Philles/Motown Gary
09-26-2014, 04:02 AM
I watched MOTOWN 25 - Disc 1 into the middle of the night, and it was a real treat! Disc 1 is broken down into three basic sections:
1) The Main Program [[as aired, I believe, although when Diana Ross was on stage, speaking to Berry Gordy who was sitting in the audience, it did NOT show Berry flashing Diana the victory sign like it had done in the VHS version. I haven’t watched the Extended version of Motown 25 yet, as it’s on one of the other 5 discs, so there’s still hope).
2) The Performances - This is an individual chapter-by-chapter breakdown of each individual artist’s performance during the main show. If you want to quickly access Stevie Wonder’s performance, you simply select "Stevie Wonder" and you’re there within seconds.
3) Bonus Material - This section is sub-divided into two categories, and this is where the real fun begins:
Motown 25 Performer’s Roundtable - Smokey Robinson, Duke Fakir of the Four Tops, Otis Williams of The Temptations, and Suzanne DePasse talk about Motown and the show itself and the fun they had with so many members of the Motown family coming together as it did, if only for one night. Fun – and funny at times, too!
Signed, Sealed & Delivered - The Making Of Motown 25 - This was my favorite! So many things went right the night of Motown 25's filming, and yet a few things nearly went horribly wrong – Stevie Wonder almost didn’t show up for his segment because he thought he could wait until the next morning to film his portion of the show, only to be told, "There IS NO TOMORROW MORNING, Stevie!" Arriving late, Stevie showed up only moments before his scheduled performance. Marvin Gaye’s sharp-looking white suit that he wore during his performance was actually his street clothes. What looked like an elegant red smoking jacket that he wore for the big finale was supposed to be worn during Marvin’s main performance, but, like Stevie, it arrived a bit late! Also, Marvin’s stage entrance was supposed to be via an elevated floor on which Marvin would be raised up above the crowd. Something went wrong and the whole damned platform was shaking violently as it lifted Marvin up in the air. Poor Marvin is sitting there at the piano in shock, half-grinning, looking like, "What the hell is this?!!!" This entire "Making Of Motown 25" segment is full of fun, informative, behind-the-scenes info that all Motown fans are sure to love. I especially enjoyed hearing Suzanne DePasse talk about what it was like being assigned to "Diana detail" and the things that can go wrong! Especially touching was the end of this featurette when Suzanne became emotional in describing what it was like to see the Motown artists come together all on one stage in the end. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll stop right here. I hope this short review has whet your appetites and inspired you to want to see more. I, for one, can hardly wait to watch the other 5 DVD’s.
Again, if anyone else would like to write a review of any of the discs in this beautiful Motown 25 boxed set, please feel free. I'll be watching each subsequent disc as time allows, although how quickly it will be before I finish it all is hard to say at the moment.
1) The Main Program [[as aired, I believe, although when Diana Ross was on stage, speaking to Berry Gordy who was sitting in the audience, it did NOT show Berry flashing Diana the victory sign like it had done in the VHS version. I haven’t watched the Extended version of Motown 25 yet, as it’s on one of the other 5 discs, so there’s still hope).
2) The Performances - This is an individual chapter-by-chapter breakdown of each individual artist’s performance during the main show. If you want to quickly access Stevie Wonder’s performance, you simply select "Stevie Wonder" and you’re there within seconds.
3) Bonus Material - This section is sub-divided into two categories, and this is where the real fun begins:
Motown 25 Performer’s Roundtable - Smokey Robinson, Duke Fakir of the Four Tops, Otis Williams of The Temptations, and Suzanne DePasse talk about Motown and the show itself and the fun they had with so many members of the Motown family coming together as it did, if only for one night. Fun – and funny at times, too!
Signed, Sealed & Delivered - The Making Of Motown 25 - This was my favorite! So many things went right the night of Motown 25's filming, and yet a few things nearly went horribly wrong – Stevie Wonder almost didn’t show up for his segment because he thought he could wait until the next morning to film his portion of the show, only to be told, "There IS NO TOMORROW MORNING, Stevie!" Arriving late, Stevie showed up only moments before his scheduled performance. Marvin Gaye’s sharp-looking white suit that he wore during his performance was actually his street clothes. What looked like an elegant red smoking jacket that he wore for the big finale was supposed to be worn during Marvin’s main performance, but, like Stevie, it arrived a bit late! Also, Marvin’s stage entrance was supposed to be via an elevated floor on which Marvin would be raised up above the crowd. Something went wrong and the whole damned platform was shaking violently as it lifted Marvin up in the air. Poor Marvin is sitting there at the piano in shock, half-grinning, looking like, "What the hell is this?!!!" This entire "Making Of Motown 25" segment is full of fun, informative, behind-the-scenes info that all Motown fans are sure to love. I especially enjoyed hearing Suzanne DePasse talk about what it was like being assigned to "Diana detail" and the things that can go wrong! Especially touching was the end of this featurette when Suzanne became emotional in describing what it was like to see the Motown artists come together all on one stage in the end. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll stop right here. I hope this short review has whet your appetites and inspired you to want to see more. I, for one, can hardly wait to watch the other 5 DVD’s.
Again, if anyone else would like to write a review of any of the discs in this beautiful Motown 25 boxed set, please feel free. I'll be watching each subsequent disc as time allows, although how quickly it will be before I finish it all is hard to say at the moment.