London: City Of Majesty

The latest addition to the Museum City Video line (Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance and Venice: Queen of the Adriatic were reviewed in our March 1988 issue), London; City of Majesty is an uninspired look at the history, art, architecture, and literature of London, as well as the legendary men and women behind it all. Combining rather washed-out hand-held video shots of the city's architectural treasures with stills of famous paintings on display in the Trafalgar and National galleries, among others, the program occasionally tosses in a picture of Shakespeare, George Eliot, Samuel Johnson, etc., along with a famous quote (sometimes relating to London, more often apropos of nothing). The narration is awkward, with the narrator routinely pausing while the visual imagery catches up...making for some very drawn-out sentences. Too, whoever is "reading" the famous quotes sounds precisely like he is reading. In short, London: City of Majesty is a very awkward and pedestrian homage to a truly majestic city. Not recommended. (Available from: V.I.E.W. Video, 34 East 23 St., New York, NY 10010; (800) 843-9843.)