28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quite good, actually., December 14, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Smiths - The Complete Picture (DVD)
This collection is loathed by many, and I imagine it would be a shock to those expecting slickly-produced, MTV quality videos. But we are talking about The Smiths here, not a group known for their willingness to do videos. Quite the opposite, in fact. Add in the fact that the Smiths existed during the 1980s, when even the best videos reveled in cheesy glory. :)
I quite enjoy the Top of the Pops appearances, which are what this DVD is largely comprised of. Yes, they are rather gaudy, over the top, and *very* 80s, which is precisely why I'm so fond of them. For those of us who never got to see the Smiths perform anywhere, this provides an opportunity to watch Morrissey sashay his way through many of their best known hits, complete with hearing aid and a small thicket in his back pocket.
The Derek Jarman films are visually interesting, although frankly they make me a bit dizzy. The sound quality is good, and the menu makes song selection easier. If you're a diehard fan, you should own this. If you're simply someone who liked a few of their bigger hits, well, I wouldn't bother.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Smiths Live and on Video, September 21, 2005
This review is from: The Smiths - The Complete Picture (DVD)
Although several of the performances were obviously staged, in general, the product is well worth the purchase for fans of the band. Lets face it, this is now a dead group who hasn't played a song together in almost 20 years, and anything that you can "get your hands on" at this stage is worth paying money for. It is a piece of history. Aside from this DVD, the only other Smiths video and performance products I have been able to purchase have included several very old performances on tape, which were not of good quality. I would recommend this to anybody who is a fan of the Smiths. Its a "must have" if you like the music, and want to go back in time to reminisce an era that once was, and will never be again. But it was certainly a lot of fun when we all lived through it. The Smiths looked every bit "themselves" on the DVD, as they did when they performed here in the states during the 1980s.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent early to mid-eighties footage sure to delight, November 16, 1999
By A Customer
Altogether, a terrific summary of who the Smiths were and a very valid representation of what they presented to the stage. Such classics as "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" playfully take off the 60's hit of the similar title, "Heaven Knows I'm Missing Him Now" and "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" is charming for the Moz sports the word "Bad" on his neck, written in black. Ultimately, Derek Jarman's video consisting of songs from the classic album "The Queen is Dead" drags on, and to me is rather boring, but the aforementioned appearance from "The Top of the Pops" makes up for it 10x over. My only complaint, where are all of the other hits? And that is why, I guess, it is ironically titled "The Complete Picture"
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