5/5 Unknown Gem
  by Big Literate Dog (Bloomfield, CT USA)
This is a great video of an opera that should be better known than it is. Everything's right and there's some familiar music that you'll wonder where you heard before. It's a very clean transfer, too.

5/5 What a lift!
  by Robert Baksa (new york state)
After slogging through the Barenboim Ring with all of its pretentious staging, laser lights and silly costumes it was pure joy to step into this lovely staging of Smetana's Masterpiece. I have loved the Overture and Dances since childhood and, while this opera may not be among the great works for the lyric stage, it is so full of honest merriment that it should not be missed. The traveling circus, all bumbling and inept, is an added treat in this wonderfully traditional staging. Many may realize that the production was staged by Otto Schenk who also designed the Ring Cycle for the Metropolitan Opera. Jerusalem, singing in both the Wagner and the Smetana, sounds almost the same. He sounds nearly as fresh in the rigors of the Ring, one of the most taxing of roles. This season the Met presents Schenk's atmospheric staging of the Wagner one last time before the lasers take over. To recapture what opera was like in simpler times, I recommend this highly.

5/5 die verkaufte braut
  by B. Grimstrup (new zealand)
Having seen this opera many years ago i was rather hazy on the story line but on viewing i found it most enjoyable, especially seeing two great singers once more Lucia popp and Siegried Jerusalem they bought vitality to the production
This opera is one that you would have to view several times to get all the subilties, it is fun to watch once you have the knack of the story line
Perhaps the most difficult understanding ,is one has the main sections of the opera as a concert piece and you are inclined to forget that the rest of the opera has some charming bits of music in it
The chorus work is superb and rousing over all i thoroughly enjoyed the performance and would without hesitation recomend it and forget the movie version that is doing the rounds this stage production is well worth the money spent on obtaining the disc

5/5 Pure delight!
  by P. Sutherland (Berea, Ohio, USA)
Here is an opera that will put a smile on your face! It has everything: great, rousing music, beautiful sets, entertaining dancing, comedy, with excellent singing and acting by all the players and a happy ending to boot.

Lucia Popp and Siegfried Jerusalem make beautiful music together. (Jerusalem has such a goofy charm, he was even likeable as Wagner's Siegfried.) Their duet in Act III when he's trying to tell her who he really is and she isn't listening, is just magical. Heinz Zednik as Wenzel and Karl Ridderbusch as the relentless marriage broker Kezal are terrific as are both sets of parents.

I really enjoyed this opera and recommend it as great entertainment!

5/5 A Must See....
  by An Opera Goer (Southern Califorina, USA)
whether or not your experiences with opera had been limited to Puccini, Verdi, or Mozart, or you are a Wagner lover (or hater), this one is not to be missed. Smetana's music was considered to be Wagnerian; however, there is nothing to worry about, there is not a trace of Wagnerian in this opera. And surprisingly, there is not a single Czech folksong included in the score. Though, the feeling of Czech folk music in the air is evident.
The opera itself is very pleasant to watch and listen. The cast, the presentation, the setting, the quality of the disc, are totally first rate. In general, the singing and acting of the cast members are superb. If you are a fan of Lucia Popp, you will not be disappointed. If you are not a fan of her, you will become one (after watching this). Watch (not just listen) her in the entire Act 3, I bet you have never seen anything like that (in opera) before. Just a little draw back on the part of Siegfried Jerusalem, though he sang through the entire opera smoothly; however, the second act aria was horrible. I wish he could sing like Peter Dvorsky (in another `Bride' DVD, Suppaphon SU 7011-9) or Fritz Wundelich (in CD, EMI CDMB 64002 or the recent re-release EMI 0946 3 81872). There was some problem in his acting too. As V. Stasov pointed out in his review, this guy (Jerusalem) kept his hands in his pockets the whole time. Surely it is annoying. The best-case scenario would be that he just follows the stage director's orders. It is hard to imagine who would let him to do that for the whole 2+ hours? Just too bad it happened. Despite this, this video still deserve a 5-star rating, no doubt.
Finally, my recommendation would be to acquire all three versions that I mentioned here. That is: 2 videos (this one, and the one from Suppaphon with Gabriela Benackava) and the EMI CD (with Pilar Lonrengar and Fritz Wundelich). You will not regret it.