The great documentarian D. A. Pennebaker always had a fascination with catching the little curiosities of life with some of his best work coming from the world of art and culture. As we saw last year with the newly-restored release of Town Bloody Hall, the director was one who flourished under time constraints. It would make sense that one of his most notorious works was another captured-on-the-fly endeavor. In the opening text crawl of Original Cast Album: “Company”, the director cheekily elucidates the audience to the fact that the film was fundamentally supposed to act as the first episode of a new television series which would chronicle the recording of various cast albums. Beyond “Company”, this never came to fruition due to some upward mobility behind the scenes. Nevertheless, Pennebaker’s film contains enough iconic moments that should delight theater fans and non-fans alike. It has long been relegated to mostly bootleg copies since the original airing, but once again the Criterion Collection has come to rescue a classic piece of film history.
The classic show Company concerns the 35th birthday of a single man who is surrounded by a myriad of couples who have varying opinions on what he should be doing with his romantic life. That is not really important, though – at least when it comes to this documentary. What you most need to know is that Company sprang forth from musician and lyricist Stephen Sondheim in a period after he had gotten some notices for his contributions to works such as West Side Story and Gypsy, but before he would establish himself as a game-changing creative with works such as Follies or Sweeney Todd. He was an artistic genius just waiting to prove himself, and Company was his chance to do just that. The other thing to know is that Company was a long way from its then record-breaking fourteen Tony nominations. As was tradition, the “original cast recording” always took place on the first Sunday after opening. This meant that the first reviews were already in, but nobody was quite sure what the legacy of the show would be. This was the one chance for the cast to memorialize the show for audiences around the world, so tension was understandably high in the marathon recording session.
While the recording session itself was surely plenty memorable, proper credit must be given to Pennebaker for making sure he was always focusing on the right person at the right time. The fly-on-the-wall feeling you get is thrilling as you weave between the recording booth with figures such as Sondheim and record producer Thomas Z. Shepard, seemingly as blunt as Sondehim is with the performers, and the recording space with the orchestra and performers. These are not just any performers; these are Broadway performers. These are people who are so eager to prove their worth that they will jump through any hoops and endure any verbal punishment. As the old saying goes, “the show must go on” – even if there are moments that seem nearly impossible. A personal highlight of the film is watching a combustible Beth Howland trying to nail sixty- and seventy-syllable runs during the swift number “Getting Married Today.” You wonder when she might be able to take a breath, and from the look in her eyes she is wondering the same.
There are various other classic moments from the film; that Sondheim wanted this to be the definitive presentation of his work is clear as he fixates on the pronunciation of a single, seemingly inconsequential, word until the actress finally gets it right. You see actor Dean Jones deliver a jaw-dropping rendition of “Being Alive” (recently popularized by Adam Driver in Marriage Story) before the recording booth asks for “one more.” This is around hour fourteen, and an incredulous Jones answers, “Sing? I can’t even spit this time of morning.” This is far from the most dramatic moment of the feature; this honor goes to the always-memorable Elaine Stritch (30 Rock) as she tries to nail the blistering “Ladies Who Lunch” that serves as one of the showstoppers. The same goes for the documentary, as take after take a weary, vocally-strained Stritch attempts to power through her limitations over a day-long recording session. While she might sound good to the audience, the recording booth is not having it as they simultaneously try to help her and give her unvarnished criticism. It is an incredibly dramatic finish that, even if orchestrated by the Queen of Drama Stritch herself, is incredibly enthralling.
While this scant 53-minute feature may not seem substantial enough to need to add to your collection, I am here to tell you that the sheer amount of drama, laughter and beauty packed into this failed series-starter is greater than most films at twice the length. Once you have watched it, and subsequently watched the classic Documentary Now! episode also included on this release, you will scarcely be able to get this one out of your head. D. A. Pennebaker not only captured an essential piece of history that is invaluable to theater fans, he captured a series of very human moments where a collection of people gathered and treated this comparatively unimportant project with THE most importance. You do not see that kind of passion every day.
Video Quality
The Criterion Blu-Ray of Original Cast Album: “Company” is presented in its original 1.33:1 and is sourced from a newly restored 4K digital transfer from the 16mm A/B reversal. This is a gorgeous transfer that all but eliminates any blemishes to the print outside of the rare white specks that are barely worth mentioning. The transfer maintains impeccable film grain support throughout with nothing looking unnatural and no major instances of spiking. When you consider the age of the film and condition of the source material, it is pleasing to see the material looking so strong. There does not appear to be any issues with compression artifacts or any other such digital anomalies. The track does show off some fine detail in the clothing of the subjects and in some of the background elements in the recording studio. Colors present with a nice vividness that pops off the screen. This presentation does a stellar job of giving life to this brief moment in history.
Audio Quality
The new Blu-Ray is presented with a lossless LPCM 1.0 monaural track that suits the material as well as the source will allow. The music is the main focus of this feature, and it mostly holds up quite brilliantly considering the conditions of capturing the live performances take after take. The film is aided somewhat by taking place in a recording studio built to capture sound well. The musical performances hold up well in terms of fidelity and delineation. Some of the dialogue is a bit muddled thanks to the filming conditions and chatter of the chaotic surroundings. There does not appear to be any damage to the source material, which comes as very welcome news. Considering the limitations in place in the course of this restoration, the results are largely excellent. English subtitles are provided for those who desire them.
Special Features
The Criterion Blu-Ray of Original Cast Album: “Company” includes a foldout booklet featuring the essay “The Little Things You Do Together” by journalist and film historian Mark Harris in which he delves into the talent associated with the film, circumstances behind the production, key scenes from the film, the historical significance of the piece and much more that is very insightful. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary #1: A 2001 commentary track in which director D. A. Pennebaker, actor Elaine Stritch, and Broadway producer/director Harold Prince provide wonderful anecdotes about the film. The three subjects are not in the same room, but rather stitched together so that there is rarely any dead air. Pennebaker offers the most insightful material about the actual shooting of the film including details about capturing specific moments and working with the talent. Stritch has some amazing stories about the recording process and what her mindset was going into the day, and Prince shares a lot of the specifics about mounting the production and various behind-the-scenes details. This is a fantastic listen for fans.
- Audio Commentary #2: A new commentary from composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim that focuses heavily on the actual production of the show rather than this documentary in particular. This is a dream for any fan of Broadway history as he has clear memories of that time period and plenty of information on where various people ended up in the intervening years. A great listen!
- Side By Side: A 30-minute conversation conducted in December 2020 between Sondheim and orchestrator Jonathan Tunick moderated by critic and television producer Frank Rich. In this piece, the two discuss their professional relationship, writing styles, the evolving nature of the show, the collaborative process, recording the cast album and more. This was filmed remotely, but not on Zoom so it looks incredible and the content within is wonderful.
- Jonathan Tunick: A 19-minute interview with orchestrator Jonathan Tunick conducted in April 2021 by author Ted Chapin in which the two discuss what constitutes an orchestra, the job of an orchestrator, unique sounds used in Company, issues that popped up during the recording process and more.
- Original Cast Album: Co-Op: A 25-minute third season episode of Documentary Now! that features a simply brilliant and hilarious parody of the feature film. This is one of the best episodes the series has ever produced.
- Documentary Now! Conversation: A 33-minute reunion conducted virtually in 2020 with director Alexander Buono; writer-actor John Mulaney; actors Rénee Elise Goldsberry, Richard Kind, Alex Brightman, and Paula Pell; and composer Eli Bolin. This wonderful piece finds the cast mostly reflecting back on the original documentary and how it impacted them even before creating this episode. There are many great conversations about the writing process for the new songs, the differences between recording cast albums in the past and present day, being respectful of the source material, the joy that came from living in this world and more.
- Additional Commentary Excerpts: Twelve more minutes of the conversations from 2000 conducted by Pennebaker with Stritch and Prince. Stritch tells some interesting stories about the show she was in right before Company, and Prince tells a story about trying to get around the copyright of “Happy Birthday”.
Final Thoughts
Original Cast Album: “Company” finds director D. A. Pennebaker once again pulling a rabbit out of his hat and being at the exact right place at the exact right time to capture an extraordinary piece of history. Whether you are a theater fan or just someone who appreciates the drama of trying to achieve excellence under extreme pressure, this documentary offers drama and humor for days. The Criterion Collection has thankfully rescued this legendary piece of filmmaking from being a bootleg curiosity by providing it with a new Blu-Ray featuring a stunning A/V presentation and a fantastic array of supplemental features. This is one of my favorite releases of the year. Highly Recommended
Original Cast Album: “Company” is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
