Customer Reviews

Sunshine Superman - The Journey Of Donovan

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

 

 

First off ...let me say that unlike the loads of "Unauthorized" documentaries on rock artists appearing on DVD by the truckload....this IS not such...its a legit life story with brilliant interviews and lots and lots of footage! I can't say enough about the absolute wonder that this is...the feature on disc one is 3 hours long! And the second disc has at least a couple hours more! If you are a fan you will be delighted..buy with absolute confidence that this is a legitimate history of Donovan supported by the man himself and he is the central character interviewed throughout!
I need to add I've finally made it through this huge wonder of goodies...wow..music videos, rare performances, recent unreleased video performances of new songs....its as though he took his entire store room of video and history of his life and crammed all the good bits onto these two DVDs..seriously hours of fun...loads of info...and a real interesting look inside the life and career of someone...who is interesting enough to warrant it!

The first disc, the actual documentary, is very interesting and most insightful. Donovan is an amazing man with a great, loving heart. You have to respect a man who stands up and speaks, sings, lives his life so completely and honestly.
The second disc is filled with extras; videos made before we called them that, songs from concerts, interviews, short films, wow! Thanks, Donovan! I am going to get as many of Donovan's concerts as I can hunt down. Not only has he made some of the most adventerous music of the sixties and seventies, but he still is with us creating music to help us think and laugh and love. (Check out his "Sutras" album for a great example of his newer music.)

For any Donovan fan or person interested in the reality of a rock stars life this beautifully produced DVD is the real thing. It is the classic rags to riches story with meteoric success followed by doubt and disillusion but redeemed by the love and spiritual guidance of his wife Linda.More even than the documentary of a life of pop stardom this is an historical archive which does much to redress the balance of current views of the Sixties and the importance of that time in establishing things such as Green issues that we now take for granted. Whether you are seeking the wonderful music, Sixties reverie or just a great story it is all here and much much more.

I am going to say right off the bat, if you are not a fan of Donovan than please do not buy this set. If you are remotely interested what this set has to offer than rent it. If you want a nice and lengthy look into the career of Donovan than this is for you.

This is a 2 DVD set, the first disc is a 3 hour documentary on the life of 60's folk musician Donovan. It is an interview with the man himself in which he takes you on his "journey" through his life and history as a musician via vinatge performance clips and private films. Other interviews include his wife Linda, his arranger James Cameron, luthier Danny Ferrington and not much else. Unfortunately, some friends of Donovan are no longer with us such as Mickey Most, George Harrison, Keith Moon, Brian Jones, and Gram Parsons. Other contemporaries from the era are conspicuous from the absence, which is a shame; it would have been nice to have Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Danny Thompson, Shawn Philips or John Paul Jones talk about their involvement with Donovan. But then again maybe the blame should be laid at the director's feet. I would think in better hands the story would have been more varied with many different points of view if more of Donovan's contemporaries were interviewed. However, that does not mean it is a bad documentary either. Donovan tells his story like the story teller he is.

People have criticized about how Donovan's pontifical nature is off putting. To me he comes off like a teacher showing those who are interested in him how and what moved him artistically and musically. I have never walked away from any musical documentary and not think the subject had a big ego. You have to have a big ego and a sense of arrogance about yourself in the arts so I was not surprised about some of his posturing.

The second disc contains 2 hours of live performances, the "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" promo film, extended interviews and performances of songs as well as trip into Donovan's archives. While not as elaborate as a certain Canadian with an even bigger ego as Donovan's, it is kind of fun.

If you are a fan of Donovan and music documentaries than this is for you, at 5 hours you are getting your money's worth along with a booklet of liner notes and photos. Be forewarned Donovan is the main man here; you are not going to get any interviews with other musicians from the era which rather narrows the scope of the story. However, that is not really up to me now is it?

Oh by the way, all you people who say that Donovan stole from Bob Dylan well Dylan stole from Woody Guthrie, so there.

If you love Donovan's music and are interested in his career, this is worth getting. It is really well put together, lots of interview footage in multiple locations done especially for this film, plus lots of old footage of all sorts edited in. The bonus DVD contains full length runs of some old videos, recent performances, etc.

It IS introspective and a little self-congratulatory in places, and pretty open and honest in others. Very high production values throughout.

I've been a big Donovan fan for years and have always wanted to get a visual on his early years.I read his autobiography Hurdy Grudy Man first and I finally got to know who this singer song writer is.This DVD is the visual to me of his book and nararated by Donovan himself which made it even better.You get to see him interacting in relationships with Gypsy Dave,his wife Linda and so many other people in his life that we know of during his carrer.

I'm a huge Donovan fan. I own all the vinyl. I still find relevance in his music. But this DVD was so disappointing. Donovan is unnatural in his narrative posture, boastful and ultimately insecure, leading me to feel queezy and embarrassed for him. He is long winded in his awkward self servitude. I'll buy a new album if it comes out, and probably give this embarrassing dvd to a fan who adores him above and beyond his legitmate musical contributions. I have seen Donovan in concert a couple of times in the last few years and sadly, his pomposity too often eminates from the stage as well.

For those who love Donovan and his music, this is a must have DVD. It is both enlightening and entertaining. Very well done and a journey worth taking

If you are someone who only wants to hear the good I'll get that in first and then you can exit. I was impressed with the musicianship and songwriting of the young Donovan. "Catch the wind" is really a beautiful tune and his songwriting, voice, and guitar playing as a young man were all very fine. I am a child of the fifties and a musician and have played and sung some of his music in bands myself without ever really investigating Donovan the person. I am even more impressed with some parts of Donovan's music than I was prior to seeing this. I wish he had stopped talking long enough to let us really listen to some of his earlier music, the little bit I could hear was quite good.


Now, you may exit if you don't want to hear the negative. Even in the context of Donovan being a pop star from my favorite era, the size of his ego is astounding. It takes a while for it to really hit you. I would advise folks who still want to like Donovan as a person when they are done watching this to watch only the first hour or so. By the time the third hour is up you want to write him a letter and tell him that he did not, actually, invent air.

I suspect that the Producer and Director of this was Donovan himself, whoever else may be listed on the credits. At least two and a half hours of the three are just Donovan talking about Donovan and always saying something really nice, if not even things that are embarrassingly so. The first impression you have is that he is quite an intelligent fellow and has a wide range of interests and many rich experiences. By the end you wonder why, if meditation and promoting meditation are such strong issues of his later years, does he still have such a monstrous ego and such intense issues with attachment. By comparison with Donovan, Paul McCartney is modest. Even a true egomaniac could be intelligent enough to hide it during interviews, and Donovan seems to be quite intelligent, so it's a puzzle.

I once knew a man, a famous man, named Velikovsky. Velikovsky lived in Princeton and so had met Einstein, who also lived there. This confused him into thinking that he WAS Einstein and he wrote several absurd books in which he claimed that Earth had collided with Venus in recent historical time. When questioned on his crazy conclusions he loved to talk about his good friend and fellow scientist Einstein, although Einstein in fact had expressly told him he was on the wrong track. I mention this because Donovan hung out with the Beatles and many other famous pop musicians and he also got confused it seems. There is good reason that Donovan the songwriter does not enjoy the repute of Lennon-McCartney, Dylan, or Hendrix. Mellow Yellow or Hurdy-Gurdy Man do not compare in their social influence or level of musicianship with Eleanor Rigby, She's Leaving Home or Across the Universe, to name just a few. Donovan was very talented, but, all in all, not at that level. By the end of his documentary I really felt like I'd like to see someone tell him that.

Why was it not enough for him that he has had fame, fortune, popularity, and a generally rich and happy life? It's a kind of pathetic greed, he has had it all, but despite his long description of his huge interest in meditation, it does not seem to have worked for him, he needs still more and more public love, fame, recognition, and attention. This I just found to be really sad and I think it greatly diminishes him.

This is a remarkable documentary. If you've ever been a fan of Donovan, you will enjoy his thoughtful reflection on his career. This is probably one of the best documentaries on a pop star that I've ever seen. It is so thoughtfully and beautifully put together that is difficult with which to find fault. The presentation is as easy going and insightful as Donovan's music. If I have a complaint, it would be that few of the songs are presented in their entirety. It would have been grand to have been given at least one complete video of each of his songs, but that isn't how Sunshine Superman plays out, and I'm okay with that. As it is, it is a remarkable treat, and I am thoroughly satisfied with having had an opportunity to see the entire three hour production. Simply wonderful. What great insight into a creative mind, as well as the 60s.