Crude. Foul. Real. In a word, that?s Richard Pryor: Live in Concert. In this, the funnyman?s first and best concert film, Pryor does dead-on impersonations of the respective races, cussing, trying to act tough, getting kicked in privates. But it's his imagination that elevates him to a different level and hints at the comedic genius of the man. He gives his impressions of what animals think, from his own animals (a monkey, a Doberman) to police dogs, and it seems so exact, so precise. Not to mention the fact that he is at his self-deprecating best, skewering himself as much as any other subject.

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My only observation may be that the negative reviews have all been for the DVD copy, which evidently is not up to quality standards. This is certainly not the case with the video cassette version, and I can only recommend that this edition be purchased. All other reviews have been 5/5 stars, and the poor quality DVD edition should be taken off the market until it can be remastered.

42 of 43 found the following review helpful:

A master at the height of his powersJun 25, 2005
By Wheelchair Assassin
While the past few decades have seen the emergence of tons of comedians who spit out swears and graphic subject matter with reckless abandon, precious few have taken offensive subject matter and turned it into something intelligent and entertaining at the same time. Denis Leary, Bill Hicks, and Dave Chappelle come to mind when I think of such a select group, but Richard Pryor may well have towered over them all. And 1979's Richard Pryor: Live in Concert may have been his definitive document. This 90-minute standup DVD sees Pryor giving a manic, imaginative, deliriously profane performance that had the audience in the palm of his hand from beginning to end. A master impersonator with a vast pantheon of characters and voices, Pryor didn't just talk about his subjects, he *became* them; he acted out every person, every story, and every idea to the fullest extent possible, constantly blurring the line between real and make-believe. Jokes about animals quickly gave way to spot-on imitations, whether of the inner thoughts of Dobermans or of his pet monkey's illicit sexual activities. Pryor's musings about racial differences in expressing grief were funny and insightful, but they were merely a setup for an outrageous recounting of his grandmother's reaction to his cocaine habit. There are also plenty of brutally honest stories about Pryor's life with his father, ranging from his father's death in mid-coitus ("he came and went at the same time"), to the one time Pryor stood up to his old man ("It wasn't really a fight, but I did the best I could"), and their time hunting together ("I hated being the dog"). Pryor's honesty and insightfulness come out in plenty of other places too, from his troubles with the law to his heart attack to his less-than-stellar boxing career. All throughout, though, no matter what the subject, Pryor piles on joke after insight after impression with pitch-perfect timing and plenty of scatological language. For those of any age, race, or political leaning, this is a must-see.

40 of 42 found the following review helpful:

Material 5 stars; Mastering no starsNov 13, 2001
By Jay Jones
One can't say enough about how really funny this concert is. This concert shows Richard Pryor at his very best. There are so many bits, including "The Heart Attack," "Shooting the car," "The Pet Monkey," that it's unfair to begin to list the laugh-so-hard-that-you're-crying material. Now, to the bad news. The mastering of this tape is the worst I've ever seen. Period, bar none. While the picture is acceptable (obviously no time or expense to improve on the VHS product), it is the sound that is really disconcerting. A good half of the DVD, the sound is out of sync with the picture (I know this because I returned my first copy as being defective and got a new one that was exactly the same). It is unforgivable to see the lack of care that was put into this product. No extra features of notable mention. It is trully a shockingly poor representation of one of the all-time great comedians at his comic best.

32 of 34 found the following review helpful:

Pryor is great, DVD sucksJan 14, 2004

This DVD is a travesty. This is one of the great stand up comic shows of the last 50 years and yet the DVD sound track is off by so much that it is distracting. Stay away. Perhaps the VHS tape is better.

26 of 27 found the following review helpful:

DO NOT BUY!!!!!Jan 02, 2004

This is the funniest 90 minutes of my life!

However, the audio syncing on the DVD is SO BAD that it is extremely distracting. Buy the VHS version.

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