Richard Pryor: Live in Concert

As others have said, this is the best stand-up performance ever recorded. It sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not. Pryor is a comedic genius, and you can see his influence in every comedian since. He sets the standard. His facial expressions, acting abilities, delivery, etc., are all top-notch, and he can make even mundane topics such as walking through the woods pee-your-pants hilarious (in fact, he spends a long time talking about the woods, which is a bit puzzling, but hey, it's funny). He also covers completely unrelated topics such as dogs, drugs, family life, boxing, and sex... all the while being hysterically funny. The guy is amazing, and I recommend this to anyone who enjoys stand-up comedy.

Richard Pryor is without a doubt one of the best stand-up performers to ever grab a mike, because he breaks the performance wall, and just has a conversation with the audience, which is rare for a comic to do. He talks to the audience, and involves them in the show, and the things he talks about on stage are not really jokes, but his retelling of certain life events that he has had, and you get the feeling that you would be hearing the same thing if you were just sitting alone with him in a room, and that is what makes his comedy so good, that conversational quality. No other comic that I can think of has done that with such a level of success that Pryor did...he was a real natural.

As far as profanity goes, Pryor doesn't use it to shock, he just talks that way naturally, and so the cursing doesn't stick out that much. Still, if you're easily offended by such language, then avoid it, but you are only robbing yourself of seeing a legend working his magic.

This guy is pretty darn funny. He makes a great dog, for instance. And a great John Wayne. And if you've seen Eddie Murphy's Delirious, you have to watch this. This is where Eddie stole must of his jokes, and most of his style, only one slight difference: Richard Pryor came first, and it's still better than anything Eddie has ever done. Go see this one. IT'S A HOOT!

This was the first time a stand-up comedian was filmed doing his act, and most people predicted that it would fail. Bill Sargent had the idea of filming Pryor's act, but since most of the industry thought it would flop, they had trouble getting anyone to distribute it, so a few mavericks in the industry distributed it themselves. It was cheap to make, all the profits would be gravy, and the men who made it believed that people would respond to Richard Pryor's act. Video was just coming out and would soon be a force, and Pryor was at the top of his game, and the gamble paid off. Now we take for granted watching stand-up comedy on TV and everywhere else, but at the time bringing a comedy routine to the big screen, especially one as raunchy as Pryor's, was considered a huge risk.

But Pryor is on fire in front of his audience. He's honest and raw, and doesn't pull any punches. And because of that you'll laugh so hard your gut will bust. But when you watch this film it is of interest to realize that at the time it was filmed there was no "Def Comedy Jam." There was no Bill Cosby "Himself." That all came after this. Richard Pryor and a few daring producers brought this genre to life with this one act, and had it not been so incredibly good, it might not have become the money making and entertaining part of the industry that it is today.

When you watch this you can know you're watching the first and the best.

I can't express how dazzlingly brilliant this routine is. The jokes, the faces, the mime, the banter, ad-libs - everything amazes. This is the 'Citizen Kane' of routines and many comedians since have taken inspiration from it including Eddie Murphy (esp.) Chris Rock and Eddie Izzard.

Yes it is profane, but if you are stupid enough to watch a Pryor stand- up without being prepared for extreme 'vulgarity' then frankly you deserve to be offended. The language, although extreme isn't that shocking (even the now dreaded 'N' word) because it is all part of Pryor's 'jive' and would be poorer without it.

Watch this and see a master at the top of his game.