Who, The - The Kids Are Alright
1979
A dazzling visual diary of legendary performances, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT chronicles the development of the Who from angry young mod upstarts to worldwide arena rock icons. Director Jeff Stein (who was just 21 at the time) was given unlimited access to archives of the Who, occasionally butting heads with famously strong-willed .. Read more
| Starring | The Who, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon |
|---|---|
| Director | Jeff Stein |
| Genres | Music/Musical |
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Who, The - The Kids Are Alright
A dazzling visual diary of legendary performances, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT chronicles the development of the Who from angry young mod upstarts to worldwide arena rock icons. Director Jeff Stein (who was just 21 at the time) was given unlimited access to archives of the Who, occasionally butting heads with famously strong-willed guitarist/songwriter Pete Townsend over the direction of the film. It begins with the band's famed guitar-smashing, 1967 American TV debut on The Smothers Brothers show and continues through Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and on into the 1970s as the band cements its "legend" status in the rock canon with such complex works as QUADROPHENIA. Twenty-two classic Who tunes are featured, including a special version of the title track, "My Generation," "Magic Bus," "Happy Jack," and "Long Live Rock." Manic drummer Keith Moon, who provides numerous laughs in the film, died a year before the film was released.
| Starring | The Who, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend, Tom Smothers, Jimmy O'Neill, Russell Harty, Melvyn Bragg, Ringo Starr |
|---|---|
| Director | Jeff Stein |
| Studio | SANCTUARY VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Music/Musical |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 26 Apr 2004 Production year: 1979 |
| Format | DVD |
Who, The - The Kids Are Alright (2 discs) (1979)
Or you can rent each disc individually:
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Critics' reviews (5)
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The value of this “rockumentary” trip through the highs and lows of The Who's career was increased by the death of the band's extrovert drummer, Keith Moon, in September 1978. However, fans will probably not want to dwell on the frankly depressing final concert footage, preferring, instead, to see him in classic 1960s action, when his hellraising was matched by extraordinary on-stage energy. Director Jeff Stein occasionally errs into hagiography, but there's a generous sampling of hits (and the odd miss), interviews and rare archival material, as well as guest appearances by Tom Smothers, Steve Martin, Ringo Starr, Melvyn Bragg and Jeremy Paxman.
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That rare animal, a rock documentary which entertains and informs in equal quantities, The Kids Are Alright is a movie... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Finally, The Kids Are Alright gets a DVD re-release that does it justice...
For the uninitiated, TKAA is over an hour and a half of blistering, legendary performances and interviews from the greatest rock band that ever lived - The Who.
From the bands early mod beginnings in 1965 (ruffled shirts and all) to the last ever performance of the band with drummer Keith Moon (before his untimely death in 1978), this film has it all. It kicks off with the now-legendary clip of the band performing My Generation on The Smothers Brothers show in 1967, a pivotal moment for guitarist Pete Townshend (whose hearing was affected for life when Moon's rigged drumkit explodes in his right ear and sets his hair on fire).
From there, the films narrative shoots from past to present and back again in a montage of classic footage that includes Woodstock (an overdriven, ferocious Sparks / Pinball Wizard - but unfortunately, no Abbie Hoffman being booted off the stage), The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus (a crunchy, beer-splashing update of A Quick One While He's Away with fantastic vocal harmony, restored here to its full nine minutes), a live-in-the-studio recording of Who Are You (incandescent and poignant) and some specially shot footage at Shepperton Studios (gloriously self-deprecating parodies of Baba O'Reilly and Won't Get Fooled Again with Townshend windmilling and jumping around as if he somehow *knows* its his last performance with Keith Moon).
The restoration of this DVD is just superb. Disc Two shows just how bad the VHS original was, and compares it side by side with this new version - you can see why director Jeff Stein was so emotional when he met the team behind it. The movie also now plays at the correct speed throughout (tracks such as 'I Can't Explain' were ridiculously overcranked on previous versions), and it has been converted to widescreen 16:9 format with 5.1 sound.
If you're a Who fan, you should own this. If you're not, then you'll probably still enjoy it and it may even convert you like it did my girlfriend. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
the kids
The dogs bits - what can i say the Who at its rawest. Fantastic picture quality due to being restored to its former glory and the sound quality is excellent with its 5.1 stereo soundtrack
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Who, The - The Kids Are Alright
A dazzling visual diary of legendary performances, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT chronicles the development of the Who from angry young mod upstarts to worldwide arena rock icons. Director Jeff Stein (who was just 21 at the time) was given unlimited access to archives of the Who, occasionally butting heads ...
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