The Language of Music

Starring:Phil Ramone, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Tito Puente, Mike Stoller, Ginger Baker, John Coltrane, Tom Dowd, Eric Clapton, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk
Director: Mark Moormann
Studio: Palm Pictures / Umvd
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
TOM DOWD & THE LANGUAGE OF MUSIC profiles the extraordinary life and legendary work of music producer / recording engineer Tom Dowd. Historical footage, vintage photographs and interviews with a who's who list of musical giants from the worlds of jazz, soul and classic rock shine a spotlight on the brilliance of Tom Dowd, whose creative spirit and passion for innovative technology helped shape the course of modern music. Tom Dowd's credits include recording sessions with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Otis Redding, John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers Band, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Cream, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Booker T. & the MG's and countless other musical luminaries.

Amazon.com

Martin Scorsese's 1978 capsule history of the Band is mixed with footage of the group's allegedly last performance (certainly their last performance as a quintet) in this particularly stylish concert film. Scorsese shoots the players and their sundry guests with the same flair and enthusiasm one can see in the later The Color of Money or Goodfellas. He also proves a good interviewer with Band members, particularly Robbie Robertson, whose sleepy-sexy good looks make a star-caliber impression in close-up. But the film's real hook is the stage show, which features a rotation of rock legends (Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and so on) playing with the Band before a wildly appreciative audience. --Tom Keogh

Description

It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Join an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars asthey celebrate The Band's historic 1976 farewell performance. Directed by Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas), The Last Waltz is not only "the most beautiful rock film evermade" (New York Times) it's "one of the most important cultural events of the last two decades" (Rolling Stone)!

Customer Reviews:

Best music you'll ever hear all in one place.......2007-07-08

This movie LOOKS fabulous also. The history and highlight of rock and roll. Filmed by an artist, Scorsese gives viewers a breath-taking experience. Emotionally loaded, you'll be tired after watching ALL this high-energy REAL Art! Music that transcends will amaze all ages. Should be in the video library of every home.

The Last Waltz.......2007-07-05

Hailed as the greatest concert movie ever, it just may be. Robbie Robertson, the film's producer and guiding light behind The Band, is charismatic off-stage, electric on-stage. All the guest musicians sing and play at the top of their games. Highlights include Joni Mitchell's "Coyote", Waters's earthy, soulful "Mannish Boy", Dr. John's dreamy "Such A Night", and Clapton's jaw-dropping guitar work on "Further On Up The Road". Scorsese hired top directors of photography to film this event from every conceivable angle, and the result is an intimate, exhilarating ride into the heart of rock music.

good music.......2007-06-14

this dvd is excellent. there is nothing else to be said.

Just adding to.......2007-06-08

There's enough reviews of this Classic. I'm 50+ and showed my copy of this DVD to my teenage kids last Thanksgiving. They were enthralled! My daughter asked for it as a gift for her graduation from UT (uhhh, I guess that means she's not a teenager anymore! but my son is and a Music major at UT). That about says it all I think.

The Standard for Concert Films - A Trip down Memory Lane!.......2007-05-16

Viewing "The Last Waltz," was like a trip down rock history memory lane. This is the DVD you show your children to introduce them to rock music of the seventies. The direction of Martin Scorsese provides the viewer with insightful interviews coupled with lush musical productions. I am still trying to decide on my favorite performance - there are just too many! Also, buy the CD - you will not be disappointed.

Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music (The Director's Cut)

Average customer rating:

WOODSTOCK 3 days of Peace & Music DVD
eh
Great content, lousy DVD production
Either the end or the beginning of a dream...
TO BE YOUNG WAS VERY HEAVEN

Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music (The Director's Cut)
Starring: Richie Havens , Joan Baez , Keith Moon , Pete Townshend , and Roger Daltrey
Director: Michael Wadleigh
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Last Waltz
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ASIN: 0790729350
Release Date: 1997-03-26

Amazon.com essential video

The three-day Woodstock music festival in 1969 was the pivotal event of the 1960s peace movement, and this landmark concert film is the definitive record of that milestone of rock & roll history. It's more than a chronicle of the hippie movement, however; this is a film of genuine historical and social importance, capturing the spirit of America in transition, when the Vietnam War was at its peak and antiwar protest was fully expressed through the liberating music of the time. With a brilliant crew at his disposal (including a young editor named Martin Scorsese), director Michael Wadleigh worked with over 300 hours of footage to create his original 225-minute director's cut, which was cut by 40 minutes for the film's release in 1970. Eight previously edited segments were restored in 1994, and the original director's cut of Woodstock is now the version most commonly available on videotape and DVD.

The film deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and it's still a stunning achievement. Abundant footage taken among the massive crowd ("half a million strong") expresses the human heart of the event, from skinny-dipping hippies to accidental overdoses, to unpredictable weather, midconcert childbirth, and the thoughtful (or just plain rambling) reflections of the festive participants. Then, of course, there is the music--a nonstop parade of rock & roll from the greatest performers of the period, including Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Canned Heat, The Who, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Sly & The Family Stone, Santana, and many more. Watching this ambitious film, as the saying goes, is the next best thing to being there--it's a time-travel journey to that once-in-a-lifetime event. --Jeff Shannon

Description

3 days. 3-million people. And memories to last a lifetime.Year: 1970Director: Michael WadleighStarring: Jimi Hendrix, Richie Havens, The Who, Crosby, Stills & Nash, much more

Customer Reviews:

WOODSTOCK 3 days of Peace & Music DVD.......2007-06-27

My daughter used this as part of an oral report on Woodstock, she got a 95%

eh.......2007-06-10

i expected more from this dvd. was not an enjoyable watch, but i may give it another chance someday

Great content, lousy DVD production.......2007-06-10

Great time capsule of a great era; highly recommend it. It's a shame the studio DVD production is up to par! The content is a 5, the DVD production is a 2. Much more could have been presented.

Either the end or the beginning of a dream..........2007-05-07

My kids gave me this, probably to stop me binding on about the old days, and it is intresting to see some of this about 37 years after I first saw it on the big screen in Edinburgh.

Something that you don't realise from early cuts is just how lamentable some the the bands were - no wonder it was so swingingly edited. Jefferson Airplane are beyond awful, and Canned Heat are quite dire - I don't know what Henry Vestine was on but his guitar is out of time, out of tune and out of it completely. Some acts managed to get it together, such as the Who, Santana, and even Country Joe and the Fish (nice, if out of tune, guitar from Barry Melton) and it is easy to see why dear old Alvin Lee in 10 Years After was such a hit - coming from a country that boasted Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Page, Kim Simmons, Mick Green and many others, it was the norm to be very good and to play very well. Excellence was expected and the British Blues Scene led the world. Muddy, BB King and many others have paid tribute to the Stones, the Beatles, Clapton, Green and all the others for making sure that anybody who isn't from the planet Zark knows who Robert Johnson is.

If you had to sum the whole thing up, I suppose that the performances by CSN and Ritchie Havens sum it up pretty well musically - lots of flailing at acoustic guitars and sweet vocals. And Hendrix ... well, Hendrix. I blow very hot and cold about Sir Jimi, and I am cold about this performance too. Thank goodness somebody else has had the courage to say that he was not actually that good. In 1968, at the Woburn Abbey Festival, I saw a dreadful performance from Hendrix, and I mean dreadful, when he was completely upstaged by a 20-year-old Rory Gallagher with a primitive version of Taste. And here they are again, a year after Woodstock, at the Isle of Wight Festival, and those who were there told me at the time that the absolute show-stoppers were Procol Harum (don't laugh - they had Robin Trower, BJ Wilson and Gary Brooker)and ... Rory Gallagher with Taste. Luckily we have "Taste At The Isle Of Wight" available so you can judge for yourselves..... but that great Deceiver, Memory, has put Saint Jimi forward as the star of the IOW show.

Anyway, as a social document it is fascinating, lots of Peace and Love and rolling in the mud. But like all dreams it had to stop, and what this self-contained village (supported by food drops and an army of social and medical volunteers) left behind was a bloody awful mess, an emerging account of some very threatening back-stage scenes and an acreage "ankle deep in human s***", as one American (called Berry - where else?) who was there told me. It reminds me of the Travellers, who want to be "left alone" and not "victimised" - as long as some silly bu**er in full-time work is prepared to pick up the tab, hand over the dole, pay for the schooling, pay for the medical needs, pay for everything in fact. I know that's a bit cynical, because there really was a soft feeling to the 60s and early 70s, but there was also a buzz of anger and violence. Perhaps you had to live through Nixon, Vietnam and the Hell's Angels to really get the point of Woodstock. Perhaps not.

Buy? Yes, I guess so, because there are good parts musically and socially, and it surely won't happen again. But FF the dreadful bands - there's a lot of them, too - almost all from the U S of A.

TO BE YOUNG WAS VERY HEAVEN.......2007-03-23

Harmless nostalgia. Those should be the first words that anyone old enough to have been able to be there or who was actually there should shout after seeing this updated version of the Woodstock Festival of 1969. The second thought should be- did we really dress (or undress), act and talk that way? It is almost like coming out of a time machine. I do not think that today's youth with their worries about getting into good colleges, making money and being members in good standing on the information `superhighway' would get the point of many of the interviews with the young of my generation, the generation of `68.

Enough said on that, though. The real point of the film and the reason for taking the time to watch it is the music. (It is the music, man!) At one time many of us thought that music and the counter culture that would evolve from it was the revolution. Well, life itself proved the folly of that idea, however, some of the music presented here still is worth listening to. Some of it, however, also sounds and feels very dated like we used to think about the music of the early 1950's. There are several highlights here. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, obviously. The Jefferson Airplane and Carlos Santana, surprisingly. And, if one performance defined the whole festival and what music was all about in the summer of 1969 in the lives of those who were young `hippies' or `politicos' then it is Jimi Hendricks. If man and musical instrument ever acted in total unison it was in this performance. Watch it.

Average customer rating:

Fabulous Swan Song to a Great Show!
Altman's mildly amusing homage to the radio show
A Prairie Home Companion
If only negative stars were possible
Great Movie if You Like PHC, Folksy Things, or Minnesota

A Prairie Home Companion
Starring: Woody Harrelson , Tommy Lee Jones , Garrison Keillor , Kevin Kline , and Lindsay Lohan
Director: Robert Altman
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000H6SXYM
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor combine reality and fantasy in this smooth, ebullient take on the long-running Prairie Home Companion radio show. Set during the show's fictitious last broadcast--the host station has been bought--the film has plenty of elements from the real PHC radiocasts, including a live audience and the sensational Shoe band. The onstage program is mostly music numbers, a beguiling mix of standards and old-style country. However, the show's usual comedy sketches are never presented, save for the commercial parodies--this may be a PHC show, but Lake Wobegone is never mentioned. Instead, the sketches are played out as backstage banter that feautres the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), a harried stage hand (Maya Rudolph), a former listener turned angel (Virginia Madsen), and Keillor himself (a crusty alter-ego named simply G.K.). A few characters from the real PHC are given life: the singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty and gumshoe Guy Noir are embodied by Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and Kevin Kline, respectively. Old flames are fanned, stories are spun, new talents are found (Lindsay Lohan has a chance to shine as Streep's daughter) and everyone wonders if G.K. will do something to ebb the tide of cancellation (personified by Tommy Lee Jones as the corporate Axeman). All of the actors do right as singers, and seem to be having the time of their life. Keillor's screenplay is perfect fodder for Altman's usual brand of storytelling, as characters babble on with the camera picking them up often in mid-thought. The film appeared a few months after Altman received an honorary Oscar, and the director is still at the top of his game, creating this smile-inducing, song-filled time, ending with an ethereal last musical number. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous Swan Song to a Great Show!.......2007-07-08

I am very critical of movies and rate them on three components; good acting, a believable story, and a great ending. This movie pushed past the 'great' peg on the dial. I LOVED this movie, and watched it six times this weekend. Each performer was great. Each duet was great. Every time I see a Woody H. movie, I become more and more impressed with that man's talent. The ending where the angel of death shows up still has me wondering whom she came for.

I have been married for 32 years and now have employment that has me working hundreds of miles from home. My wife and I have been seperated by this employment for 9 months. Every night we talk on the phone, and at it's end, I sing to her a song. From now on, I will sing to her, "Goodbye to Momma". I just wish I could speak to any of the performers to thank them for this pearl.

Having read just now that there are two A.P Carter songs in this movie, I realized that this movie follows the Carter/Cash world somewhat. The PHC is folksy and lots of fun, and so were June and Johnny. Clearly there was lots of love in the court of Cash with many many performers and friends visiting the Carter/Cash home for friendship and mothering. There seems to be a lot of that with the actual PHC as depicted in the movie and the list of actors in the movie. The movie played two of Mother Maybelles songs. The PHC came to an ubrupt end. The home of June and Johnny burned to the ground just after it was sold to Mr. Gibbs.

Thanks everyone. I bought the sound track and the movie DVD.

Altman's mildly amusing homage to the radio show.......2007-07-06

"Prairie Home Companion" is director Robert Altman's homage to the long running radio series. The (fictional) action unfolds during the last performance of the show, which is being shut down as the radio station has been bought by some Texans who have other plans.

"Prairie Home Companion" features many of the real stars of the radio show as themselves including the show's driving force Garrison Keillor. Sadly Keillor is no screen actor and the scenes with him bring the film to a grinding halt.

Much of the dialogue in the underdeveloped plot appears to be improvised and leads nowhere. Many of the characters are also underdeveloped - especially Kevin Kline as "Guy Noir" the bumbling security man and Virginia Madsen as the "Dangerous Woman".

The only thing that perks this film up are the musical numbers - especially the ones with John C. O'Reilly and Woody Harrelson as the singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty.

"Prairie Home Companion" is somewhat of a disappointment to fans of the radio show and may actually appeal more to those who are not familiar with it.

Although mildly amusing, one can't help but ask the question - what exactly was the point of all this?

A Prairie Home Companion.......2007-07-04

If you except to find the dumb comedy that's on TV today, you will not enjoy this movie. Otherwise it is very funny and entertaining.

If only negative stars were possible.......2007-07-01

This movie is horrible. It's like sitting with your elderly relatives who talk of nothing but the way things used to be, except the reminiscences in the movie hold none of the value that your relatives' stories carry. Layered on top of the endless "remember whens?" is mediocre singing performances and Virginia Madsen wandering around the set like she's got amnesia. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone.

Great Movie if You Like PHC, Folksy Things, or Minnesota.......2007-06-30

Robert Altman, Merryl Streep, Garrison Keillor, Lilly Tomlyn . . . Great cast and crew. True to the spirit of the radio show, with a clear Minnesotan spin on reality.
(Look for me in the shadows when Kevin Kline first enters the theater!)

Average customer rating:

Un Clásico de los 80's
Excellent Movie
I'm Alive! (So it gets a 5)
It isn't as bad as it originally was
Movie from childhood

Xanadu
Starring: Olivia Newton-John , Gene Kelly , Michael Beck , James Sloyan , and Dimitra Arliss
Director: Robert Greenwald
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000IQW7
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Amazon.com

A wimpy remake of an already anemic movie (the 1947 Rita Hayworth vehicle Down to Earth), this glitzy musical from 1980 improbably stars Olivia Newton-John as a heavenly muse sent here to help open a roller-derby disco. Gene Kelly is mixed up in this well-meaning but goofy effort to fuse nostalgia with late-'70s glitter-ball trendiness, and he looks just plain silly. Directed by Robert Greenwald, the film doesn't even work as decent kitsch. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Un Clásico de los 80's.......2007-06-11

Olivia Newton-John un ícono de los 8o's interpreta a una musa, ella es una musa, nos transporta a una época de patines, música disco e ilusiones.
Con la genialidad de Jeff Lynn y la Orquesta de la Luz Eléctrica que con sus sonidos le dan vida a las imágenes y resaltan el fondo de la película.
Un mensaje para seguir soñando, algún día se hará realidad.

Excellent Movie.......2007-05-17

I needed this so that I could do a drag song number for a show. The show was cancelled, but I loved the movie.

I'm Alive! (So it gets a 5).......2007-05-16

I have probably seen this movie well over 300 times. It was one of the first video cassettes in my family (back when a VCR was the size of a semi truck) and I have literally watched this movie over and over again.

I still have the sndtrk. on vinyl and I love all of the songs, especially the ones by ELO. I thought Gene Kelly was just magnificent and Olivia has one of the hottest boot collections around as you will see in the end segment. The script is totally cheesy, the effects are laughable and Jeff Beck is awful but this all adds to the charm.

This movie is just mad silly fun and so brilliant in that it captured all that the 80's were about. I love the dance sequences, especially when they are in the new wave clothing store with the lurex spider people. You will see Solid Gold dancers, Olivia in legwarmers, Gene Kelly in a rollerdisco and a glimpse into what record stores were like before they were what the are today.

I really, really love this movie and I am not a male in my 40's with a a lurking crush on Olivia. I'm a female in my 30's who grew up on this film and you need to own this if only to see the 9 muses come alive from the mural in Santa Monica. Or was it Venice Beach?

It isn't as bad as it originally was.......2007-05-11

Upon rewatching the dvd after initially catching this movie on TV many years ago, it's actually not that bad. I do have to say that the male lead is sorta bland (John Travolta he ain't) but Olivia Newton-John was at her best (singing and looks) in this movie.

It's a good movie to watch if you want spend an afternoon on the couch.

Movie from childhood.......2007-05-07

I like this movie for the nostalgia. The music and scenes throughout takes me back to when I first saw it.

Average customer rating:

Harp and Guitar
OK Movie
for blues lovers
A fun little piece
This movie has a great story, an incredible soundtrack and great characters

Crossroads
Starring: Ralph Macchio , Joe Seneca , Jami Gertz , Joe Morton , and Robert Judd
Director: Walter Hill
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002A2WDQ
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Amazon.com

The legend of Mississippi blues master Robert Johnson has served as a fountainhead for generations of blues and rock musicians, as well as a powerful fable for the dark, often violent mysteries of delta blues. Johnson's mythic deal with the Devil, in exchange for his extraordinary musical gifts, has become a fixture in blues lore and an example of the enduring pull of superstitions that can be traced back to Mother Africa and Yoruba deities. Producer-director Walter Hill (The Long Riders, Streets of Fire) sought to put this uniquely American mystery on film, but when he was unable to secure a script devoted directly to Johnson himself, Hill bravely decided to proceed with a more oblique, allegorical story that retold the Satanic bargain through a fictionalized drama set in the present day. In this 1986 feature, the hero is Eugene, a classically trained guitar virtuoso pulled toward the earthier powers of blues. When he stumbles across a lost blues legend, Willie Brown (a real blues figure and Johnson peer known for his partnerships with Charley Patton and Son House, among others), Eugene begins an odyssey back to the delta country and the crossroads of the title, where both Willie and Johnson had traded their souls for blues power, to help the surviving bluesman renegotiate terms.

An opening sequence, shot in sepia-toned black and white, dramatizes Johnson's own supernatural encounter, as well as one of the bluesman's historic Texas recording sessions, and Hill's visuals combine with frequent collaborator Ry Cooder's reliably authentic slide guitar to offer a promising glimpse of cinematic conjury. Even the satanic villain--a grinning huckster named Scratch--honors the trickster figure familiar to African American superstitions, rather than a generic devil. Willie Brown (Joe Seneca) is likewise a convincing link to the blues past, but Hill's central casting choice--Ralph (The Karate Kid) Macchio--sacrifices all for marquee value, a Hobson's choice that casts a shadow of unintended parody across the film. Macchio's earlier character, not Scratch, haunts this film, and even a nifty duel between Eugene, his slashing fretwork supplied off-camera by Cooder, and Scratch's ax-wielding henchman, heavy metal virtuoso, and one-time Frank Zappa protégé Steve Vai, can't safely rescue the film. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Harp and Guitar.......2007-06-15

If you like harmonica and guitar you'll love this movie. It's like the devil went down to Georgia with harp and guitar. Good storie good music.

OK Movie.......2007-05-09

Ralph Macchio got to play a semi-grown up and there was blues. It was a fine movie. Joe Seneca was always good.

for blues lovers.......2007-04-30

Released on VHS tape in the middle of the Eighties, this film is now available on DVD (Region 1 code). It is the (light) story of a trip through the blues and its roots. A young white guitar player (Ralph Macchio) meets in a hospital an old black bluesman (Joe Seneca) and they decide to leave together for the Delta, looking for the crossroads where the bluesman sold his soul to the Devil when he was young and there try to break such contract. During the journey, they establish a master/pupil relationship (Ralph Macchio seems to be specialized in such roles: do you remember Karate Kid?) and go through some hardships till they reach the crossroads and meet the Devil. This meeting leads the two friends to the final challenge: if the young guitarist beats Devil's pupil (Steve Vai) in a blues competition, the old bluesman's soul will be saved. This is the highlight of the film, where the two competitors challenge each other playing blues standards in their different ways: by one hand Steve Vai (in a very good form) plays his pieces in an aggressive "hard-rock" style, while, on the other hand, the boy (but with Ray Cooder's hands! Look at the end titles to discover the real player...) plays his guitar in a slide traditional way, with a bottleneck. This is the story. As for the rest, the film is a just a comedy, with a mix of flavors, lightly served: Robert Johnson's life, Faust, Karate Kid, and - fortunately - some good music, performed in the topical parts of the show (apart from the final duel, there are some nice performances in two-three moments of the film). So, do not surprise if this film will not win any Oscar, but the "crunch" sound of Macchio-Cooder's Telecaster, played with an old valve guitar amp, still sounds very nice to electric blues listeners.
P.S.: the soundtrack is available on CD but WITHOUT the songs of the final challenge.
Riccardo Frau
Italy

A fun little piece.......2007-04-07

Not every thing that I find entertaining has to have merit nor worth. This has neither. It's just entertaining. The story holds extra merit if you are at all familiar with the Story of Blues Guitarist Robert Johnson selling his soul to the Devil at the crossroads in exchange for playing the Guitar.

This movie has a great story, an incredible soundtrack and great characters.......2007-03-19

In the 1980s there was a great blues music revival, much like the sixties, except the young musicians who created it were more knowledgeable and better educated than the generation before; probably because they were the children of that generation and were standing on their shoulders.
Some of this revival took place in cinema with movies "The Blues Brothers", "The Commitments" and this one.
These movies actually helped the entertainment mainstream find it's way to great black artists like B. B. King, John Lee Hooker and many others who never had more than cult followings previous to this.
Many sixties blues fans never knew where the Crossroads was or the significance of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited", the legend of Robert Johnson, the fabulous musical history of Clarksdale Mississippi or Highway 49.
This film explores those modern American legends as the historical (there really was such a person who was a noted bluesman) yet fictional (this story is fiction) character Willie Brown, played by Joe Seneca; takes a Juilliard of music student on a tour of the Mississippi delta on a quest to redeem his soul from the devil by a guitar duel to the eternal death with Jack Butler (played by Steve Vai).
The strongest point in this film is the music itself; the soundtrack by Ry Cooder and including his incredible jam with the great Steve Vai.
If you're white and a blues fan, this movie is a fantastical microcosm of the aforementioned white blues revivals. If you're black and a blues fan, it's a slice of Black Americana being discovered by the mainstream and you can probably enjoy it tongue in cheek if you're a hardcore music fan.
I loved it.

Average customer rating:

Wave That Flag
Would be worth the price of admission only for Joplin's performing of Tell Your Mama...
I wish I was there.
Festival Express is a rocking good time
Festival Express

Festival Express
Starring: Janis Joplin , The Grateful Dead , Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band , The Band , and Buddy Guy
Director: Bob Smeaton
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000305ZDO
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Amazon.com

The vintage concert footage alone makes Festival Express a memorable and worthwhile endeavor, offering scintillating performances by Janis Joplin, the Band (their rollicking version of "Slippin' and Slidin'" is particularly mind-blowing), the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, and others (remember Mashmakhan?). In 1970, during the heyday of the rock festival, promoter Ken Walker decided to organize a traveling musical revue, bringing the mountain to Mohammed, as it were. In five days' time, the festival played in three Canadian cities with the entire conglomeration traveling, playing, and getting smashed together the whole way. Nearly as rewarding as the live performances are the candid scenes of the train ride itself, an endless jam session and party during which musicians of all shapes and sizes let their hair down--musically and otherwise. The contemporary interviews with Walker and some of the surviving musicians aren't particularly noteworthy, except as a way to prove that it all actually happened. Walker comes off as a hero in the film: he treated the musicians like royalty and insisted that the train roll on even though he was losing his shirt. (His financial failure is a large reason why this material stayed in the vaults for so long.) Perhaps the most remarkable scene is an off-the-cuff, LSD-fueled train jam featuring Joplin, the Band's Rick Danko, and the Dead's Jerry Garcia playing the old chestnut "Ain't No More Cane." Danko is so obliterated that even Janis has to ask him if he's OK--when Janis is worried about your state of mind, you must be pretty messed up. --Marc Greilsamer

Description

Festival Express is a rousing record of a little-known, but monumental, moment in rock n' roll history, starring such music legends as Janis Joplin, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. Set in 1970, Festival Express was a multi-band, multi-day extravaganza that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation and a nation. What made it unique was that it was portable; for five days, the bands and performers lived, slept, rehearsed and did countless unmentionable things aboard a customized train that traveled from Toronto, to Calgary, to Winnipeg, with each stop culminating in a mega-concert. The entire experience, both off-stage and on, was filmed but the extensive footage remained locked away -- until now. A momentous achievement in rock film archeology, Festival Express combines this long-lost material with contemporary interviews nearly 35 years after it was first filmed.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Wave That Flag.......2007-07-03

The Fourth of July always puts me in the mood for a little Grateful Dead. To me they are the quintessential American band. It certainly fits musically, with their music drawing from the blues, country, bluegrass, and gospel, in addition to other streams of Americana. But, even more so, their collective personality was classic American, in lots of positive ways and plenty of negative ones too. They were fun, energetic, creative, exploratory, and generous, yet hypocritical, arrogant, fat, lazy, and ultimately self-indulgent to the point of self-destruction. They were dreamy idealists while at the same time the most crass of capitalists. And just in case the connection was too subtle for the heads, the Avuncular Jerry Garcia would croon it out on "U.S. Blues:" "I'm Uncle Sam,/ That's who I am/ Been hidin' out/ In a rock n' roll band."

You aren't going to catch a Dead show anymore, at least not the real deal, but Festival Express is a nice little treat to catch a little bit of contact vibe. I hadn't heard about this until recently, but apparently there was a traveling festival in 1970 including the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, Janis Joplin, and the Band. The concert footage is worth watching but even more amazing are the scenes from the train, traveling from town to town, with musicians completely inebriated and jamming non-stop in various combinations. It's worth it just to see a relatively young Jerry Garcia and a relatively old Janis Joplin sitting intimately and just making music. The movie also comes with a villain- though he is packaged as the hero- rock promoter Ken Walker. Hunched over, wringing his hands like Mike Myers playing Dr. Evil, and even with an old-fashioned handlebar mustache just to complete the malevolent ambience. He tells us over and over again how he saved the day in various venues. Threatening anyone in his path, punching out some Canadian mayor in the face, brandishing a gun to make his point, that kind of thing. He takes great pride in what we come to learn was a gigantic failure, but the movie would be less entertaining without this character.

Anyway, it is fun ride, you'll wish you could have been there. I recommend it as part of your Fourth of July festivities. Never mind that the entire film takes place in Canada. Some of the best of America is actually Canadian. This is nothing new, don't over-think it. It's just a good time.

Would be worth the price of admission only for Joplin's performing of Tell Your Mama..........2007-06-15

...which blows everything else out of the water (probably even including most of the numbers from the Woodstock film!): breathtaking, galloping, electrifying, moving, tight... words that barely convey the musical experience! ...And I was not even a fan before watching and hearing this number!!

I cannot really add anything much to the other positive reviews, which are more knowledgegable than mine in film making and rock music history, but to join in in the praise of this experience, one of the very best rock documentaries I ever saw... Beautifully shot... Beautifully mixed (Eddie Kramer!)... Edits of interviews NOT intruding with the stage performances... If you enjoy early 70s country- and blues-rock and also documentaries on important pieces of history in the making, just ignore the idiotic, irrelevant box front graphics (well, save maybe that this IS a double DVD set...), and hurry up to catch the "Festival Express"!

I wish I was there........2007-05-13

This is one of the most intertaining music DVDs I've got. If you like any of the artist appearing on the DVD buy it.

Festival Express is a rocking good time.......2007-04-26

I, for one, am very glad that some documentarians decided to take this decades-old footage off the shelves and cut it together. Festival Express takes the viewer on the train ride of a lifetime with Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, and many other musical acts that I am not as familiar with because I was born in 1983...

Anyway, the behind the scenes footage of these great musicians partying and making music together for a week as they ride across Canada and stop in various places to put on concerts is amazing, as is the concert footage itself.

The real story on display here is the difference between what the public saw as a catastrophic monetary failure, and what the artists saw as one of the greatest tours of their lives. Protesters in each city the tour stopped at were demanding to be let in for free, which slowed ticket sales and made the tour a huge money loss for the producers. But instead of throwing in the towell, they decided to keep the train going and see the thing through. Almost 40 years later, I'm glad they did.

The extensive extras include live coverage of many more performances not included in the actual film. This DVD is gold if you like any of these performances, and really even if you've never heard of them.

Festival Express.......2007-04-11

I haven't played both DVD's. I thought I was ordering a CD of the music only. It wasn't what I wanted.

The Blues Brothers (Widescreen 25th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

Homage to a Classic
Another Classic !
They Broke My Watch
What can I say
Good movie

The Blues Brothers (Widescreen 25th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Dan Aykroyd , John Belushi , James Brown , Cab Calloway , and John Candy
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009UC810
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Product Description

The Blues Brothers 25th Anniversary Edition comes to DVD with the never-before-released Theatrical Version hit, the Director s Cut and all-new bonus material!

Comedy icons John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star in the outrageously funny musical comedy about Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers searching for redemption with no money but a briefcase full of soul. Hit the road with musical performances by blues legends Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway in the action-packed spectacular from acclaimed director John Landis.

System Requirements:
Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Carrie Fisher
Directed By: John Landis
Running Time: 281 Min.
Copyright Universal Studios Home Entertainment 2005

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

After building up the duo's popularity through recordings and several performances on Saturday Night Live, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd--as "legendary" Chicago blues brothers Jake and Elwood Blues--took their act to the big screen in this action-packed hit from 1980. As Jake and Elwood struggle to reunite their old band and save the Chicago orphanage where they were raised, they wreak enough good-natured havoc to attract the entire Cook County police force. The result is a big-budget stunt-fest on a scale rarely attempted before or since, including extended car chases that result in the wanton destruction of shopping malls and more police cars than you can count. Along the way there's plenty of music to punctuate the action, including performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and James Brown that are guaranteed to knock you out. As played with deadpan wit by Belushi and Aykroyd, the Blues Brothers are "on a mission from God," and that gives them a kind of reckless glee that keeps the movie from losing its comedic appeal. Otherwise this might have been just a bloated marathon of mayhem that quickly wears out its welcome (which is how some critics described this film and its 1998 sequel). Keep an eye out for Steven Spielberg as the city clerk who stamps some crucial paperwork near the end of the film.--Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Homage to a Classic.......2007-07-03

This 25th Anniversary Edition is a great way to say "Happy Birthday" to one of the all-time great movies. Well worth the wait!

Another Classic ! .......2007-06-03

Simply this is a great film, great cast, great story line, great music and it stars John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd what more could you want from a film ?.

They Broke My Watch.......2007-05-12

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel tired and alittle bored and depressed? You need a pick-me-up. If that is you, then don't waste anytime. Pop this in your DVD player and start feeling happy. This movie is the purfect cure for a bad day. It makes you laugh hysterical. It is just plain fun. The comedy, the music, the romance, the ridiculous car chases. It's got everything for everybody. And it's done perfectly. Dan and John have fantastic chemistry together and there both remarkably funny. the whole cast is grade-A. How can you go wrong with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Candy, Cab Calloway, and director John Landis? You can't. The music is so good, you can't help but dance alittle bit. It's way better then what they call music today. And how can I forget: the car chases. The car chases in this film are the best I have ever seen. THIS IS NOT EVEN A ACTION MOVIE! That shows you how great this movie is. It is wall to wall fun. It's gotta be the greatest musical ever. It's definetly in my top 5 for my favorite movies ever. Everytime I watch it, it makes me smile. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

What can I say.......2007-05-08

Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips! This is a great movie

Good movie.......2007-05-07

My husband never saw this film. He enjoyed it but the CD had a problem with the voice being out of sync with the lip movement. Not a serious fault but it was annoying.

Average customer rating:

The story of Johnny and June
Walk the Line
Truly mesmerizing from start to finish, a film one won't soon forget...
Fine performances, episodic storytelling
Definitely Oscar worthy

Walk the Line (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix , Reese Witherspoon , Ginnifer Goodwin , Robert Patrick , and Dallas Roberts
Director: James Mangold
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000E8QVWY
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Amazon.com

A solid and entertaining biopic, Walk the Line works less as a movie than an actors' showcase for its stars. Joaquin Phoenix's total immersion into the skin of singer Johnny Cash is startling--watching it, you can't believe this is the same guy who whined about being "vexed" in Gladiator. As he evolves from a farm boy to gospel croonin' plunker to the Man in Black, Phoenix disappears into Cash's deep baritone, his way of slinging the guitar onto his back, and his hunched-up style of strumming. But it's more than just picking up mannerisms: Phoenix also sings as Johnny Cash, and it's quite impressive.

The story of how Johnny Cash became Johnny Cash traces from his childhood under a distant father (Robert Patrick) to his early attempts at a music career, during which he married his girlfriend Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin). During a tour with the likes of Elvis (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne), he encounters singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and his love for her--and her rejection of him through the years--spurs him into drugs, drinking, and depression. As with most movies based on real-life singers, as his popularity grows, the women come a-flockin', and the childhood demons surface. Witherspoon, who matches Phoenix drawl for drawl, plays June both as a sassy spitfire whose charm breaks your heart, and as a sympathetic friend who tries to help Cash get over--well, her. The love story is what endures, but the movie comes most alive during its musical numbers, and even if you're not a country fan, it may just get you to run out and buy a Johnny Cash album.--Ellen A. Kim

Description

Singer. Rebel. Outlaw. Hero. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as dark as the night, the legendary ?Man in Black? revolutionized music?and forged his legacy as a genuine American icon. Golden Globe winners Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star (and sing) as Johnny Cash and June Carter in this inspiring true story of one man?s unwavering devotion to his sound, his message and the greatest love of his life.

Customer Reviews:

The story of Johnny and June.......2007-06-24

I did not expect much of this bio-pic because I think it is almost impossible to make a good movie about an artist which not only shows the events of his life but also lets a viewer to take a peak inside that artist's mind to show the creative process with all its tension, uncertainty, selfishness and self-centering of an artist. In this regard, "Walk the Line" is nothing special but as a love story, it is wonderful from the first time young Johnny Cash and June Carter met during the show and she got strapped in his guitar until his proposal many years later on the stage (the only place she allowed him to talk to her). Both Phoenix and Witherspoon deserved the highest praise for their performances that were heartfelt, beautiful, sincere, and emotional. I never been a huge fan of Reese even though I always admitted that she had the acting talent ("Election") but with her role in "Walk the Line" and with her acceptance speech, she has earned my respect and admiration. Phoenix was as good as Reese and the chemistry between them was absolutely real.

Walk the Line.......2007-06-22

I am not extremely versed on the life and times of this great musician, so I do not know how critical I can really be when it comes to inaccuracies or not. The strongest points aside from the story however, are the performances by Phoenix and Witherspoon. These two young people deserve a round of applause for their hard work in doing the best they could to portray the characters they represent in this movie. I enjoyed the story of Johnny's past including little details, like his family surviving a flood and of course the traumatic event of him losing his brother which changed his relationship with his father, which seemed somewhat frayed to begin with. The set designers did a great job in really making you feel like you were back in that time period as well. Overall a very enjoyable film that covers a lot of the roads that Cash walked.

Truly mesmerizing from start to finish, a film one won't soon forget..........2007-06-21

Despite the fact that `Ray' was just released the year prior to critical acclaim, even winning an Oscar or two, and the fact that the life story of Johnny Cash is in a way very similar the film `Walk the Line' does a brilliant job of making this life story all that much more compelling and entertaining than last years submission. This is due in large part to the fantastic performances of the entire cast, most notably Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and the Oscar snubbed Ginnifer Goodwin who brilliantly balances support, frustration and sympathy as Cash's ex wife Vivian. James Mangold has that same eye for detail as Hackford possessed in `Ray' but he ups the ante by fleshing out not only the demons that corrupted Cash's soul but also the angel that saved him in the end, notably June Carter.

Right off the bat we are introduced to the Cash household and immediately the lines are drawn as in who the supportive parent and who the dominating overbearing parent is, and when the tragic death of Johnny's older brother shakes things up within that household no one is ever truly the same afterward. Racked with guilt for not being there when he was hurt and or being the surviving sibling Johnny lived the majority of his life with suppressed grief and constant dissatisfaction with any of his many accomplishments. The film beautifully flows through his adolescent life in the army, his early life married sweetheart Vivian and then the early points in his career until fame and fortune drove Johnny to drugs and, you guessed it, women.

But it was one woman who stole his heart and cured his soul, and that was June Carter, played brilliantly by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon. Her charisma, charm and sincerity helped tame a tortured man and gave him reason to believe in himself and in the prospect of living a happy and fulfilling life once and for all. The film chronicles their love affair from its rocky start, shaky middle and everlasting end and it does so with such elegance and patience that the viewer becomes so invested in these characters as people and we begin to sympathize, rationalize and relate to their very souls. Phoenix is a force to be reckoned with as he attacks Cash's very being with such reverence and determination that I felt I witnessed the birth of a true star, and Witherspoon earned her Oscar with the same fiery determination evident in her co-star.

The supporting players all pull their weight as well, from Ginnifer Goodwin's Oscar worthy performance to Robert Patrick's sinister father, the man we loathe in entirety yet learn isn't without saving, as well as the entire cast of young actors and musicians all help create a feeling and a mood that perfectly compliments the films purpose. Not a single performance is forced, out of place or unworthy of mention.

Another highlight is the music, all of which was sung by the actual actors themselves, which is another step-up from last years `Ray'. Both Joaquin and Reese devour each sung line with enthusiasm and pure talent and it also helps cement them into their characters, fleshing out both Johnny and June and making them more real. These are in no way shape or form mere imitations. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon created these characters brilliantly and beautifully. From the accurate sets to the costumes and stage performances `Walk the Line' is a fantastic biopic complete with acting bravado and a script that truly brings these legends to life.

Fine performances, episodic storytelling.......2007-05-31

Stars Phoenix and Witherspoon are the movie. Their performances are top-drawer as, surprisingly, is their singing. Phoenix worked hard to master the tics and idiosyncracies of Johnny Cash. In fact, having seen Cash in concert on several occasions, I occasionally felt that some of the signature gestures, such as the pout and guitar slinging were a bit overdone.

The storyline wasn't all that engrossing. Too much emphasis for me on a few selected episodes from Cash's life and nothing at all mentioned about many of Cash's excesses.

Johnny Cash was a solid performer and also a man who made many poor choices in his life and lived with them. I don't think he would have been offended to see incidents like his firing by Grand Ole Opry included in the film, considering that he more than made up for that behavior in later years.

Overall though, it's a pretty good film.

Jerry

Definitely Oscar worthy.......2007-05-14

Joaquin Phoenix should also have won the Oscar for this moving. His part was far and away more difficult and accomplished far better than his co-star's. His voice, both spoken and singing, was absolutely astoundingly similar to Johnny Cash's. And his guitar playing was phenomenal. I believe Johnny himself would have been impressed. This is an excellent film with some insights into the inside of country music and its stars. However, it depicts June Cash as having had pre-marital six with Johnny Cash, which doesn't ring true with me, nor, I believe, did it ring with June Carter Cash's actual life experience. It's too bad when film-makers have to inject falsehoods to attempt to sell movies, especially when it didn't depict acurately Johnny's acute struggles with drugs. I suppose that part of his life was, perhaps, glossed over a bit to not tarnish his later life reputation and in deference to his death. Other than that, all in all, it was a good movie with an absolutely wonderful soundtrack. I did enjoy it a great deal.

Average customer rating:

Amedeus
A True Classic
Loved by God
GREAT MOVIE!
Mediocrity vs. Genius

Amadeus
Starring: F. Murray Abraham , Tom Hulce , Elizabeth Berridge , Roy Dotrice , and Simon Callow
Director: Milos Forman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: 6304712936
Release Date: 1997-12-17

Amazon.com

The satirical sensibilities of writer Peter Shaffer and director Milos Forman (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) were ideally matched in this Oscar-winning movie adaptation of Shaffer's hit play about the rivalry between two composers in the court of Austrian Emperor Joseph II--official royal composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), and the younger but superior prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). The conceit is absolutely delicious: Salieri secretly loathes Mozart's crude and bratty personality, but is astounded by the beauty of his music. That's the heart of Salieri's torment--although he's in a unique position to recognize and cultivate both Mozart's talent and career, he's also consumed with envy and insecurity in the face of such genius. That such magnificent music should come from such a vulgar little creature strikes Salieri as one of God's cruelest jokes, and it drives him insane. Amadeus creates peculiar and delightful contrasts between the impeccably re-created details of its lavish period setting and the jarring (but humorously refreshing and unstuffy) modern tone of its dialogue and performances--all of which serve to remind us that these were people before they became enshrined in historical and artistic legend. Jeffrey Jones, best-known as Ferris Bueller's principal, is particularly wonderful as the bumbling emperor (with the voice of a modern midlevel businessman). The film's eight Oscars include statuettes for Best Director Forman, Best Actor Abraham (Hulce was also nominated), Best Screenplay, and Best Picture. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Amedeus.......2007-07-06

A marvelously acted, flawlessly directed story about jealousy, obsession, and perfectionism, Forman's stunning "Amadeus" mixes suspenseful drama with historical fact to create a winning fictional biography. The lead actors inhabit their roles with gusto, with Hulce's crass talent playing off Abraham's guileful Salieri with great results. Neville Marriner brings Mozart's music to vigorous life. Winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Abraham), "Amadeus" is a triumph that will delight anyone with a soft spot for cracked genius.

A True Classic.......2007-07-03

Amadeus, the Best Picture Oscar winner of 1984, has stood the test of time. Intriguing plot lines, wonderful costumes, and amazing music combine to tell a tale of fame and infamy, talent and mediocrity, love and hatred, poverty of the soul and poverty of the pocketbook. Even my kids love this movie, and it gets frequent play time in our house.

Loved by God.......2007-06-17

Don't skip this if you're not an opera buff, and don't know much about Mozart. I don't, and am not, and this film did a lot for me. It's the opera buffs and the Mozart experts who get annoyed by what they see as the liberties taken with the facts. Which is understandable, but didn't bother me at all. Nor did I worry about the various accents, which didn't seem to matter in the slightest. What this fascinating and extremely interesting movie vividly conveyed to me was something of the life of 18th century Vienna, as well as the beginnings of an understanding of the divinity in classical music. The sound was uplifting, in a way I never really experienced previously. The script was intelligent, the acting excellent. I thought Elizabeth Berridge was extremely endearing in her role as Mozart's wife, even though it may well not have matched the historical reality. It was obvious that many of the characters were, in a sense, caricatures: eg the Emperor, the Court musicians, even Mozart's father, and of course Tom Hulce himself. This really did not matter, either. Murray Abraham's face spoke volumes, and I thought his performance was superlative in the part, as written. One of the main themes of the story, and I thought it was very well explored and demonstrated, was the essential inequality of man: the simple fact is that all men are NOT created equal. This is a truth which Americans, especially and self-evidently, find difficult to accept. Another theme is the evil nature of bureaucracy, and the inevitably devious politics of the salaried employee. Stay in with the boss, and eliminate rivals --- that's the message. A third theme is man's longing for immortality. Why is it conferred on only a select few? It's also a partial truth that those whom the gods love die young. This film is a mind-opener, whatever the musical perfectionists may say.

GREAT MOVIE!.......2007-06-14

I've always loved classical music, this movie only made it stick! I love how this movie talks about Amadeus life and death in an interesting manner.

Mediocrity vs. Genius.......2007-06-12

Everyone in their life will encounter someone who is brilliant at doing something. Pangs of jealously will ensue, and we will examine their behavior, probably thinking to ourselves that they do not deserve to have this great gift, that they do not deserve to have a talent that we lack. All through life, all through history, the talentless have always been jealous of the talented. The fact that we are not created equal and some of us will have to work very hard at things that come so easily to others is the theme that runs through Amadeus - Salieri is so jealous of Mozart's talent that he conspires to let as few people as possible hear Mozart's music, and ultimately tries to kill him by sending him mad.

The movie opens when Salieri is an old man who wants to confess his crimes before he dies. He wants tell the world what he did to Mozart. A priest comes to hear his confession and Salieri plays him some of his own music. Although the priest states that he studied music, he does not recognize any of Salieri's compositions. Then Salieri plays a few notes of one of Mozart's pieces and the priest immediately recognizes it. In this instant, Salieri realizes that despite of his all his efforts, the world is still filled with Mozart's music. What follows is Salieri's story. He tells us of how he was touched by genius and instead of being inspired by it, genius corrupted him turning him from a good man into a jealous, vengeful and malicious person.

This film is a work of great merit and won a well-deserved Best Picture Oscar. Despite its dark theme, the story is told with humour and beauty and Mozart's music resonates throughout practically every scene, giving its audience chills and helping the audience understand why Salieri was so in awe of Mozart and yet so threatened by him. Of course, the history buffs will complain that it is not a historically accurate film, but leave them to their textbooks. Wonderful stories are never historically accurate; usually a brilliant story is borne from a brilliant lie because the truth is not that interesting.

To conclude, a small note to all of those other talentless hacks out there. The geniuses of the world never die happy; their lives will not be filled with happy family Christmases or contented home lives. They usually die young, burnt out and alone as they can never be truly be satisfied. So, when you take this in consideration, perhaps mediocrity ain't that bad. Perhaps, it is better to be a Salieri than a Mozart!

This Is Elvis (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY!
Must Have
Best Elvis Documentary finally coming to DVD

This Is Elvis (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: David Scott (II) , Paul Boensch III , Johnny Harra , Lawrence Koller , and Rhonda Lyn
Director: Andrew Solt , and Malcolm Leo
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000QUUD5Q
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY!.......2007-06-17

This was produced after Elvis died, so it includes footage taken from earlier productions, including "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" and "ELVIS ON TOUR",and there's also some footage from "ELVIS IN CONCERT 1977". The bonus on this documentary is to see some of the upstairs and inside of Graceland, as it was when Elvis died- all in red. Also, there's lots of Elvis footage of home movies and karate demonstrations which are wonderful to see. This is a terrific production, and one that should be in every Elvis fan's collection. The original theatrical release, which is different from the home video version, is unedited and has Elvis talking with the boys, making some "off color" remarks. It's great!

Must Have.......2007-06-04

i am a 26 year old huge elvis fan and have to say this is the best Documentary of Elvis ever made along with a recreation of August 16 1977
which gives you a real look at the UPSTAIRS of GRACELAND along wih ELVISES BEDROOM and BATHROOM in which he died you get to see the inside of GRACELAND with RED CARPET LINDA THOMPSON'S DECORATIONS.You also get to see a rare LIVE performance from the CBS special in June 1977 Elvis in Concert in which Elvis forgets the words to Are you lonsome tonight as heard on the CD. GREAT BUY JUST TO SEE UPSTAIRS OF GRACELAND AND BEFORE PRICILLA CAME IN AND CHANGED THE GRACELAND ELVIS LAST SAW.

Best Elvis Documentary finally coming to DVD.......2007-05-22

This is Elvis is a Documentary that traces the life of Elvis from his early days in Tupelo and Memphis, his audition for Sam Phillips at Sun records, his first rush of fame, his early TV apperances, the contraversy over his performing style, his army years and his first meeting with Pricilla, his movie years, his 1968 comeback, his touring years in the 1970, up to his death in 1977. This is elvis combines actual footage of Elvis with reenactments with actors representating him at 11, 23, and 42 years old. It is narrated by Ral Donner, an Elvis impersonator who sounds excatly like him. Also other people in Elvis life, including former girlfreind Linda Tompson and road manager Joe Espisito, also provide narration.
As noted in previous reviews, you do get to see upstairs at Graceland, as well as how it looked when Elvis died. Scenes from his early TV apperances, including the Milton Berle performance that caused a scandal as well as the "above the waist" performance on Ed Sullivan. Concert scenes from his 1968 show, Thats the way it is, Aloha from Hawaii, and from his last filmed show in 1977, are here as well. The 1977 show has never been on DVD, manily because Elvis was in bad health and it was just seven weeks before his death. Still he sings a good verison of My Way.
This DVD set will include the original Theactral version from 1981, and the version that has been on VHS that had more footage. As noted in a review, Elvis does make some off color remark to his friends about a woman he had been with the night before, in the home verison, Ral Donner overdubed something less off color. Also the theatracial verson, in the 1977 concert, had the version of Are You Lonesome Tonight, where Elvis fouls up the spoken part of the song saying plus tax etc. In the home version, it is replaced with Love Me.
Thanks to The Elvis Presley Estate for finally releasing this on DVD. It is a must for all Elvis fans, young and old.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

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Perfect

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