Customer Reviews

SNL - First 5 Years

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This DVD is a documentary special about the cast and crew from those years, and while it is interesting, it is still the same thing you already got if you read "Live From New York." All in all it is okay but I was expecting a standard SNL DVD full of the old skits. That's what I plunked my $ down for. Not for this. So if you're looking to buy this for sketches, beware. On a lighter note, the Best of Aykroyd is perfection.

How is it that all the other SNL dvd's have comedic clips and this one is a documentary? And its not even funny! This is just to cash in on the success of the individual performer dvd's. The dvd is actually 2 documentaries, and neither are really worth watching since they are the same thing really. I think they had two runner's up and just put both on the disc.
The remaining members of the original cast and crew talk a little bit about what it was like doing the show or what it was like working with comedian 'X'...
Save your money, or if you must have this, buy mine please.

I usually read reviews before I buy stuff on Amazon, but for some reason I didn't this time and boy, was that a mistake!

Since purchasing this DVD and being sorely disappointed that there was not ONE sketch presented in its entirety, I went back to read the other reviews and they are all right on the money! This DVD is grossly mis-represented as classic sketches from the first 5 years of SNL and it is NOTHING like that. It is simply a documentary about the first five years with lots of interviews from various people involved (cast members, producers, hosts, etc). The only time I found myself laughing or enjoying myself was when there was a short clip of a sketch. Yes, that's right, a SHORT clip. There was not ONE sketch showed in its entirety. And even the short clips were few and far between.

I am sorry that I can't return this DVD and since it sucks so bad, I'm guessing that I won't be able to sell it used either. So I am stuck with it. But let that be a lesson to all of us consumers out there: READ REVIEWS when they are available. The corporate world is trying to stick it to us whenever they can so we have to watch out for each other!

Do NOT buy this DVD!!!! It is a RIP OFF!!!!

I hate to quote Dr. Phil, but this DVD is a documentary which aired as a special on NBC. I knew that when I bought it, but apparently this escaped a few people who have given this a negative rating. This documentary, directed by Kenneth Bowser, is amazing, featuring interviews with Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman, Steve Martin, Buck Henry, Dick Ebersol and countless others on the original staff. The stuff he couldn't use on the original broadcast due to time constraints Bowser has seen fit to make another, companion documentary. I can't tell you how fascinating these programs are, you get to go inside and see how the creative process works. It's great stuff...what is the matter with you people?!

Like some reviewers I was expecting only classic SNL skits from 1975-1980. Instead this dvd is a documentary about the first five years with interviews from the original cast and people who hosted the show, along with excerpts from many skits. But I am not going to complain like the knuckleheads who buy a dvd from the Classic Albums series and say "Where are the music videos!?". I enjoyed the interviews with Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, etc. about what was going on around the show. I discovered some things about SNL that I never knew. At 2 1/2 hours it's a good deal. I just wish it were twice as long.

I have to say I'm a little surprised by the negative reviews on this program... No, it's not just a collection of SNL skits -- as those are readily available on other collections and in reruns.

But this was, at least to me, a rather engrossing little special (originally airing in Feb. 2005 to commemorate the show's 30th upcoming anniversary) that did a nice job of trying to capture the flavor of the era when SNL was first getting off the ground in the mid-to-late '70s.

Maybe I'm just be overly sentimental in that I remember the period and the show's start, but I felt this was worth the watch and worth having as a decent piece of retrospective memorabilia, at least.

This is not a "Best of" compilation and does not claim to be. But it is a must-see for any Saturday Night Live fan. It's an amazing inside look at the birth of this landmark show. Through interviews, hilarious clips, and musical performances, take a journey through the early days of SNL. Those who were around to watch in 1975 will relive some classic moments and get some behind-the-scenes insight into the struggle to get them on the air in the first place. And those who are new to the original cast will never see the current SNL the same way again. It pales in comparison.

While there are some good highlights from the first five years, this DVD is a really long documentary more interested in glorifying the self-righteous cast members than giving us the clips which made the show great. Definitely not worth buying.

I wish I could issue a negative rating. I would give it a -5. This DVD doesn't have one complete skit. It's liner note states " The Coneheads, Rosanne Rosannadanna, Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger", well, you won't find any of these skits on this DVD.

It sounds as if you're getting a "Best of..." deal with all the skits you'd expect to see. However, this DVD is mostly documentary with only small skit portions thrown in. Buy it if you're into history, not comedy...