Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock N' Roll (4 Disc) Taylor Hackford Digital Life DVD

Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock N' Roll (4 Disc)
starring: Chuck Berry, Keith Richards (II), Chuck Leavell, Little Richard, Etta James
directed by: Taylor Hackford

Amazon.com's Price: $29.98

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Used Price: $15.00
Collectible Price: $51.99
Third Party New Price: $18.28

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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Image Entertainment
EAN: 0014381315622
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 4
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 27, 2006
Running Time: 120 minutes
Sales Rank: 10990
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: October 09, 1987

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Editorial Review:

Description:
The unforgettable life and music of pioneering legend Chuck Berry are celebrated in this landmark feature film, capturing a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of rock and roll's finest! In 1986, Keith Richards invited a roster of musicians to honor Berry for an evening of music to commemorate his 60th birthday, including performances by Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Linda Rondstadt, Etta James and Julian Lennon, along with footage of an unforgettable duet by Chuck and John Lennon! Also featuring interviews with many of the original creators of rock and roll: Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Roy Orbison, Bo Diddley, The Everly Bros, and Willy Dixon. This dynamite crowd pleaser from director Taylor Hackford (Ray) will keep your toes tapping and your soul rocking all night long! ROCKING EXTRAS! 54 minutes of never-before-seen Chuck Berry rehearsals in DTS and 5.1 audio, featuring Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Lavell and Etta James! 'Witness to History,' featuring Little Richard, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry together for the first time; 'The Burnt Scrapbook,' with Chuck Berry and Robbie Robertson revealing the remains of Chuck's collection of musical memories; 'Chuckisms,' a collection of classic Chuck Berry remarks; 'Witness to History 2,' an amazing 3-and-a-half hour look at the birth of rock music with Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and more!

Amazon.com:
Two distinct portraits of Chuck Berry emerge in this lavish four-disc set built around Hail! Hail! Rock n' Roll, director Taylor Hackford's 1986 documentary/concert film. On one side there's the Berry who wrote a catalogue's worth of genre-defining songs ('Maybellene,' 'Johnny B. Goode,' 'Roll Over Beethoven,' and so many others), all of them filled with wit, delightful stories, and poetry. He's also the guitarist who virtually patented many of rock's seminal licks, and the showman who attracted some top musicians to celebrate his 60th birthday with a concert in St. Louis, his hometown. On the other hand, there's the Berry who, in the course of the film as well as the accompanying bonus material, emerges as a prickly cheapskate who drove the filmmakers and musicians nuts with his absurd demands and unpredictable behavior. Together they make a fascinating look at the guy who justifiably calls himself 'the father of rock 'n' roll.'

Hackford's original film, now issued with a crisp, anamorphic transfer and digital sound, occupies Disc One. A parade of classics are heard during the climactic concert, performed by Berry and a superb band (led by Keith Richards and featuring guitarist Robert Cray and Johnny Johnson, Berry's original pianist, among others), with guest shots by Eric Clapton (smoking on the slow blues 'Wee Wee Hours'), Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, and Julian Lennon (whose dad was an unabashed Berry fan). There are revealing offstage glimpses, too, like Berry confessing that he only took up music full-time because there was more money in it than in housepainting, or a weary, wasted Richards admitting that 'I was mad to take the gig' but gamely standing up to his idol at every turn (watch for a memorable moment during the very first song of the concert, when Chuck attempts to change key in mid-tune and Keith sternly shakes him off).

The three discs of bonus features add a lot more to the portrait. Much of it is terrific: A nostalgic Berry poring over his scrapbook with Robbie Robertson of the Band; some lengthy rehearsal jams with Clapton, Richards, and James; hours (literally) of convivial conversation with Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and other rock pioneers. But if you're the type who can't turn away from car wrecks, don't miss 'The Reluctant Movie Star,' an hour-long 'making of' documentary, for it's here that Hackford and the others who worked on the film tell their war stories. The Chuck Berry they know demanded to be paid every day, in cash, or he'd refuse to be filmed. He showed up for a dinner meeting at L.A.'s posh Le Dome with a bag of McDonald's takeout. And two days before the St. Louis concert, he announced that he was leaving town for a gig in Ohio, where he proceeded to blow out his voice--so his vocals all had to be overdubbed after the fact (an extra payday, natch). Hail! Hail! Rock n' Roll was already an entertaining two hours. But the various extra material, none of it seen before and all of it introduced by Hackford, makes this 'ultimate collector's addition' a must-have. --Sam Graham

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Hail! Hail ! Rock N Roll
I literally take my hat off to you for a superb remake of this classic
film. New DTS and Dolby dig. audio are fantastic. I saw the original release in 1987 and to this day its still my favorite rock documentary. I was born in the late fourties and grew up listening to Chuck and others.
His influence shows itself in my Guitar playing to this day and I'm now in
my early sixties. Thanks for the memories,, Robert Gonzales.

Rating:

- No doubt, this is the Chuck Berry for forever
Keith Richards did a history as Music Director, in the organization of this great show at St. Louis, Missouri, it will preserve for the eternity the golden era of pure rock from Chuck Berry. Highlight to the four discs (two CDs and two DVDs) configuration in this edition.

Rating:

- Living legend!
Chuck is one of my favorite musicians, and this dvd shows what a great guitar player he is. Fantastic, I am listening his jamming with Keith Richards and Eric Clapton over and over again. Love the piano player Johnson. This is a must have for r'n'r fans.

Rating:

- A gift for my sister
My sister loves, loves, loves the music. And I love, love, love doing business with Amazon! They are the best.

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