Brian Wilson presents Smile [DVD]

I had the good fortune to see SMiLE performed at Disney Hall in Los Angeles on election night. It was a wonderful show and owning the DVD became a must and I'm very glad to have it.I'm limiting my comments here to the SMiLE performance part of the DVD. While I agree with the quality of the show and particularly the audio, I disagree with some of the glowing comments here in terms of how it was shot. First, I found there to be way too many edits throughout. For example, "Windchimes," a rather mellow song, has something like 52 edits during this brief tune. In every song the filmmaker tries to follow each musical element in a literal fashion, which given the complexity of the music results in a lot of cuts. CUT TO slide whistle! CUT TO triangle! etc. etc. etc., (though curiously, the most "infamous" instrument in the piece, Paul Tanner's Electro-Theremin used in Good Vibrations, gets only one brief shot.) It would be OK if the editing style changed occasionally, but it is that way throughout the entire video and it becomes dizzying after a while.If there is any single shot during this concert that lasts even 8-10 seconds I would be surprised, and only a small percentage of the shots are "still." Zooming in, swooping around -- it gets old! And the shots on Brian were so tight that it was hard to see his hand motions punctuating the lyrics -- something that was entertaining to watch during the show.And to reiterate, this is a "live performance," not a "concert video." It was apparently shot on a soundstage(?) in front of a small (and lucky!) audience. Some of the audience responses on the DVD sound like they were dubbed in clumsily from elsewhere.Worth owning? Absolutely. But the film, while otherwise excellent, doesn't quite match the perfection of the music.

Buy this DVD for:- a brilliantly-shot and -recorded complete performance of SMiLE that will open the music up to you in a way that simply listening to the CD never will. Worth the price of admission for this alone.- some fascinating behind-the-scenes footage shot during the CD recording sessions.- some revealing and often moving sequences shot during the process leading up to the debut performance of SMiLE in London in 2004 (contained in the "Beautiful Dreamer" documentary).Do not buy this DVD for:- the true story of why the Beach Boys' original "Smile" was never finished, and why Brian Wilson essentially disappeared for the next 25 years."Beautiful Dreamer" is an interesting addition to the ever-growing list of books and documentaries about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, but it shouldn't be your only source if you're looking for a balanced view.Produced by and largely populated by current Wilson insiders, "Beautiful Dreamer" tries very hard to whitewash the story that's been told and re-told by many others who were there at the time. Dismissing any discussion of the destructive power of drugs (drug use only served to expand Brian's consciousness and make him more productive, we're told) or of any form of mental illness other than "undiagnosed depression," the film lays the blame for the abandonment of "Smile" at the feet of... the other Beach Boys. Apparently it was their rejection of the work that sent Brian into that 25-year spin.I don't criticize the film for not trying to tell Wilson's complete life story. The focus here is on SMiLE, as it should be. But after shaping a narrative that takes genius Brian to the point where he was about to re-order the landscape of American popular music, only to be cruelly rejected by his brothers and cousins, the timeline literally jumps 25 years into the future, skipping everything that happened to Wilson that turned him into the clearly damaged man we see on the screen today.No mention is made of the fact that a good half of "Smile" was subsequently recorded and released by the Beach Boys in the form of individual songs, none of which are heard in this film. (And it's jarring to hear contemporary recordings of the songs while the original 1966 sessions are being discussed.)Much, much better is the second half of the documentary, which picks up at a point where Wilson and his current band are already a functioning unit, having performed "Pet Sounds" and toured as a successful concert attraction. It's clear the decision to finish 'Smile" is not an easy one for Brian, but he has an existing support team already at hand, talented musicians who are fully equal to the task of helping Wilson get through an emotionally arduous process (sometimes, apparently, by doing all the work themselves).The film lightly traces the process of reconstructing the original tracks, establishing where the gaps were, choosing a running order, filling the gaps with new or remembered music, deciding to focus the project on debuting as a concert work in London in April 2004, and then rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing. Throughout, we are never allowed to forget that for Wilson this is an emotion- and memory-laden process that appears to be causing him pain and sometimes causes him to withdraw.Still, the London debut is triumphant, and the sequences shot before, during, and after the concert are riveting and often moving.Aside from the music itself, much of the appeal here -- both during the second half of the documentary and throughout the concert on Disc 2 -- is Wilson's large, talented, and engaging band, who are clearly devoted to Wilson and his music while having a great deal of style and presence of their own.In all, this is a very generous package with a scintillating concert video at its core. The documentary and the bonus material (including several of the full interviews that were exerpted for the documentary) all offer insight into the Brian Wilson story, even if it's sometimes necessary to read way between the lines to see it. Highly recommended.

If you're a fan of Brian's, this is well worth the money. "Beautiful Dreamer," the feature-length documentary, is a sad but ultimately fascinating look at Brian's journey back to SMiLE. The narrative is obviously pro-Brian and tends to be anti-Beach Boys, which is understandable given the band's reluctance to take a risk in releasing SMiLE back in the 60's, however not enough emphasis is given for example to Dennis's support for the album or the fact that ultimately the band used several SMiLE-era songs on later Beach Boy albums. Mike Love does not come off very well in this, which isn't very surprising. Even though this is was made clearly by Brian's friends and admirers, it does not spare in its honesty showing Brian at one point clearly not interested in his band's rehearsals of the SMiLE music and their subsequent worry that he wasn't up to the task.Thankfully, he was up to the task, rose to the occasion, and was able to conquer his demons. The live performance of SMiLE is great and his band is simply amazing.

Well, Brian Wilson, Our Prayers have been answered, the Heroes (Brian and his truly amazing band) have finally overcome the Villains (Mike Love) and all the other doubters to give us all some wonderful good vibrations. Many thanks to Brians band for giving him the confidence to not only finish the Smile project along with help from Van Dyke Parkes but to perform it live first in London to an expectant audience from all corners of the world. Its taken a long time but wow what a performance from a truly magnificant band who perform Brians masterpiece so perfectly. Its a shame that this band wasn't around in 1967. A true masterpiece by a musical genius.

I wait almost seven years to buy this product, because It was too expensive, but one month ago I found it at a cheaper price, so I bought it! It surprise me! The documentary is a dream come true and the performance is excellent, also the interviews, and the sound is far better than expected!! It had a mini poster and detailed notes! I recomend this product to every Brian Wilson/Beach boys fan!Well done, RHINO!!!

Found this really interesting, 37 years to complete a project. You get to see Brian struggling with himself, but without the support of friends and family, this project would not have been completed.

Incredible live performance equalling a studio recording in so many ways.

This is a great album and it should have been released years before shame Brian canned it for so long.