The little perils of internet brought me to this documentary as it was filed as being Dire Straits "Alchemy" concert. It felt weird watching it
as it had too many interviews and little music on it, and only when the final credits rolled in that I noticed a different director name attached and
that's how the confusion ended (but there were hints and details shown that were alerting me yet I paid no mind). No loss, though it's something of
little gain as it was one of the most depressing materials related with a rock band, musical group or a concert. But it allowed me to see the Straits
in a different light.
This "Arena" special presents the group at a somewhat peak of their game during the recording sessions of "Making Movies" and on tour as well, and at the time of filming David Knopfler was still part of the band. The film balances between live performances, some rehearsals of future singles and plenty of interviews with Dire Straits and their manager.
The latter part is what almost puts everything down - my judgement is slightly cloudy as I was hoping something else and since there weren't neither a host or some voice-over to tell exactly what they were about to show it made the experience a quite sad to watch. The majority of interviews deal with the pressures and obstacles of being a highly successful band and none of them were ready for such success.
It's not like they're complaining about everything, it's more a state of reflection of where they were at the moment and where they could go from there.
As brilliantly put by David, near the end of the film, they needed to reavaluate things a little, take some break from the countless gigs in order to find themselves and find a meaningful way to be more creative with their music. When you see this piece you totally understand why he left the band soon afterwards. And it makes one wonder if he had stayed with them a little longer during the "Money for Nothing" era, with their most successful album and tour.
The music presentation/concerts are fine, great performances but a couple of tracks are played out in a short/fast manner and it wasn't because of the editing, it's the guys themselves who short everything up.
It's a curious look at the group, a truly fine piece as it offers not only a closer look at a successful band and how they dealt with everything (and those moments, while sad looking, offer some great insights for anyone dreaming of becoming a musician. As they explain, they wanted to make and play music, but the unexpected fame and success can go in a different way with many up's and down's), but we also have some fine moments of memories and joy as the musicians talk about their first contacts with music (Pick Withers and his dream of drumming for a marching band was hilarious). It's all good. 7/10.
This "Arena" special presents the group at a somewhat peak of their game during the recording sessions of "Making Movies" and on tour as well, and at the time of filming David Knopfler was still part of the band. The film balances between live performances, some rehearsals of future singles and plenty of interviews with Dire Straits and their manager.
The latter part is what almost puts everything down - my judgement is slightly cloudy as I was hoping something else and since there weren't neither a host or some voice-over to tell exactly what they were about to show it made the experience a quite sad to watch. The majority of interviews deal with the pressures and obstacles of being a highly successful band and none of them were ready for such success.
It's not like they're complaining about everything, it's more a state of reflection of where they were at the moment and where they could go from there.
As brilliantly put by David, near the end of the film, they needed to reavaluate things a little, take some break from the countless gigs in order to find themselves and find a meaningful way to be more creative with their music. When you see this piece you totally understand why he left the band soon afterwards. And it makes one wonder if he had stayed with them a little longer during the "Money for Nothing" era, with their most successful album and tour.
The music presentation/concerts are fine, great performances but a couple of tracks are played out in a short/fast manner and it wasn't because of the editing, it's the guys themselves who short everything up.
It's a curious look at the group, a truly fine piece as it offers not only a closer look at a successful band and how they dealt with everything (and those moments, while sad looking, offer some great insights for anyone dreaming of becoming a musician. As they explain, they wanted to make and play music, but the unexpected fame and success can go in a different way with many up's and down's), but we also have some fine moments of memories and joy as the musicians talk about their first contacts with music (Pick Withers and his dream of drumming for a marching band was hilarious). It's all good. 7/10.