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59 of 60 found the following review helpful:
The Story of Richard and Karen CarpenterAug 01, 2005
By kone
"kone"
"Close To You - Remembering the Carpenters", is a touching DVD that recalls the career of the Carpenters and the life of Karen Carpenter. Richard Carpenter is the primary "host", although there are many others who contribute stories and information about the Carpenters, such as Petula Clark, Joe Osborne, Les Paul, Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, and members of the Carpenter band.
The DVD tells the entire story of Richard and Karen, from their childhoods in New Haven, Connecticut, their family move across the country to Downey, California (to further Richard's budding career as a musician), their meteoric rise to the top of the pop music charts, and finally the tragic end with Karen's death from complications from anorexia nervosa. Along the way, there are wonderful clips from many of their major hit songs, how the songs were "born", and how Richard's genius at arranging the songs made them hits. It is all very well done, a quality production in every detail, and it does an excellent, although brief job at introducing the Carpenters career. I had hoped that there would be more details of the Carpenters personal lives, but this is just barely touched upon or hinted at in the DVD. Personal details would have so enriched this DVD and helped the fans of the Carpenters understand the duo even better. The DVD states that for additional information, one is directed to the book by Ray Coleman, "The Carpenters: The Untold Story : An Authorized Biography". I highly recommend this book to any fan that wishes more information about the Carpenters, as it provides additional details about their lives.
To anyone who views this DVD, please do not turn off the TV after the post-production credits run! There is an encore after the credits that you will not want to miss! I missed it the first time I watched the DVD, as I was partially overcome with grief at the scenes of Karen's funeral.
For Carpenter fans, this DVD will be a cherished item in our collections. I would like to give it 10 stars if I could.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig
41 of 42 found the following review helpful:
 Lots To Like, But Lots HiddenJan 22, 2002
By A. Wolverton
If you are a fan of the Carpenters, this DVD will be a welcome addition to your collection. The disc offers quite a lot of information and footage: the documentary itself covers the Carpenters from their beginnings as a jazz trio to the A&M hits to Karen's tragic death at the age of 32. The disc has lots of extras too: A portion of the Carpenters performance at the White House, some of their commercials, and a listing of singles and albums in the discography section. Really a lot to like...Being a documentary, fans should understand that this is NOT a concert film. Some reviewers are upset that the songs aren't played in their entirety. Again, it's not a concert DVD. Buy the CD's. The biggest disappointment for me is the lack of understanding we come away with of Karen (and Richard too, for that matter). The DVD tells briefly about Karen's wedding, but doesn't even mention who she married!!! What was it that made Karen such a tragic figure? What is Richard doing now and how did the end of the Carpenters change his life? Maybe I'm asking for too much and maybe all this is still too painful for the family to deal with. I don't think fans are asking for tabloid-type reporting. I do think a lot of fans sincerely want to know what was going through Karen's mind, what demons she was dealing with and what Richard is dealing with now. Maybe that's too much for them to present to the general public. Be glad that the Carptenters gave us some great music and some great memories, many of which are captured on this DVD.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
More than 1 Version of this DVD exists.Nov 06, 2002
By Bennett Turk
This is an excellent documentary on the Carpenters, and it gives a great deal of information on them from the the time they were born, in New Haven, Conn., up until Karen Carpenter's death in Downey, Calif., on Feb. 4, 1983. It is mostly, however, Richard Carpenter, and close friends, discussing the Carpenters, with a lot of brief cuts of songs included. Almost no song is played from start to finish. It says almost nothing on Karen Carpenter's stuggles with anorexia nervosa, and for that the viewer will want look at documentarties from "A & E", "E", and "VH-1" on the Carpenters. The VHS tape offered a lot of extra that the PBS airing, in Dec. 1997, did not. The DVD offers a great deal of extras that the VHS tape did not. Yet for people who buy the all-region DVD from overseas, be aware, that it does not include the extras the U.S. DVD does. The overseas DVD only includes the Photo Gallery. It does NOT include the Discography, the Previously unreleased TV and Radio Jingles, nor the Carpenters at the White House. This may not mean anything to people in the U.S., but, people overseas might wonder what ever happened to all the extras promised? I do recommend this DVD, and I hope if there's another Carpenters DVD release--it will be the "Carpenters Live in Concert". I also hope it will be sold in the U.S., and not just Japan, such as the outstanding "As Time Goes By" CD was.
18 of 20 found the following review helpful:
Excellent excerpts of The Carpenters Music and TVs.Aug 09, 2003
By C.T.
I have listened to the Carpenters since I was probably 14 or 15, now I am 26 - that is a long time. I was not even exposed to their music directly, but rather got drawn to it through a movie called The Karen Carpenter Story (but strange I can't find that movie anywhere!) Anyway, what I am trying to say is that having been a big fan of the duo for over ten years says something about the quality of their music. I have just seen this DVD and this has fulfilled my dream of seeing them performing live from their earliest days. Sure these are not complete music videos, but the story, interviews, footages (the White House concert, etc.) presented are a thrill to watch. Any of us can listen the Karen's music anytime on CDs, but seeing her live when she was alive and well is priceless. And oh, that hauntingly, angelically beautiful voice !!! The thing I like most about the DVD is how it makes you love the Carpenters even more after watching it. Own it and you will fall in love with the Carpenters all over again.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
"Carpenters, Live in Concert" DVD-Japan ONLY ReleaseJan 10, 2003
By Bennett Turk
I have reviewed "Close to You-Remembering the Carpenters" DVD earlier; so I am writing to all those people who asked for a "Carpenters, Live in Concert" DVD. According to the Grant Guerrero website; there is a "Carpenters, Live at Budokan,(1974)" Concert DVD. It was released Only in Japan in 2002. It has the same content as the VHS tape of the same, which many Carpenter fans already own. I am sure the sound and video has been upgraded to the DVD level. The only way a USA person can see this DVD is if they have an all-region DVD player, or a DVD player that can play Japan-region DVDs. I wonder if A & M/Universal has any real regard for the USA Carpenter fan.
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