Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Mpi Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 24, 1998
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304861680
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,482 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When Karen Carpenter died on February 4, 1983 at the age of 32, more than one generation mourned. Karen and her brother, Richard, had achieved monumental success as purveyors of soft-rock soulfulness, aided by their wholesome, wistful looks. After all, these were the hard-rocking, disco-throbbing '70s, yet with classics like "Close to You," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "We've Only Just Begun," the pair blurred the lines of musical class. But no one knew--or at least talked about--Karen's debilitating bouts of bulimia and ongoing battle against the ravaging effects of anorexia. Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters is more a gracious memento than a documentary and presents a rather biased view, heavily influenced by Richard's opinion and commentary. Beginning with the duo's early major success, winning a Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl, it's a quick trip through the salad years including the first record deal with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. Alpert calls his initial listen to the Carpenters' demo tape "love at first hear." That appears to be true for everyone who came into contact with them, as band members, songwriters Burt Bacharach and Paul Williams, and singer Petula Clark readily testify. The hits and the TV specials are reviewed, too, but something feels missing from this glimpse, which barely scratches the surface. It's obvious to anyone watching the film that Karen, who really wanted to be known as a drummer who sang, not the other way around, was in immense pain and terribly conflicted. Yet by the final credits, we know little more about her than we did before. She remains an enigma and this peek at her life--and Richard's--feels too protective of her memory to tell the whole truth. --Paula Nechak

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of Richard and Karen Carpenter, August 1, 2005

By 

kone "kone" (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters (DVD)

"Close To You - Remembering the Carpenters", is a touching DVD that recalls the career of the Carpenters and the life of Karen Carpenter. Richard Carpenter is the primary "host", although there are many others who contribute stories and information about the Carpenters, such as Petula Clark, Joe Osborne, Les Paul, Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, and members of the Carpenter band.

The DVD tells the entire story of Richard and Karen, from their childhoods in New Haven, Connecticut, their family move across the country to Downey, California (to further Richard's budding career as a musician), their meteoric rise to the top of the pop music charts, and finally the tragic end with Karen's death from complications from anorexia nervosa. Along the way, there are wonderful clips from many of their major hit songs, how the songs were "born", and how Richard's genius at arranging the songs made them hits. It is all very well done, a quality production in every detail, and it does an excellent, although brief job at introducing the Carpenters career. I had hoped that there would be more details of the Carpenters personal lives, but this is just barely touched upon or hinted at in the DVD. Personal details would have so enriched this DVD and helped the fans of the Carpenters understand the duo even better. The DVD states that for additional information, one is directed to the book by Ray Coleman, "The Carpenters: The Untold Story : An Authorized Biography". I highly recommend this book to any fan that wishes more information about the Carpenters, as it provides additional details about their lives.

To anyone who views this DVD, please do not turn off the TV after the post-production credits run! There is an encore after the credits that you will not want to miss! I missed it the first time I watched the DVD, as I was partially overcome with grief at the scenes of Karen's funeral.

For Carpenter fans, this DVD will be a cherished item in our collections. I would like to give it 10 stars if I could.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots To Like, But Lots Hidden, January 21, 2002

By 

A. Wolverton (Crofton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters (DVD)

If you are a fan of the Carpenters, this DVD will be a welcome addition to your collection. The disc offers quite a lot of information and footage: the documentary itself covers the Carpenters from their beginnings as a jazz trio to the A&M hits to Karen's tragic death at the age of 32. The disc has lots of extras too: A portion of the Carpenters performance at the White House, some of their commercials, and a listing of singles and albums in the discography section. Really a lot to like...

Being a documentary, fans should understand that this is NOT a concert film. Some reviewers are upset that the songs aren't played in their entirety. Again, it's not a concert DVD. Buy the CD's.

The biggest disappointment for me is the lack of understanding we come away with of Karen (and Richard too, for that matter). The DVD tells briefly about Karen's wedding, but doesn't even mention who she married!!! What was it that made Karen such a tragic figure? What is Richard doing now and how did the end of the Carpenters change his life? Maybe I'm asking for too much and maybe all this is still too painful for the family to deal with. I don't think fans are asking for tabloid-type reporting. I do think a lot of fans sincerely want to know what was going through Karen's mind, what demons she was dealing with and what Richard is dealing with now. Maybe that's too much for them to present to the general public. Be glad that the Carptenters gave us some great music and some great memories, many of which are captured on this DVD.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than 1 Version of this DVD exists., November 6, 2002

By 

Bennett Turk (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters (DVD)

This is an excellent documentary on the Carpenters, and it gives a great deal of information on them from the the time they were born, in New Haven, Conn., up until Karen Carpenter's death in Downey, Calif., on Feb. 4, 1983. It is mostly, however, Richard Carpenter, and close friends, discussing the Carpenters, with a lot of brief cuts of songs included. Almost no song is played from start to finish. It says almost nothing on Karen Carpenter's stuggles with anorexia nervosa, and for that the viewer will want look at documentarties from "A & E", "E", and "VH-1" on the Carpenters. The VHS tape offered a lot of extra that the PBS airing, in Dec. 1997, did not. The DVD offers a great deal of extras that the VHS tape did not. Yet for people who buy the all-region DVD from overseas, be aware, that it does not include the extras the U.S. DVD does. The overseas DVD only includes the Photo Gallery. It does NOT include the Discography, the Previously unreleased TV and Radio Jingles, nor the Carpenters at the White House. This may not mean anything to people in the U.S., but, people overseas might wonder what ever happened to all the extras promised? I do recommend this DVD, and I hope if there's another Carpenters DVD release--it will be the "Carpenters Live in Concert". I also hope it will be sold in the U.S., and not just Japan, such as the outstanding "As Time Goes By" CD was.