Product Details

• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Shanachie
• VHS Release Date: July 20, 1998
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301686802
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,857 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning socialogical depiction, eye opening, December 13, 2004

By 

Aaron Wolf (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chase the Devil - Religious Music of the Southern Appalachians (DVD)

The Beats Of The Heart series is about the most amzing musical cultural series I have ever seen. The only dissappointment is if one expects a concert DVD. This series goes into more depth in the cultural history and economic struggles of people than the musical elements. It is still filled with music however, and music that you otherwise may never really hear. This is not the produced, commercial version, this is the real people and their music. Chase The Devil specifically was one of the best in the series and pulls no punches in describing the harsh reality of a dissappearing traditional way of life in America. I only wish the whole series could be available at a discount in a package bundle on fewer discs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chase the Devil, May 10, 2009

By 

Kerry Blech "digiFiddler" (Micanopy, Florida usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chase the Devil - Religious Music of the Southern Appalachians (DVD)

This was a great find, as I had a copy on vhs from a tv broadcast. This digital remaster is exceptional and the price was fantastic.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the worst "Beats of the Heart", April 19, 2008

By 

Kevin Turvey "Kevin Turvey" (Memphis TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chase the Devil - Religious Music of the Southern Appalachians (DVD)

I haven't seen all the "Beats of the Heart" titles yet, but 9 of the 10 I have seen have been simply incredible. British filmmaker Jeremy Marre adroitly explores the social issues surrounding excellent local music all over the word (Brazil, India, Nigeria, Columbia, and many more), and backs them up with gorgeous cinematography and a wide variety of terrific live music performances. Another reviewer on this page does a great job of describing the quality of the series.

Unfortunately, I disagree with that review in one important detail, which is that I think this particular title is quite bad. First of all, the music is spotty - many weaker performances and included and many types of rural gospel music are unrepresented. Given the incredibly rich variety of excellent music to choose from in the Appalachians, this is very disappointing. Secondly, the sensitivity that Marre usually demonstrates for the people he films is inexplicably lacking here; instead of the usual interesting interviews, lots of time is spent with foolish and deluded commentors. Last, the stunning visuals that mark the series and give you that "you are here" feeling are mostly lacking here.

In short: unlike any of the other titles I've seen in this great series, "Chase the Devil" really feels poorly executed and condescending towards its subjects. Though I've been working towards owning all the dvds in this series, I'm actually selling this one because I can't imagine wanting to see it again.

My advice is to see ANY of the other titles in this series!