. I really enjoyed this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Six by Sondheim

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Glickman 83% 91% Glickman Watchlist For No Good Reason 63% 63% For No Good Reason Watchlist Salinger 38% 52% Salinger Watchlist Woody Allen: A Documentary 91% 88% Woody Allen: A Documentary Watchlist Room 237 94% 55% Room 237 Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker James Lapine examines the life and career of Stephen Sondheim, Broadway composer and lyricist.
Director
James Lapine
Production Co
Sabella Entertainment
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 9, 2014
Runtime
1h 26m
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