In Bed with Madonna

ok, so by now you know im not a fan, as im not gushing about her in the Summary line. so i think that grants me a little more credibility...

this was not really a documentary as i envision one, mostly because she was the subject *and* executive producer -- meaning she called the shots on this film. it is therefor impossible not to paint a completely biased and self-interested picture. frankly, it's modanna propaganda (propadonna?). she knew she was making a movie about herself while she was making it... from the voice-over narrations to the staff testimonies of how "sensitive she really is", it all seemed contrived. in fact, the only real part about it were the music videos, and warren beatty (he was hilarious because he seemed so bored or disgusted of the whole thing. sardonically he humors her: "Why would you say something if it's off-camera? What..what point is there existing?"). a that being said....madonna is a terrific performer. her costumes, routines, songs, sets, and raw sexual energy just blow me away.

she's one of the privileged-few in society, but i can see why she got there.

As a simple concert video, this one is above average. But the title is very misleading. First let's deal with the 'truth' aspect. Madonna's friends pop in on her - Warren Beatty, Sandra Bernhart - but you get little in the way of glimpses into her relationships with others. You see Madonna playing Mother Hen to her backup performers, but you get the sense that she isn't very close to any of them. Thus, even though this is supposed to be an expose of Madonna's true private life, there is so little of this on screen that the audience is denied a genuine insider's view. And when Madonna deals with the business aspects of her tour, the boardroom door closes on the camera and the audience. This aspect of the life of a performer so well known for her product-image management might potentially be the most fascinating part of the tour, but the audience is kept outside. And compared to some of what Madonna has done on the screen, this is so far below her usual standards of shock as to hardly qualify as 'daring'. It is worth a watch, but beware of a stretching of the 'truth' when it comes to packaging.

This is a wonderful documentary. It shows the ups and downs of being a rock star. Essential to fans.

Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991)

**** (out of 4)

Madonna's "Blonde Ambition" tour is followed in this documentary, which gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the star and the tour.

Even if you're not a fan of Madonna, it's pretty hard not to really enjoy this documentary on a number of levels but the biggest thing is that it really is extremely well-made. Director Alek Keshishian has really created a rather unique and original look at an artist doing their thing while trying to hold everything together.

Many people have accused this film as being fake or saying that Madonna was acting up in front of the camera. This has been happening since Bob Dylan's DON'T LOOK BACK and it has happened countless times since this film was originally released. I think what makes DON'T LOOK BACK and MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE so terrific is the fact that the two artists know how to play the camera and they both did it perfectly.

There's a lot of stuff going on here and the film really did a terrific job at showing you how chaotic life on the road can be. We see the tour through Japan, the United States, Canada and Europe and we see as Madonna struggles at times with relationships, her strength and having to face other demons. The documentary does a terrific job at showing what type of physical demand Madonna had on her night after night and the backstage access was just really fun and interesting.

Madonna's relationship with Warren Beatty is on display here and we see other celebrities including Kevin Costner, Al Pacino and Antonio Bandera. The film and Madonna have a lot to say about the celebrity worship and everything that comes along with it. Other great moments include a concert in Toronto where the police show up threatening to arrest the singer as well as another moment where she meets with her father after a hometown gig.

MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE is also beautifully shot and I loved the director's decision to show the backstage stuff in B&W and keeping the concert footage in color.

I do remember this one was released as In Bed with Madonna here in the UK back in the day and it made a few ripples. In fact, it became the highest grossing documentary of all time until Bowling for Columbine came along over ten years later. Having finally just seen it, I can't believe I waited until now to check it out, as this is a superb back-stage look at La Ciccone at arguably the apex of her powers. The film adopts a black and white cinéma vérité style, with colour concert footage interspersed throughout. Events take place during her 1990 'Blond Ambition Tour' which was in support of her iconic 'Like a Prayer' album.

Given that she is regarded as one who is known for controlling her career and image with an iron fist, its more than likely that she is putting up a front here and really performing as herself. Yet, this is part of who she is and you still learn a lot about Madonna here regardless. The backstage stuff is pretty priceless, with all manner of shenanigans going on, from her refusing to bow to police demands in Toronto where she is threatened with the cancellation of her show if she simulates masturbation on stage to the comical moment where a hapless (and impressively mulleted) Kevin Costner makes the epic mistake of describing her show as 'neat' (Madonna's supremely negative reaction to this is worth the price of admission alone). There is back-stage dramas with her and her crew, some diva like behaviour and several celebrity encounters. In amongst all that there is a selection of top tunes from the tour - it really does make me wish I had attended this myself (even if the nearest gig was admittedly Wembley Stadium several hundred miles away!). Anyway, this doc is a pretty good snap-shot of the 'Blond Ambition' tour/era and a genuine superstar at the height of her powers - it does go some way to illustrate how vivacious, hard-working and unique she was.