Home Media Magazine - September 2-8, 2007 - (Page 38) PIPELINE The Who www.homemediamagazine.com The Who’s ‘Amazing Journey’ By Thomas K. Arnold M U S I C Universal Studios Home Entertainment is stepping into the music DVD market with a pair of documentaries on seminal British rock band The Who, an acquisition personally orchestrated by division president Craig Kornblau. Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who and Amazing Journey: Six Quick Ones, both feature-length films produced by Spitfire Pictures in association with Trinifold Management, will be released on DVD by Universal on Nov. 6. The two films were conceived as complimentary pieces of work, one for a wide audience and one for the diehard rock fan. Musical guests commenting on the influence of The Who include such rock ‘n’ roll luminaries as Sting, U2’s The Edge, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Oasis’ Noel Gallagher. The Story of The Who, the film for wide audiences, will debut Sept. 12 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film chronicles the history of The Who through never-before-seen interviews with surviving band members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, rare and recently discovered concert footage, and more. “Amazing Journey is far more than a trip down memory lane,” Kornblau said. “It reveals the enduring influence and continued vibrancy of a band whose groundbreaking songs, virtuoso musicianship, experimental production techniques and electrifying stage shows pushed the envelope of rock as no other band has. “I was instantly intrigued by the commercial potential of this project, especially since its release would coincide with the 40th anniversary of The Who’s first performance in the United States. Then, when I learned that Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey had not only authorized the project, but also were interested in helping to promote it, I knew we had to jump on it.” Six Quick Ones features four segments on the musical abilities of band members Townshend, Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. A fifth part, “Who Are You,” explores the Mod culture that spawned the band’s visuals, while segment six, “Who’s Back,” chronicles the 2003 recording of “Real Good Looking Boy,” The Who’s first new studio recording in more than 20 years. The films will be released in one two-disc set with a companion book. Extras include a video scrapbook showcasing a dinner with Moon, the 1979 Cincinnati concert in which 11 fans were crushed to death in a rush to get into the Riverfront Coliseum, and the 2000 Royal Albert Hall concert, in which The Who were joined by such guest musicians as Bryan Adams and Pearl Jam’s Vedder in a benefit for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Also included is the earliest footage of the band known in existence, filmed in 1964 at the Railway Hotel when they were known as The High Numbers. Sony Resurrects ‘Life of Brian’ By Billy Gil C O M E D Y Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is reviving the classic religious satire Monty Python’s Life of Brian in The Immaculate Edition on DVD ($24.96) and Blu-ray Disc ($28.95) Nov. 20. Prebook is Oct. 4. The releases have a newly discovered feature-length audio recording of a script read-through by the members of Monty Python: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. It was recorded in 1977, more than a year before the 1979 film began shooting and has plenty of scenes that didn’t make it into the film. “You can understand why they were cut,” said producer John Goldstone. Monty Python’s Life of Brian “But they’re great.” Goldstone said the read-through features the cast members making their own sound affects, which are paired with director Jones’ original storyboards and images of the script. Additionally, the releases include a new hour-long documentary, “The Story of Brian,” which explores the challenges of making the film. “It’s really about how we got the film together, how it was difficult to finance, how George Harrison eventually came in [to help finance it] and how various religious groups [were angry about the film],” Goldstone said. The Immaculate Edition also features a remaster, deleted scenes, newly illustrated radio spots promoting the theatrical release and re-edited audio commentaries with cast members. “I’m hoping that releasing it now through Sony, we can reach a much broader audience [in the United States] and have it on a similar level to Holy Grail [in terms of] familiarity and enjoyment,” Goldstone said. I KOCH POINTS TO ‘THE GOLDEN COMPASS’ Coming off the recent “Harry Potter” craze, The Golden Compass seems ripe to capture the same rabid fantasy audience. Koch Vision Nov. 20 will release Beyond the Golden Compass — The Magic of Philip Pullman ($19.98). Orders are due Oct. 23. The film explores the secret codes and symbols in Pullman’s novel, which features such creatures as soul-eating specters and talking, armored bears. The 70-minute fea- ture includes on-location re-enactments, film footage, and interviews with historians and experts. About two hours of bonus features will include deleted scenes, extended interview footage and extra footage from The Golden Compass. – Billy Gil 38 Home Media Magazine September 2–8, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.strandreleasing.com http://www.strandreleasing.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.