Product Details

• Actors: Harry Nilsson
• Directors: John Scheinfeld
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Lorber Films
• DVD Release Date: October 26, 2010
• Run Time: 116 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003VZNAUS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,014 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you see one rock doc this year, make it HARRY NILSSON... Close to genius, in fact. --Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

A lively documentary... exposure to the film should cause audiences to make room on their iPods for some serious downloading. --The Hollywood Reporter

Entertaining, informative and incredibly emotional. --Aint It Cool News

Product Description

Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? is a wildly entertaining, star-studded documentary that tells the story of one of the most talented and versatile singer-songwriters in pop music history and the man The Beatles dubbed their favorite American musician. The Grammy® Award-winners Everybody s Talkin and Without You ... the quirky Coconut ( Put de lime in de coconut... )... the whimsical Me And My Arrow, and the poignant One ( ...is the loneliest number )... these recordings are all the work of Harry Nilsson. The documentary, which Ain t It Cool News said, is everything a great documentary needs to be, reveals his spirited relationship with John Lennon and close bond with Ringo Starr, as well as Harry the legendary bad boy party animal who was at the same time a devoted husband and father. Director John Scheinfeld brings added emotion and intimacy to the story with over 50 Nilsson recordings, rare or never-before-seen film clips, home movies and personal photos. To this are added compelling interviews with top music and movie personalities who knew Harry well. They include Micky Dolenz, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Al Kooper, Randy Newman, Yoko Ono, Van Dyke Parks, The Smothers Brothers, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams, Robin Williams, Brian Wilson and many others. As film critic Leonard Maltin noted, Who Is Harry Nilsson? is a vivid portrait of a gifted man...what a great reminder of his talent. The DVD also contains 93 minutes of Bonus Material Deleted Scenes, Extended Sequences, an Alternate Ending and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 141 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive and Moving Portrait of a Complex Man August 15, 2010

By Elizabeth Calderon

Format:DVD

I have seen the final version of this film, having been to a screening at the Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans.

I am simply blown away by this documentary. I'd been waiting to see it for four years, and I was convinced that because I had such high expectations, that it would disappoint. I am thrilled to say that the film not only met my expectations, but actually exceeded them.

This film is a brutally honest look at the man, Harry Nilsson. It shows how beautifully talented he was, and how everyone around him truly loved him, but it did not shy away from the wild antics that were ultimately Harry's downfall. One interviewee made the statement, "Harry was like a big bunny rabbit with really sharp teeth." I think that the film shows just how appropriate that statement is.

There were times that I laughed out loud and times that I came close to openly sobbing. I have a feeling that if I had not been at a public viewing, I would have been openly sobbing.

The director mentioned that this final version has a different ending than what he originally screened several years ago. I have not seen that first ending, but I can say that if Harry was able to comment on the version I saw, that he would approve. It was funny, sad, and poignant, all rolled into one. I don't think Harry would have wanted it any other way.

This is a vivid portrait of a very complex man. There was the raw talent and potential, the self-destructive behavior, the loving father and husband, the alcoholic, the activist. All of these were Harry Nilsson. Even someone who didn't know of Harry before this film would be moved.

NOTE ADDED ON 10/17/10: I want to try to write quality reviews that are helpful to people.... If you find my review to be unhelpful, please leave a comment and let me know how I could improve! Or, even better, if you did find my review helpful, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks.

NOTE ADDED ON 11/17/10:

It was suggested that I add a note about the special features, so here you go:

There is a great extended scene concerning Without You, and another extra that features Remember. There are many more extras that are incredible, and they're pretty much all extended scenes. I'll list their titles for you:

Trailer
Loneliness - This is a music video that Harry did with Yoko Ono. I believe this is Yoko's song.
Washington Hotel
Singer
Soungwriter
Nilsson Schmilsson
Without You
A Little Touch
Try
Adventures
Human Fly
Monty Python
Fools
Generosity
Family
Annie
Harry
Remember (which is the original ending. The final cut is far superior, I believe, to this original ending). Read more ›

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally Coming To DVD!!! July 21, 2010

By R. Greene

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I saw this superb documentary that brings Harry Nilsson to vivid life in a theatre in Santa Monica several years ago and am delighted that it is finally coming to DVD. You really get a sense of the manic, wild ride that was the life of Nilsson in this film told by the people who loved him. I can't wait to see it again and it sounds like there is some great bonus material as well. The story of his close friendship with Ringo is quite touching. Even the stories of his funeral, taking place during the roaring aftershocks of the Northridge earthquake, are heartfelt and hilarious.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Film! October 18, 2010

By A. Reader

Format:DVD

I can't say enough good things about this movie. It's reverent without being obsequious; moving without being melodramatic; insightful, thorough, funny- they really did such a wonderful job.

As for the subject himself- what a truly compelling character! Even if you are only nominally familiar with Nilsson and his music, this movie is pretty much guaranteed to make you a fan.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Amazing- September 24, 2010

By Jonathan Nigro

Format:DVD

This is the kind of documentary I always look for. It's such a great journey. The influence he had over the music world, both personally and artistically, is just staggering. More than that, it delves into the man himself. He had such heart, spirit, and talent that I was totally blown away. It's an incredible examination of a very wonderful and creative time in music history and one of it's biggest, yet unknown, players. I couldn't help but revisit my modest Nilsson collection, and pursue some more...I'm very glad I did. What a cool movie.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant Doc! September 24, 2010

By olivia

Format:DVD

I was lucky enough to catch this movie in New York when it played at Cinema Village. The whole audience was caught up in the poignant and eye-opening story. I think this movie is a gem for Nilsson fans, but does a great job telling the story to the uninitiated as well.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Without understanding November 25, 2010

By J. L LaRegina

Format:DVD

The documentary WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN' ABOUT HIM)? says it all in its title. Although it sounds like a query of purpose, I think that question - "Who is Harry Nilsson and why is everybody talking about him?" - is the film's conclusion. The most esteemed talents in the arts are Harry Nilsson fans, but does anyone understand the man?

Director John Scheinfeld does not give himself a head start, making WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? over a decade after the singer-songwriter's untimely 1994 death. The best Scheinfeld can do is present original discussions with the artist's family, friends, and admirers while relying on film archive and audio recordings of Nilsson for the rest of the story.

I own half a dozen Nilsson albums, having picked up on him from both his music on the radio and being a Beatles fan noting Nilsson's contributions to Ringo Starr's and John Lennon's records and theirs to his. WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? leaves me thinking Nilsson's association with the Beatles may have been both a blessing and a curse to his career. John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's late 1960s public admiration of Nilsson help his songs get on the radio. But being the pal of the biggest band in history, Nilsson lets music fans forget what he's all about. Had the Beatles kept their appreciation private, Nilsson's talent probably would have led to commercial success on it own terms anyway, maybe even greater than it was with a little help from those friends. We'll never know.

Nor may we ever find out what happens when Harry Nilsson visits the Beatles in England, as according to his record producer Rick Jarrard, he returns home to America a changed man. WHO IS HARRY NILSSON?... does not explore the topic beyond that but perhaps another of its interview subjects, musician and Nilsson cousin Doug Hoefer, lets us add one plus one by recalling Nilsson was tight-lipped about his feelings.

Harry Nilsson does not help establish his public persona by never touring, WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? reminds us. With desertion by his father when Nilsson was age 3, two broken marriages, and alcoholism, we can guess why Nilsson seeks to communicate through his music while retreating as a person. But it would only be a guess, lest armchair psychologists have something to say.

What a damned shame we lost Harry Nilsson so young. This documentary explains his shot voice would never allow him to have a hit record again, but who knows what great songs Nilsson had yet to compose.

Did I miss it, or does WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? neglect to mention as well-known a Nilsson contribution as any, his theme song for television's THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER?

Regarding Harry Nilsson's album of standards A LITTLE TOUCH OF SCHMILSSON IN THE NIGHT, one or two in WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? make it sound as though Nilsson was the first in the rock 'n roll era to make such a record. However, Ringo Starr, of all people, did the same several years before Nilsson with his album SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY.

I feel bad for Harry Nilsson's first two wives, at least in the context of this documentary. When Nilsson dies, we see only his third wife Una getting public support, as if the first two do not exist.

If nothing else, here's hoping WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? earns Nilsson some new fans and inspires older music lovers to place those records back on their turntables. This documentary may not help you fathom Harry Nilsson, but you have to respect a recording artist who chooses a blurry photo of himself wearing a bathrobe as the album cover of what would be his signature release - and makes fun of his own name by titling it NILSSON SCHMILSSON.

See WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN' ABOUT HIM)?. Read more ›