U2: Rattle and Hum

A must see for any U2 fan, which I am. From a filmmaking standpoint, the stark black and white photography provides an appropriately timeless quality. It's a concert film on an epic scope, and Bono and Co. are our great heroes. Might seem a little pretentious to some, but when you're U2 you have a right to a little egomania.

At the time of writing, this film is almost 20 years old. When I first watched it I was a half U2 fan, a U1 if you will. Joshua tree was one of my favourite CDs, but despite being a frequent listener of the earlier stuff, I'd remained unhooked. But after seeing Rattle and Hum I was almost literally breathless. It became one of a small handful of VHS music videos that I made the effort to take with me as I moved through life.

When I discovered the concept of digital movies, it was the first tape I digitised so I could watch it on my computer, and when video CD came along, I bought that too because the quality was much better than my amateur 'rip'. Naturally when DVD came along I had to have the quality offered by that too. And when I got my first portable video player, well Rattle & h Hum was the first DVD I ripped so I could play it on that (although Pink Floyds pulse had become it's constant companion too).

Today, I took delivery of my iPod Touch, and, sad bastard that I am, Rattle and Hum is the first movie I'm watching on it.

Why is it I love this film when the music press and the band itself seem to dis this film? I once read an article that suggested the band almost split after the release of the film. Instead they went off and regrouped into their post Achtung baby period. Better they had split and then reformed once whatever itch was out of their system, I think. I still hope they still will.

I love this film because it presents the band a their absolute peak. Every inch of concert footage is tight. Bono sounds amazing, much better than I ever saw him. The Edge soars, Larry beats perfect time, while Adam holds everything together. If that isn't enough, the photography is stunning. There is not a single scene in the whole film that would benefit from a different point of view, lighting setup or depth of field (except perhaps the Bono scene 31 minutes in where he tries his hand at graffiti backed by watchtower, personally I'd have made that blurred I think). The visuals are completely stunning and reinforce the bands stature already perfectly presented by just enough short of perfect performance.

If I last another 20 years, I'm confident this film will make the Journey with me.

I knew little about U2 in the 80s. I was still a pre-teen, and I was probably listening to what my parents put on like Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, John Denver, Janis Joplin, and Willie Nelson. However, little by little, I grew to be a fan of theirs, probably especially after I first heard the song "Bad" on the radio as my parents drove me to college for my first year.

I bought the DVD of this on a total whim and was greatly rewarded. The opening sequence with "Helter Skelter" establishes a somewhat otherworldly yet gritty intensity for the b&w sequences. I agree that the film doesn't do a good job of getting at the personalities of the singers, and besides these guys are so used to the camera that they'd be able to manipulate the coverage anyway.

What Phil Joanou does get wonderfully is the passion for the music in these guys and how they inspire others: those moments when they stop and listen to the Harlem blues man singing "Freedom for My People" or the Gospel choir that takes flight with "Haven't Found what I'm Looking For" are something pure with a hint of magic. This is also well-played in the GORGEOUS transition to color in the Super Bowl-size stadium for "Streets Have No Name." You'd think Jesus himself was about to come on stage.

My only qualm: the music and lyrics themselves have enough social meaning of their own. Bono really doesn't need to interject much more on stage. Their performance of Bullet the Blue Sky gets at the social points with greater force, "Pelting the women and children/Pelting the women and children," than Bono's well-intentioned commentary. I give it four stars though because it hits all the right notes. PHIL, WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN YEARS?

The only concert I have ever attended in my life was the U2 concert held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on the first of August 1987 . This was part of the band`s Joshua Tree tour and I was slightly disappointed with the concert possibly down to the fact that The Joshua Tree is the band`s most Americanized album and as a die hard fan I much preferred their first three albums

U2:RATTLE AND HUM is the movie release made to tie in with the album of the same name that when it was released in the Autumn of 1988 became the fastest selling album in British chart history . It consists of interviews , concert footage (and the occasional track being recorded in the studio , nothing groundbreaking or radical and what you make of this documentary all comes down to what you make of late 1980s recordings from Bono and the boys since most of the concert tracks are from The Joshua Tree . In its favour it`s far better directed and edited than the 1983 release UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY but if like me you prefer early 80s U2 then you`ll be disappointed with what`s missing , stuff like Gloria ( Not the Van Morrison song ) , I Will Follow and Electric Co . Bizarrely the best track from the album HawkMoon 269 is conspicious by its absence . I say bizarrely because Bono is on record as saying at the time it was his all time favourite U2 track and is the stand out track from the album . As it stands the movie`s highlight is the rendition of Sunday Bloody Sunday played on the night of Sunday 8th November 1987 hours after an IRA bomb had murdered 11 people and maimed scores more at a remembrance service in the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen where Bono explodes a few myths of " The glory of the revolution "

I got the DVD for my Christmas a couple of years ago ( Thanks Michelle ) and I was very disappointed since it basically contains just the movie and a choice of subtitles with no extras

I love this film, and have for years. Some were unhappy with the lack of documentary-like footage concerning who the band "really" are and such...but since it is described as a "concert" film, i got what i expected...footage of and about the formation of key songs and song adaptions. I never saw the film as self-congratulatory, and i think that's just a swipe by bashers of the band.......they (u2) just seemed to be enjoying themselves delving into the new musical forms they were discovering and paying homage to those forms. If you like music, see this dvd.