Customer Reviews

NFL Films - Inside the Vault, Vols. 1-3

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

 

 

I felt compelled to write a review on this because I sorta feel conned. I bought this 3-disc set hoping for a little more than about 50 minutes on each disc. Film companies can fit hours and hours of footage on one DVD, why did NFL Films decide to stick less than an hour of footage on each disc? It doesn't make sense other than to be able to charge more for it. It's fascinating to watch and I love NFL Films but all this footage could have easily fit on one DVD. It's not like theres directors commentary or any real special features. One every disc they have little snipsets of individual players and the Sabol comments on them (Jim Brown is one example). Even with this, you're not getting any more than a little over an hour of material on each DVD. It's a great set but it's not worth the price at all

I really, really wanted to get this DVD...been waiting for NFL films to put together footage of the 1950's & 60's. But I was less then satisfied, anything on this DVD can be seen on TV, ESPN and now on the NFL channel. It's over produced with lots of talking which is OK if back up with video that last more then 30 seconds....each volume lasts 41 minutes, so you get only about two hours, but with lots of repetition. Bottom line- this is not for the serious fan...watch it on TV and not waste your money like I did.

"NFL Films: Inside the Vault 1960-1970," featuring Vols. 1-3 in the "Lost Treasures" series of outtakes, is ideal for longtime fans of NFL Films, particularly those who are curious about how the shows are produced. The DVD is also a lot of fun for football fans who are fascinated by the game's history.

NFL Films President Steve Sabol remarks early in the first disc on how great the old Kodak Ektachrome film stock looks, and wonders why it was discontinued. We wonder, too, as the footage is indeed stunning in its richness and clarity. As amazing as it looked on ESPN Classic on the "Lost Treasures" shows, the film is perfectly suited to a DVD presentation.

Disc 1, "At the Creation (1962-65)," explains how NFL Films was born. It's a familiar story to those who have been watching the shows for a while, even including founder Ed Sabol's recollections of the company's first production, the 1962 NFL Championship Game. But, against the backdrop of this pristine footage, we get more detail than ever before about the crew's struggles with somewhat primitive equipment, about how it learned what shots viewers liked and how to get more of the same; what kinds of shots the teams preferred, what they wanted left out, and so on.

Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of Disc 1, and of the entire set, is Steve Sabol's recollections and opinions about the kind of football prevalent in the NFL during the '60s. On the first disc, there's a chapter stop called "Roughnecks," in which Sabol talks about why the game was, in his view, more violent at the time. It wasn't just the sort of toughness NFL Films celebrates in some of its other productions like "Crunch Course;" rather, the violence of the period -- much of it blatantly dirty -- reflected a more casual attitude on the part of the still-emerging league. The NFL's later insistence on protecting quarterbacks and wide receivers was still far off, and the excitement of the footage is enough to make us wonder if such measures were best for the game.

Disc 2 looks at the rival AFL ("The Renegades (1960-69)"), why it seemed unlikely to succeed at the beginning; the tactical blunder by the NFL that kept it afloat long enough to justify a big TV contract with NBC in 1965 (the money from which gave it the clout to force a merger with the NFL); its wide-open style of play; and the more open racial policy that gave it a steady stream of African-American talent.

Disc 3, "The Merger (1970)," underscores some of the themes explored on the previous discs, while explaining some of the changes that came to the game in the early '70s. One memorable segment explores Sabol's disdain for the decade's new stadiums, such as Three Rivers, Riverfront, Veteran's, etc.

All three discs contain several short extra features. Some of these seem a bit too short, but are certainly entertaining.

The high quality of "Inside the Vault" is certainly sufficient to warrant a strong rating here.

It does make one wish, however, for a comprehensive DVD issue of NFL Films' most impressive productions, which are its yearly highlight films, as well as the game-length "Greatest Games" shows. For years, in its regular catalog, compilations of several vintage highlight films for teams like the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Baltimore Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys were available. Surely, in the DVD era, these should be showcased again. As it stands now, these older films are relegated to the company's Special Order service, at prices well beyond the reach of most fans.

In the meantime, it's safe to say that the best NFL DVD available is "Inside the Vault."

Given that this is a dvd produced by NFL Films, there is a certain amount of quality to this dvd that is to be expected, and it is evident here. Steve Sabol and John Facenda, along with all those slo-mo close-ups, are always enjoyable viewing, especially on DVD.

My one beef with the dvd was that it does focus a lot on NFL Films, and their struggle to film games, as opposed to what happened on the field. There are a lot of scenes of missed shots, out of focus, or too shadowy to use in the productions. You can see why many of these scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. So why bring them back here? Just to show how hard it is to focus on the ball.

There are previously excluded scenes that we are grateful to see now, but basically this dvd serves as a nice supplement to an NFL dvd library, but does not serve as the Standard Work.

This is part of an ongoing series from NFL films. They each seem to have been produced in successive years. 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Part one goes back to the beginnings of NFL films and talks about how the company came into being. The DVD contains some really classic shots from the early to mid 60's and is exclusively NFL stuff. No AFL on this one. The whole DVD is narrated by Steve Sabol. His father was the founder of NFL films.

Part two was my favorite being from an AFL city. This DVD is exclusively AFL footage of the original 10 AFL teams. Mostly mid to late 60's. All in color. Quality is amazing. Looks like most of this footage was shot last week. Not 35 years ago.

Part three focuses on the first year after the merger between AFL and NFL. 1970. Again the DVD is narrated by Steve Sabol and he talks mostly about the transition and how relatively smoothly this merger went.

I'm really looking forward to new additions to this series. Steve Sabol seems to indicate they have enough footage to produce these things forever.

I was torn between rating this 3 or 4 and I'll explain why later. The best feature of this documentary is the writing. I highly commend the creative "media types" who demonstrate how to turn "throw away" footage into something of value. They take out of focus shots, images out of frame, and shots interrupted by seagulls and turn it into useable material by incredibile writing. It shows if you are creative enough and "save everything" it can evenutally become marketable.

There are really tiers of components in this work. The most obvious is the history of the National Football League. At a second level is the history of technology to cover the events. Another tier is the popular culture component, i.e., team marketing and such. There's also mention of how stadiums changed over the years. Sports touches on much more than what happens on the field and the producers include those aspects in this work.

Going back to why I thought this documentary could be improved has to do with the language. The players' and coaches' questionable language is bleeped, but not the producer's, specifically Steve Sabol. He's a talented media person, but the excessive use of vulgarity is offensive. A person of his calibre should know that. Otherwise this is a classic work.

The Sabol Family were ahead of their time with the creation of NFL Films:The incredible game footage (a ton of it shot in slow motion) that was artistic, the legendary music of Sam Spence, the "Voice of God", John Facenda's narration; It was a heady brew that worked and continues to work. This 3 disc set is the ESPN Classic Lost Treasures series and it plays better here than on the original (cable) network run. Like with the CD THE POWER & THE GLORY: THE MUSIC OF NFL FILMS, bring on the next volume.

This is a great start to the series, wonderful for any football fanatic. The only problem is, this is only 3 episodes out of maybe 10 or 12; maybe more than that. I keep hoping they'll release the rest of the series, because this only scratches the surface.

From a hardcore NFL Films fan since age 5, this is truly the best NFL DVD on the market today. I got it and just sat in awe of how great it really is. With footage that even the hardest of the hardcores have not seen. Take my word for it, if I haven't seen it, it must be rare. I am a vetran of old NFL Films footage. If you have ever liked anything about NFL Films, go out and get this disc. You won't be sorry. The best thing for any babyboomer who remembers the great days,teams, and stars of the 60's & 70's. In a word AWESOME!!!

This is a great DVD. Steve Sabol is fantastic. This is for the major football geek. Watch it with the CD- NFL - The Power and the Glory. Football Heaven!!! There is nothing in this DVD you won't like. Great old footage. Only a little more John Facenda would be the only addition that would enhance this a little bit. Don't pass this up. Buy this and get the CD, you won't be sorry.