At the same time, however, Elley found that the muted emotion went too far, resulting in a film that lacked "dramatic heft."

Rows of giant radio telescopes standing sentinel in the New Mexico desert wield more dramatic heft than any of the people using them.

Mr. Sitler adds dramatic heft with a strong performance as the hillbilly chicken farmer.

While you might leave the theater feeling the picture finally doesn't quite have the dramatic heft it should, it offers plenty of compensations along the way.

Few tenors are ideal for the part, which requires a rare combination of supple lyricism, dramatic heft and French style.

But her voice simply lacked the dramatic heft to bring off the role.

A sister-to-sister face-off, promising a cathartic change, produces a momentary confrontational lift but no dramatic heft.

Treat the operas like extensions of the bel canto heritage and their dramatic heft is shortchanged.

Ms. Dessay is a high soprano without Callas's dramatic heft, although she commands a lot more color and character than some other piping little birds.

She has a gift for phrasing as well as the dramatic heft needed to triumph in her own fashion.