Product Details

• Actors: Paul McCartney
• Directors: Christopher Swann
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 4.1), English (PCM Stereo)
• Subtitles: 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: EMI Classics
• DVD Release Date: January 18, 2000
• Run Time: 133 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305614369
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,865 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Paul McCartney's Standing Stone" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This DVD presents the 1997 world premiere of Paul McCartney's Standing Stone, a 75-minute concert work performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, coupled with a 50-minute documentary based around the writing and studio recording of the piece. The music was composed as a follow-up to McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, and is inspired by McCartney's own poem. For this Celtic creation myth, the documentary explains how McCartney worked with computers to develop the score, and also features contributions from John Harle and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. Revealing a lot of McCartney's personality, the epic-musical fantasia Standing Stone is dynamically filmed in the Royal Albert Hall and shows just how far Sir Paul has come from simple three-chord love songs. There are elements of landscape music from the classic English tradition, passages of high musical drama by way of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, jazz sensibilities, and sentimental melodies straight out of Hollywood. If the sum is less than the impressive parts, Standing Stone is still a considerable achievement and the LSO performs with fire and eloquence. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description

artifact

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, May 20, 2000

By 

Amazon.customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul McCartney's Standing Stone (DVD)

I missed the telecast of this performance on A&E in 1997 when it came out, and it finally came out on DVD! Seems like Paul has a documentary film on everything he does, but this one was the best I've seen. One section shows how he wrote the piece on a computer, without reading music. Mostly though, it shows Standing Stone as a work in progress through subsequent rehearsals, etc, and variations made "on the fly" to the piece. A great documentary fitting to a great, under-appreciated musician who, since Flowers In The Dirt, is undoubtedly a better songwriter and more varied musician then he ever was as a Beatle. Some may disagree, but Flaming Pie gets more listens than Abbey Road around my place. The video of the concert is captivating, and the camera work is fairly active so you dont fall asleep staring at one musician! All else said, this is a great DVD which is packed with alot of good material and is well worth the (price).

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible work, January 12, 2000

By 

Mark J. Reardon (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul McCartney's Standing Stone (DVD)

I've waited two years for this DVD...and it was well worth it.. an incredible experience of sight and sound. Not only do you get the Albert Hall concert but a documentary on the flip side...and i swear it looks like Steve Miller hanging out beside Paul during the recording session!

BUY IT!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what an enhancement to the enjoyment of this piece of music!, March 19, 2001

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul McCartney's Standing Stone (DVD)

In some cases, enjoyment and appreciation of a work is enhanced by increased knowledge of the work. That is certainly the case with this video. For twenty-some dollars, you get a really insightful documentary of how Standing Stone came to be, rehearsals for the big Albert Hall concert, and the concert itself.

Revelatory - that is the only word.

Plus it's kind of cool to actually have so much material on a DVD that I have to flip it over. I get that retro feeling through my bones!