Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7468 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-11-14
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

DVD Description
Having caused outrage from religious groups when it was shown on terrestrial TV, the award-winning and controversial Jerry Springer: The Opera is now finally available to own on DVD. David Soul stars as the trailer-trash baiting talk show host who ends up faced with everything from transsexuals to Jesus Christ himself.

Synopsis
A musical adaptation based loosely on the notorious American television chat show.

Customer Reviews

controversial, dangerous but hilarious
I remember seeing the advert for this show when it first came out in the westend. at that time i didnt really think about what it was about - i, strangely, thought it was a live show about jerry. its not.
I remember hearing from a friend that the show was excellent so when it was played on the BBC i watched it. all i can say is that i was laughing all the way through - it is possibly one of the most original stage shows of our time.
the story is basically set up like an episode of jerry springer (on stage there is even an audience) and jerry meets various characters who come and share there problems. The (fake) audience get heavily involved and there is even a pole dance! As the show goes on, however, it strays away from the jerry springer show and concentrates on jerry himself. this is where religion comes in and we even see god himself.
whilst the story goes on, as the title suggests, it is an opera, so we have some very strange but funny opera songs. which is even weirder when you hearing it comming from the guests which include trailer trash.
David Soul is brilliant as the chat show host himself and his assistant (the american bloke from Holby City) are very good as well as all the cast. This is a really well made comedy and won many awards when first aired at the Edinbourogh Festival.
Highly recommened, extremely funny but not for sensitive ears (or eyes!)

And now for my final thought...
When it was screened in January 2005 on BBC2, Jerry Springer The Opera caused a storm of controversy. Some argued it was an obscenity-packed insult to the Christian faith, while others considered it the greatest thing to happen to musical theatre in years. I had never seen an opera before in my life but decided to tune in to see what all the fuss was about. And I'm so glad I did- it was my tv highlight of 2005. It was hilarious, intelligent and completely different from anything I'd ever seen before. The DVD special features are excellent. Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas provide a commentary to the 120-minute musical extravaganza. A featurette entitled 'How to Write an Opera about Jerry Springer', gives a valuable insight into the two creative geniuses behind the show. A 15-minute documentary on 'The Story of a Musical Documentary' is markedly similar to the documentary which preceded the screening of the opera on BBC2. Add to this a Collector's Edition Booklet, Subtitles, and slideshows on the opera's history and musical score- and you will find more than enough material to complement the opera. A word of warning though: If you do have a delicate sensibility and you are offended by the sight of an overweight man dancing around a stage in a nappy- you may want to think twice before investing in the DVD. As the credits roll you may wonder why the show resulted in a record 60,000 complaints to the BBC. It's undeniably foul-mouthed, but not to the extent that you might expect. And certainly not to the extent of 8,000 expletives- which is what the propagandists would lead you to believe. If you've grown weary of the interminable succession of inane, derivative tripe on tv nowadays- do not despair. Jerry Springer The Opera is a truly original, exhilerating piece of musical theatre which will linger long in your memory. Just be grateful that the BBC isn't afraid to push boundaries and doesn't resort to censorship to appease a vocal minority of protestors. So if you'd rather not sit through another episode of Celebrity Wrestling or TV's Naughtiest Blunders, and if you have a taste for something different- I cannot recommend this DVD highly enough!

anything but trailer trash!
This is hillarious. The best musical ever made. It will make you laugh out loud all the way through.
Basically its just another Jerry springer show until Jerry is killed and sent to hell. Thus begining the ultimate battle between good and evil that will have you crying with laughter.
If you are not offended by extremely foul language then this is definaltely a film for you.