Customer Reviews

Full Circle--The Life & Music of Dusty Springfield [VHS]

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The video of "The Life and Music of Dusty Springfield" contains up-to-date information on the "White Queen of Soul" who was born on April 16, 1939 in Hampstead, England. The video features her very first recording in 1951, and footage of her with the Springfields and it also shows a clip or two of Dusty Springfield on her own television show "Dusty" from BBC (1964-67) and of course focuses on her main 16 hits in 7 years (1963-70). One of my favorite parts is when Dusty sings Martha Reeves's mowtown songs such as "Dancing In The Street". I also remember being at the age of 2, and hearing her 1987 comeback with the Pet Shop Boys. That was the first time I ever knew who she was. At the end of the video, it shows her recording the hit off of her last album. Springfield died of breast cancer on March 2, 1999 at the age of 59. I am one of Springfield's biggest fans, and probably the youngest of all. I am only 14 years old and have spent the last 5 years doing Karaoke to her music.

A beautiful restrospective of a unique career and an unforgettable performer, this documentary showcases one of pop music's most enigmatic personalities. The reclusive Springfield somehow was lured in front of the camera to be interviewed by the oddball duo of French and Saunders. "Huh?" you say? Well, believe me, it works! Her own comments are interspersed with clips from her long career, highlighting the maturing of a consummate artist. By the time you've viewed this, you'll know as much about Dusty as do her longest-standing fans (of whom I am one). The anecdotal comments from her peers in the industry give testament to the vast talent she shared with the world, and it becomes obvious that probably the only reason she did not maintain Superstar status throughout her career was because she was unwilling to compromise ANYthing. For those of us who have loved her for four decades and for those whose interest has just recently been piqued, this is a "must-have!" Thank you, Dusty, for this wonderful parting gift. In our hearts your immortality is assured!

Full Circle? Hmm..how about 3/4 of the circle?

This way too brief documentary, attempts to cover the vast musical history of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) pop singers of the 20th century, who's career spanned 40+ years, in just 1 hour. That was a foolish thought.

From her early days with the Lana Sisters and The Springfields, to her triumphant chart breaking smashes of the 60s, to her resurgence with the Pet Shop Boys in the late 80s, the program tries to give us a comprehensive look at Dusty's career, but leaves many many stones unturned. And some of them are sacriligiously left that way.

The problem is, by ignoring the vast high quality material from her "dark period" or "lost years" (roughly 1972-1987) when Dusty was not spinning out chart hits or simply not singing with any regularity, it denies the viewer the insight into Miss Springfield's highly complex character, her drive, her keen sense of artistry, and most importantly, of seeing (and hearing) Dusty at her peak vocally. Some of the work from 1970 -74 especially, is criminally overlooked.

Other than a brief clip (glorious as it is) from her Royal Albert Hall smash concert in 1979, and a stunning live rendition of "A House Is Not A Home" with Burt Bacharach himself at the piano (circa 1972?), we get nothing from the 70s Dusty whatsoever...

I suppose it's hard to get all the information out there, but Serena Cross's much superior British documentary, DEFINITELY DUSTY does a much better job at giving the viewer a complete (or somewhat more complete) picture of the reclusive icon.

The mock question and answer set-up with Jennifer Saunders (of ABFAB fame) and Dawn French hamming it up, is fun at first, but gets a little annoying towards the end and is somewhat distracting from the subject at hand. Who wants to waste precious time watching Miss French or Miss Saunders crack a stale joke when instead we could have more stunning musical footage of Dusty doing what she did best, singing Pop music with an amazing sensitivity and ear for subtle rhythms.

Nevertheless, i'd still like to see this on DVD, if nothing else for the stunning clips of live performances from knock-your-socks off renditions of "Dancing In The Streets" and "Nowhere To Run" to the sight of Dusty dueting with Jimi Hendrix, Tom Jones and even Marvin Gaye!

The video is an amazing archive of one of the best pop singers of all time. The clips and performances, many rare, are worth the price alone. The irreverant feel of the documentary is right-on since Dusty claimed to have an off- center sense of humor. The addition of UK icons French & Saunders as "interviewers" is icing on the cake! Buy this video and watch it regularly!

I bought this VHS when it first came out and my only complaint is that the company has not redone it for DVD. The VHS tape has a hissing in some spots that seems to be defects in the tape rather than from source material, which is mostly from the 1960s.

But this tape is worth the purchase. Two pieces of musical footage - Ms. Springfield singing "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" from her 1965 BBC TV series, and her rendition of "A House is Not a Home" from a 1970 Burt Bacharach TV show, make this an essential purchase for her fans. She was literally the greatest singer of the 20th century. But her affectations, such as the beehive hairdo and the heavy eye makeup seemed to detract some viewers from ever looking further at the woman who has been called The White Queen of Soul and who with her Dusty in Memphis classic album produced a work that Rolling Stone ranks among the 10 coolest pop records of all time. This lady was the real thing. Her career cooled off in the mid-70s after she announced her bisexuality and apparently after she may have received a throat injury of some sort. The Pet Shop Boys revived her career with "What Have I Done to Deserve This" I'll always be in their debt for this as it introduced me to Ms. Springfield as something other than the lounge singer I thought she was. Her perfect pitch and beautiful voice have placed her music at the top of my collection. Her other accomplishments include introducing Motown artiists to the UK in the 1960s.

I saw this originally on Bravo. I immediately went out and bought Dusty in Memphis and have purchased so many more CDs since.

This video takes on an unenviable task... to put within a one hour timeframe the full and expansive life of a major artist. Volumes of tapes and clips and sound bites exist, and I pity the person who had to make the choices.

Having read more about Ms. Springfield since, I understand that she was a reluctant interviewee, and that she actually agreed to this one because it also would send-up the celebrity interview format she found so pretentious. Yes, it would have been nice just to see the performance clips, one after another, but watching Dusty interact with French and Saunders, being human, knowing that the laugh was really on all those "Barbara Walter" wannabes... well, that is worth the price of the video to me.

I highly recommend this video as an introduction to Ms. Springfield as a musical artist, but also as a portrait of the wry, intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive woman she was. And I hope it's on DVD very soon.

From the early 60's to 1994, we are shown great file footage of Dusty and her "friends" as she sings her hit songs and shares "road stories" of touring the world. The highlight of the nearly one hour video is Dusty singing "A House is Not a Home," accompanied by Burt Bacarach on the piano. This is the Dusty Springfield you'll always remember and she's at the top of her form with this interpretation of the Dionne Warwick classic. This video is a tribute to Dusty whose nearly 40 years in the music business makes her a legend. You'll understand why her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 is long overdue. There's nobody like her, past or present, and this video proves it. Enjoy!

With guest appearances by Dionne Warwick, Martha Reeves, Burt Bacharach and the Pet Shop Boys, and including rare footage of Jimi Hendrix, this fascinating and revealing video celebrates the timeless and eclectic music of one of Britain's most loved and enduring stars. The video features extensive and rare archive footage, and Dusty herself is interviewed throught by the outrageous Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous fame. A truly entertaining video and a quite magical musical experience!

I miss Dusty Springfield. I bought the VHS version of this interview with the wonderful Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the hosts of a Full Circle. There were some interesting clips from Dusty's musical career. They shyed away from her sexual orientation which was a good thing because Dusty was part of this show and it had really nothing to do with her musical career. She should have been treated better even after her death. Dusty was too shy to talk about her personal life but she wasn't shy to talk about her music, fame, and pitfalls of being sucessful. This program was never meant to do anything to tarnish her wonderful image as one of Britain's greatest female singers. Even now, we miss her still. I'm grateful to the Pet Shop Boys for bringing her back in the 1980s. This video is a must for Dusty fans whether vhs or dvd. It doesn't matter.

This interview started out as a French & Saunders comedy piece as Dusty could be a hard interview. Instead, Dusty talked well and a lot. It is very clear and has a lot of music and archival stuff. If you like Dusty, make sure you get this one. Excellent. BTW, after Dusty started opening up, French & Saunders got out of the way and let her talk. Rare find.