Duran Duran - Live From London (2pc) (W/CD) (Dlx)
Director: Lawrence Jordan (II)Studio: Zoe Records
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Live, NTSC
DVD Release: November 1st 2005
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DVD Review
The show begins with rapturous applause from the audience, strobe-lit flashes of each original band member--Nick Rhodes, Simon LeBon, and the (unrelated) Taylors John, Andy, and Roger--and they're off. The reunited Duran Duran, filmed during a two-night stand at Wembley Arena in 2004, plunges into "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise," before launching into old favorites like "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Something I Should Know." LeBon keeps the stage patter to a minimum; it's all about the music. On occasion, the Armani-clad quintet are joined by statuesque singer Sara Brown ("Come Undone," "Notorious," "The Reflex," etc.) and sax man Andy Hamilton ("Union of the Snake," "Rio"). As expected from a band that came to fame during the height of the video era, film and anime images are projected during certain numbers, such as "The Chauffeur," "Careless Memories" and "A View to a Kill" (grainy Rhodes-shot images of Liz Hurley rather than scenes from the James Bond outing of the same name). The one selection that doesn't quite fit the 20-song set is 1988's "I Don't Want Your Love." With Brown's help, they give it their all, but funk-metal isn't really Duran Duran's strong suit (although the song later appears as a 3D bonus feature). The deluxe edition includes a 10-track CD recorded during the same London engagement and a pair of 3D glasses. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
User Reviews
Closure and validation for the Duran Duran purists - Rating: 5/5
If you were, like me, one of the original "Duranies" in the 1980's to latch onto this amazing band, this DVD brings back all of the magic you felt back then and offers up answers to questions you've been wondering about since the demise of the original lineup in 1985. I was never lucky enough to see Duran Duran live when I was thirteen, but I finally got the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream during their U.S. tour in 2005 when I saw them at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I was so excited to get this DVD to help me "fill in the blanks" of pieces of the live show I missed in my euphoric stupor. The concert from Wembley Arena in London is phenomenal. The guys look great, sound great, and you can tell are having a hell of a lot more fun this time around. The crowd is no longer dominated by a bunch of screaming teenage girls, but by 30-something women AND men who enthusiastically keep in lock-step with every beat and know every song lyric. Andy Hamilton, the original sax player for "Rio" and "Union of the Snake" is on hand, as well as the beautiful, leggy Sarah Brown who magnificently backs up the vocals in key places, such as on "Come Undone" and "I Don't Want Your Love". I thought this was a nice change from the "Arena" tour concert where they had backup singers on almost every song. Andy and John really come to the forefront in this concert as Simon's backup vocals on most of the songs, which I think sounds better and highlights their harmonizing vocal talents. The concert is a good 2+ hours long, and the set list is paced so that you have a few slower songs in the middle before they take you to a frenetic, energized finish.
The Bonus Features offer a good 2+ hours of additional entertainment. The documentary is nothing like Sing Blue Silver, trading copious backstage footage for one-on-one interviews with each band member. They talk about their rise to fame in the 80's, and candidly discuss for the first time what was going on around their breakup in 1985. It was a revelation to finally understand what happened between the five of them then, and an even greater appreciation for their reunion in 2001-2002. A suprising breath of fresh air for me was finally hearing Roger Taylor speak, who had always been the most reserved member of the band and whose departure from the group was always the hardest for me to understand.
Besides the documentary, the next best Bonus Feature is the song commentaries. Now, my one complaint about this DVD is that the menu to go through the song commentaries makes no sense. You go through two of them (there are 10 total), then you have to go all the way back to the main menu, hit bonus features, hit song commentaries, then scroll through to get to the next two. Anyway, it's nice because each member of the group offers commentaries on two songs from the concert footage. John does "A View to A Kill" and "Notorious" (with cheezy commentary on Liz Hurley's black stockings), Roger does "Sunrise" and "Hungry Like the Wolf", Simon does "The Chauffer" and "Ordinary World", Nick does "Come Undone" and "What Happens Tomorrow", and Andy does "Is There Something I Should Know" and "New Religion" (while taking a good-natured popshot at Simon). Even the most knowledgeable 1980's Duranie will learn something new about each of these songs, or about what was going on in the band at the time the song was a hit.
The other Bonus Features aren't that great. There is a photo slideshow set to "Save a Prayer" and a 3D clip of "I Don't Want Your Love" with 3D glasses, which I just watched and isn't that special.
My one final complaint isn't about the DVD itself, but that Andy Taylor not ONCE takes off his friggin' sunglasses the entire time - during the concert, the documentary, never. C'mon Andy, the Corey Hart look was over a long time ago.
You can't miss this DVD if you were ever a hardcore fan. You will dance, you will sing, you will laugh, and you will FINALLY understand the devastating breakup. And now, that doesn't even matter anymore, because they all say themselves that they can see doing this for a long time to come. I hope we are all that lucky!
Do you even NEED to read a review to know you need this? - Rating: 5/5
What are you thinking? Why are you reading this? It's the original five members sounding better in their forties than they did in their twenties ,performing all the songs you know and love (or at least should know and love if you have any taste at all) and the package has a bonus live CD. This is a no brainer if you're old enough to remember why this band was so great to begin with and still are great today with all three Taylors restored.
Signed,
epsteinsmutha
14 year old review - Rating: 5/5
Ok I wasnt alive back in the 80's and never like the 80's music.But somtime during the summer 2005 I got into Duran Duran I just feel in love with their music.So when I heard that Duran Duran had a new DVD out I had to get it.So when I got home the frist thing I did is watched it.I tought they did great and watching them made me want to see them in cocert.I thought they did their best.Like I said I wasn't alive back in the 80's but after watching Arena (which was good) and some of their other DVD's I realy thougt they are better now.If you haven't got this DVD you should.the guy's play hits like hungry like the wolf,Rio,Girls on Film,Plant Earth and many more.It's a DVD that every Duran Duran fan should have you wont be disapointed.
Utterly brilliant! - Rating: 5/5
I just purchased this dvd and watched it for the first time last night and all I can say is bloody brilliant! I have the special edition thingy of Astronaut that came with the dvd that has some of this gig on it but wow...I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it! I've been a Duranie for....wow..24 years now and seeing them do all those great old songs for me was just great. If you like Duran Duran but missed the Astronaut tour this dvd isn't going to help you out much because they only do 2 songs from that cd. If, however, you're a lucky fan like myself who DID get to see the tour and just plain miss hearing some really old Duran? GET THIS DVD!
Very Well Done! - Rating: 5/5
As a casual Duran Duran fan, I can tell you that this is one of the best concert DVD's I've seen. It looks great, it sounds great, and it is packed with the hits. I was at a Duran Duran concert in NY during this tour and I enjoyed the DVD better. Nice documentary as well, and the commentaries by the band members are very insightful.
The director obviously is very familiar with the material, and is very musical in his directorial choices. I wasn't impressed at all with the 3D footage, but still a great disc.
It's a bargain for a deluxe set with both a DVD and a CD.
