1973 In A Box (Almost Famous (DVD))

Member Name: Jelly Baby

Product:	Almost Famous (DVD)
Date:	13/02/03 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 35 mins extra footage, director's commentry for Untitled, Cleveland concert

Disadvantages: Lack of HBO special, No Fever Dog video

This DVD is absolutely essential to die hard Almost Famous fans. The special features and extended scenes; particularly those featuring the Cleveland gig that sits at the heart of the script ad is almost invisible in the theatrical release, provide a better insight into the characters and a look into the '70's rock through the eyes of Crowe as a teenager, giving a new generation of classic rock fans his memories, and yet still leaves the audience with a need for more. It is by no means a criticism as this collector's edition is nothing less than 1973 in a box, spurring new interest in the viewer with every viewing.

One of 2000's most eagerly anticipated films, Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous is a semi-autobiographical coming of age story, following young journalist, William Miller, 15, on his first assingment for Rolling Stone magazine in 1973. Patrick Fugit, newcomer, plays the accelerated student whose caring but confused mother, Frances McDormand, inadvertantly creates the opportunity to "take a look around" and pursue a career in rock journalism.

A meeting with his idol and soon-to-be-mentor legendary editor of Creem magazineLester Bangs, played to perfection by Philip Seymore Hoffman, leads William to meet the fictitious band Stillwater. Bangs' most important piece of advice is to "not make friends with the rockstars" but the minute William is pulled past the doorman backstage by the band, it is clear that the teenager who has for the first time in his life made to feel cool, is unable to adhere to that.

As is so often the case with such films, loss of innocence is the central theme, manifesting itself here in William's changing role as a reporter in the 'circus'. As he progresses from observer to participant he quickly finds himself a part of the subculture that Crowe so beautifully creates for our pleasure.

Criticised for portraying the world of rock and roll as
over-romanticized and almost ignorant of the drug abuse and harsh treatment of groupies, Almost Famous is in fact a fond, nostalgic look at the era, neither claiming to be a repesentation of the entire rock world nor denying that such behaviour was the rule rather than the exception.

The extended version plays the action in New York to its full length, with a delightful cameo scene that encapsulates his journey from boyhood to mamhood, from naivety to awareness, where the journalist's bag rips open and his souvenirs of phone books and ice buckets falls onto the pavement.

Nancy Wilson's score is a beautiful acoustic-based collection which plays through the DVD's menus and leaves the viewer singing in their head. Her music turns the sweeter scenes between William and reluctant Band Aid Penny Lane (played by Kate Hudson) into something that will make us fall in love with the two; something which is sure to have happened to Fugit while filming, his adolescent infatuation for Hudson is simply heartbreaking to watch.

The special features on this Bootleg edition of the DVD make it far superior to the rather disappointing first release. It includes Stillwater's Cleveland concert; the guys really becoming the band that should have existed in the '70's, Crowe's top ten albums of 1973, a behind the scenes featurette with Nancy Wilson's demo of the original composition 'Love Comes And Goes', an rare interview with Lester Bangs, deleted scenes, 'Small Time Blues' music video, production notes, original Rolling Stones articiles by Cameron Crowe, a very interesting director's commentary which almost feels as though the audience is being sat down and treated to lemonade and rice crispie cakes at the Crowe residence, and the usual theatrical trailer and cast and crew biographies.

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