HOME   News   Reviews   Adv Search   Features   My DVD   About   Apps   Stats     Search:
  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Full Frame
  Languages
  • English: Linear PCM Stereo
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • Animated menus

R.E.M. - Tourfilm

Warner Bros./Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 84 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

R.E.M. had quite the history before going super-mega-global in 1992 with their album Out of Time. Having been around since 1980, the Athens, Georgia quartet enjoyed quite the following in 'alternative' circles, enough to garner them a major label deal, and had a great number of songs in their armoury renowned as classics by many, including their debut release, the sublime Radio Free Europe.

Tourfilm plops us right in the midst of their 1989 tour to promote their first album release for said major label, the now familiar to many Green. Cobbled together from a number of performances, including the final date of the tour, we are treated to a deftly selected track list that encompasses the bulk of that album (with the curious omission of the song that broke it to the world, Orange Crush), many of their 'cult' classics and a pleasing selection of lesser known to many album tracks.

So much more than your standard let's-point-a-camera-at-the-stage-then-sell-it-and-make-megabucks performance video, director Jim McKay, with assistance from R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe, has concocted a visually rich treat for fans, which sustains interest throughout with its many and varied styles, and R.E.M. staple of copious amounts of black and white. It's shot entirely on Super 8 and 16mm film, and deftly employs many effects such as layering, slow motion, flashes of colour within predominantly monochrome footage and more without ever becoming cheesy.

From the outset, when Stipe and Co. bound on and plummet their way through the gloriously silly Stand, we're treated to a band seemingly in their prime - yet much greater heights remained to be scaled. Incredibly tight and multi-skilled in their instrumentation abilities, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry provide a solid backing to singer Michael's on stage antics and incredibly close-to-the-record vocals. Veering through looks ranging from akin to Talking Heads' David Byrne (albeit with a better tailor), to The Smiths' Morrissey, to Elvis, to near naked Adonis and even at times Max Headroom, we share some often obscure in-between song banter and his inability to apply eyeliner at all neatly (perhaps their later song should have been renamed Crap With Eyeliner?!) - although I think it's more a foil against the blinding stage lights rather than any attempt at some sort of retro New Romantic cool - if indeed such a thing even exists.

We also get occasional interludes. Curiously for a film made two years before the release of Out of Time two songs from that album are featured in snippet form - Low and the utterly gorgeous Belong. After the first two songs we get the opening credits, featuring a flash through the pre-gig slideshow, complete with the band's three simple rules for concert etiquette. Essentially these are those of courtesy, don’t throw stuff and finally...

"Please do not wait for the quietest moment in the quietest song to yell Radio Free Europe as Mike Mills doesn’t like that."

Yes, they do have a rather deft sense of humour, as is evidenced regularly throughout this presentation, and whilst they may not be the coolest looking band in the world, they are certainly amongst the coolest bands in the world.

Oh, the track listing, right - here we go...

Intro
Stand
The One I Love
These Days
Turn You Inside-Out
World Leader Pretend
Feeling Gravity's Pull
I Believe
I Remember California
Get Up
It's the End of the World as We Know it
Pop Song '89
Fall On Me
You Are the Everything
Begin the Begin
King of Birds
Finest Worksong
Perfect Circle
Credits

  Video
Contract

As intimated earlier, this was all shot on Super 8 and 16mm film, so some of the gremlins often associated with these media, most notably grain and the odd speckle or two, are most definitely present here - whether used intentionally as in some places, or not. Regardless, it is never a huge issue, often adding to the artiness of some sections, and in general what we get is remarkably sharp, clear and clean for a reasonably low budget 1989 production. As far as problems able to be induced on the trip to DVD, there were no obvious signs of MPEG dramas or the like whatsoever.

Slightly disappointingly, Tourfilm is presented in full frame, however with its origins being aimed squarely for a video release when DVD was but a twinkle in a boffin's eye, and the seemed morbid fear of anything NOT presented in full frame that the general great unwashed is afflicted with, I guess this is understandable.

  Audio
Contract

Ooh, we get another lovely Linear PCM Stereo mix here, which renders the sound as good at, if not better than CD quality - and you can’t ask for much more than that. If your gear supports it the surrounds flesh out the sound scape most pleasantly, without ever going gaga, and the separation at the front, leaving vocals predominantly emanating from the centre channel, works a treat.

The recording was supervised by long time R.E.M. producer Scott Litt, and he has done as masterful a job in the difficult field of live recording as he has done many a time in the much safer surrounds of a studio. Mercifully crowd noise is at a minimum during songs, except for the very quiet bits, but is there between songs to give that live ambience needed for a presentation such as this.

The only real sonic glitch is with lip sync in It's the End of the World as We Know it, where it would appear that a different recorded version has been dubbed over the visuals supplied - and I daresay with its rapid-fire, often improvised verses this is not by any means an easy song to recreate the same way twice.

  Extras
Contract

There's a simple animated and musically enhanced menu, but other than that the only thing offered that could possibly be labelled an 'extra feature' is English lyric subtitles, which can be handy if you have thick walls and wish to sing along - or indeed if you have thin walls and don’t care what the neighbours think.

  Overall  
Contract

R.E.M. last toured Australia back in 1996, so for anybody pining for a live fix this should be enough to satiate those desires to a point. Admittedly it's still nothing like that unique experience of being there, but as far as live DVD presentations go this is definitely one of the better ones out there, and showcases a truly great band in their live prime. Even if after all that the bastards didn’t do Radio Free Europe...


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=783
  • Send to a friend.

    Cast your vote here: You must enable cookies to vote.
  •   
      And I quote...
    "Definitely one of the better live DVDs out there, whilst nothing like being there anybody pining for a live R.E.M. fix should find this enough to satiate those desires to a point..."
    - Amy Flower
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Pioneer DV-535
    • TV:
          Sony 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Onkyo TX-DS494
    • Speakers:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse RBS662
    • Centre Speaker:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse ECC442
    • Surrounds:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse ECR042
    • Subwoofer:
          DTX Digital 4.8
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
      Recent Reviews:
    by Amy Flower

    The Simpsons - Gone Wild
    "Fox get the dartboard out again to compile another haphazard four-episode release of Simpsons episodes… "

    The Commitments: SE
    "A rollicking good flick that manages to be musical without being naff..."

    Placebo - Soulmates Never Die: Live in Paris
    "One for all Nancy Boys and Ashtray Girls to treasure."

    Amazon Women on the Moon
    "...worth a look if you’ve never before had the pleasure. Bullshit, or not?"

    Jack & Sarah
    "Proving that simplicity is no obstruction to brilliance, this is an ultimately sweet (but not sickeningly so) tale that gives all those bigger English films out there a more than respectable run for their money... "

      Related Links
      None listed

     

    Search for Title/Actor/Director:
    Google Web dvd.net.au
       Copyright © DVDnet. All rights reserved. Site Design by RED 5   
    rss