Customer Reviews

Live in Concert [VHS]

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is quite possibly the finest piece of stand-up comdey ever captured on film. Richard Pryor is at his absolute best, and the material is identifiable, thought provoking, and most of all, uproariously funny. The first fifteen or twenty minutes is an incredible outburst of energy, and will have the viewer laughing out loud almost non-stop. Pryor is great at turning everyday occurances into something everybody can laugh at, and even painful moments can transform into material. There are not enough words in the english language to adequately describe how funny this performance is, and I have personally seen it nearly 10 times. The language is strong, but this really does not diminish or distract from the material itself.

My only observation may be that the negative reviews have all been for the DVD copy, which evidently is not up to quality standards. This is certainly not the case with the video cassette version, and I can only recommend that this edition be purchased. All other reviews have been 5/5 stars, and the poor quality DVD edition should be taken off the market until it can be remastered.

While the past few decades have seen the emergence of tons of comedians who spit out swears and graphic subject matter with reckless abandon, precious few have taken offensive subject matter and turned it into something intelligent and entertaining at the same time. Denis Leary, Bill Hicks, and Dave Chappelle come to mind when I think of such a select group, but Richard Pryor may well have towered over them all. And 1979's Richard Pryor: Live in Concert may have been his definitive document. This 90-minute standup DVD sees Pryor giving a manic, imaginative, deliriously profane performance that had the audience in the palm of his hand from beginning to end. A master impersonator with a vast pantheon of characters and voices, Pryor didn't just talk about his subjects, he *became* them; he acted out every person, every story, and every idea to the fullest extent possible, constantly blurring the line between real and make-believe. Jokes about animals quickly gave way to spot-on imitations, whether of the inner thoughts of Dobermans or of his pet monkey's illicit sexual activities. Pryor's musings about racial differences in expressing grief were funny and insightful, but they were merely a setup for an outrageous recounting of his grandmother's reaction to his cocaine habit. There are also plenty of brutally honest stories about Pryor's life with his father, ranging from his father's death in mid-coitus ("he came and went at the same time"), to the one time Pryor stood up to his old man ("It wasn't really a fight, but I did the best I could"), and their time hunting together ("I hated being the dog"). Pryor's honesty and insightfulness come out in plenty of other places too, from his troubles with the law to his heart attack to his less-than-stellar boxing career. All throughout, though, no matter what the subject, Pryor piles on joke after insight after impression with pitch-perfect timing and plenty of scatological language. For those of any age, race, or political leaning, this is a must-see.

One can't say enough about how really funny this concert is. This concert shows Richard Pryor at his very best. There are so many bits, including "The Heart Attack," "Shooting the car," "The Pet Monkey," that it's unfair to begin to list the laugh-so-hard-that-you're-crying material. Now, to the bad news. The mastering of this tape is the worst I've ever seen. Period, bar none. While the picture is acceptable (obviously no time or expense to improve on the VHS product), it is the sound that is really disconcerting. A good half of the DVD, the sound is out of sync with the picture (I know this because I returned my first copy as being defective and got a new one that was exactly the same). It is unforgivable to see the lack of care that was put into this product. No extra features of notable mention. It is trully a shockingly poor representation of one of the all-time great comedians at his comic best.

This DVD is a travesty. This is one of the great stand up comic shows of the last 50 years and yet the DVD sound track is off by so much that it is distracting. Stay away. Perhaps the VHS tape is better.

This is the funniest 90 minutes of my life!

However, the audio syncing on the DVD is SO BAD that it is extremely distracting. Buy the VHS version.

Live in Concert is Richard Pryor's best stand up comedy routine by a comedian ever! Finally, this concert has been given the respect it deserved and has been REMASTERED! HBO Home Video has done a fine job of REMASTERING this concert. There is no more ghosting of the images like the horrendous MPI version (which by the way, I own and can now turn into a coaster or frizbee!) GET THE HBO HOME VIDEO 2006 REMASTERED version!

The writer Stanley Crouch chose a fine time to write his article in the New York Daily News about Richard's "flawed legacy", how he perpetuated the stereotypes and attitudes that are at least in part responsible for the current state of our culture. We knew Crouch to be a mediocre writer but now we have enough evidence to understand that he is intellectually retarded as well (in addition to having an absurdly volatile temper). In his attempt to set up Pryor and Cosby as binary opposites, he reveals nothing about either performer and everything about his colossal misunderstanding and if he ever sobers up into reality he will be ashamed of himself. At its highest point, art is not here to enshrine anyone's values, it is here to expand consciousness. "Pryor reached for anything that would make white America uncomfortable." These can only be the musings of a man who has not done his homework on his subject or who has only processed the information necessary for him to push his feeble viewpoint.
This DVD is the best video document we have of Pryor in concert, taped in Long Beach, featuring his timeless impressions of women, children, animals, winos, his musings on Ali, Leon Spinks, rednecks-- his tremendous physical and emotional expression, his frailty and his humanity. "Here and Now" and "Live on the Sunset Strip" are also astonishing, but here Rich is at his most unleashed.

It's safe to say that NO other live stand-up comedy show can equal to "Richard Pryor Live in Concert", not even his others. This was a rare magical night when everything went right. Amazingly, he put more than 100% into this comedy act and it shows! Richard Pryor commands the entire stage for his outstanding physical performance.

Known for his observational humor, he shares insight into his family and with his grandmother. In his act, he seems to show just a little more respect for women than some comedians brash do. Pryor pokes a lot of fun at himself, his troubles with his wife and the law. His humor works for a variety of people regardless of ethnicity!

He brilliantly takes on the voices of many characters and furthermore, he interjects the voice and thoughts of his dogs, and monkeys and he even takes on the voice that attacks the heart (experiencing a heart attack). He translates to us the voice of body parts. Pryor is hilarious at imitating the white man, vocally and physically.

Yes, there is profanity, but he is NOT as disgusting or crude as so many others. Like most comedians of his type, there are always the sex routines and his are acceptable without being harsh or crude.

To say this is funny is an understatement. It is hysterical with nonstop laughter throughout. Some routines are his fear of swimming, running to be in shape, the Chinese stutterer, in the woods, boxing, grandmother and cocaine, and his role as a parent - that classic bit when he finds his kid in a lie.

This 1979 90-minute performance is a classic! It's easy to see why Pryor is a major influence on the best comedians around....(Rizzo)

This is by far Richard Pryor's best taped concert. I saw it with my college roommate for the first time. He had already seen it, and he was laughing at me because I was laughing so hard that it literally brought tears to my eyes!

Then I bought the tape a few years later and watched it with my wife. She was laughing so hard that she missed most of the dialogue the first time around. She had to watch it again to catch what she had missed.

It's Richard Pryor at his rudest, crudest best-talking about his squirrel monkeys, run-ins with the police, heart attacks, drug use, sex, hunting and being an amateur boxer.

If you want to laugh your ... off, get this tape! It's hilarious!

The film itself is one of the funniest movies ever made - definitely five stars. However, the transfer to DVD is abysmal in that the soundtrack rarely coincides with the video so one of Mr. Pryor's greatest assets, his facial expressions, are annoying out of sync. Too bad - wait for a remastered version!