Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Stereo)
• Subtitles: None
• 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: Chrome Dreams
• DVD Release Date: February 21, 2006
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000CFX67M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,927 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The fact that Syd Barrett – Under Review was released a few short months before its subject's death (in July, 2006) is the kind of poignant coincidence that may help sell a few more copies--especially in England, where the songwriter-guitarist and Pink Floyd founder's legend burns on. Others, however, may wonder how a guy who effectively disappeared from the music scene after completing just three albums (one with the band and two solo) some 35 years before his demise could inspire the kind of praise and serious analysis radiating from this unauthorized documentary. As is the Under Review custom (cf. the far more entertaining Captain Beefheart volume), the film offers a parade of journalists and other authorities holding forth on Barrett's brief career, which began with the early (1967) Pink Floyd singles "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" and disappared in a haze of mental illness, at least some of it drug-induced, after his second solo album in 1970. Fans will revel in the ancient film footage from the "videos" made for the singles and assorted other sources, and while that's certainly the main attraction, both film and audio bits are too often interrupted by some pundit elucidating the meaning of it all. Of course, if debating the merits of the studio chatter included on Side Two of the Barrett album makes your tea kettle whistle, then you're in the right place. But the feeling here is that a little more music and a lot less talk could have made this much more fun. Extras include a trivia quiz and profiles of the contributors; the latter list does not include the other members of Pink Floyd, but they can be found on an earlier documentary, The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story. --Sam Graham

Product Description

SYD BARRETT:UNDER REVIEW - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes I'm Thinking..., April 4, 2006

By 

Kyle A. Hamilton (Traverse City, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Syd Barrett - Under Review (DVD)

Is this DVD any good? Is there any new Syd Barrett news? Is it another re-hash? Yes on all counts. If you are at Amazon reading this review, then buy the DVD. If you are enough of a fan to get this far, you should own Under Review. If you are a Floyd fan just getting to know Syd's work, then you should also buy this DVD. Syd was much more than a founder of Floyd. A history lesson will only deepen your appreciation of the band. This is a good companion to the previous DVD release, but much more objective. Of special value is the timeline of his story. You get a better sense of how Syd and his music changed over the short period of time he was musically productive. You get perspective on just how precarious things were as early as Arnold Lane. You also get perspective on how functional he was as late as Barrett. The clips are historic and the analysis is pretty solid. In my humble opinion, there was never anything on Earth like Syd's music. It irresistibly pulls you in to a foreign place that you've always been.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FOLLOW THE MONEY, November 23, 2006

By 

Kerry Leimer (Makawao, Hawaii United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Syd Barrett - Under Review (DVD)

This DVD is a slightly above average look at Syd's work, with some genuine insight provided by Chris Welch and others. Especially interesting are Hugh Hopper's recollections of recording sessions for "The Madcap Laughs" and his descriptions of the music are the most thoughtful and worthwhile -- if for no other reason than we get to see the reaction of a genuine musician to the work of an artist using music. His comments and those of a few others directly affected by Barrett's work add some first- and second-hand accounts which are sorely lacking from the typical voice-over documentaries designed to do little more than feed off of the fan base (kinda sorta like this very DVD?). That said, this short documentary is also a good complement to the books "Random Precision" and "Madcap" by Tim Willis, and better and somewhat more thoughtful than the shorter still "The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story" DVD.

While all these sources tend to speculate on what went wrong, not a single one mentions what might also be a contributing reason for Syd's disappearance -- his general lack of interest in the commercial aspects of the music business. Referred to indirectly as "pressure" it's really more about deadlines like "Pink Floyd needs a follow-up single" and "Pink Floyd needs an American Tour", all of which translate as "Harvest Needs More Revenue" in the universal language of money. It's worth rehashing all the pre-existing mental states, the drugs, but all these factors seem exacerbated by the siren call of commerce which Syd either can't or won't acknowledge. Perhaps this point can't be discussed in public given the business demands of the music industry are treated as sacrosanct. Best example: funny how we continue to think of these individuals as artists while to the industry they must surely be little more than "industrial workers". But also given the tenor and tone of much of Syd's work and the broader context of the summer of love, addressing the corrupting commercial element and its profoundly negative effect on any number of artists needs to be addressed with greater frankness -- here and elsewhere.

But for those who have followed and made a study of Syd's short career the real value here resides in some rare footage that also offers good sound quality. To take matters back into the world of commerce, for the money, this is a decent enough addition to the Barrett canon. But the work and the life still deserve more.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Syd Barrett, RIP, July 18, 2006

By 

Andrew Kruczek (Dearborn, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Syd Barrett - Under Review (DVD)

I just finished watching this all too brief documentary on the late Syd Barrett. The first half was really good.. with a lot of footage I had never seen.. but I was disappointed in all the footage I've heard about that wasn't included. It focused mostly on his music and didn't touch his decline much, so stuff like "Vegetable Man" and "Scream Thy Last Scream" isn't mentioned. They spend more time on Madcap than Piper, but it is a very interesting and informative look at the man's musical legacy.. I was just looking for more on what happened to him.. and all the footage/interviews of him acting strange toward the end of his time with the band. It's glossed over pretty quickly. For the price, it could have been longer.