Nina Simone - Live at Ronnie Scott's
by Steve Cleary, Rob Lemkin
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Nina Simone, Paul RobinsonDirector: Rob Lemkin, Steve Cleary
Brand: Music Video Dist
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 57 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-05-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Quantum Leap
Movie Reviews of Nina Simone - Live at Ronnie Scott's
Movie Review: Intimate, beautiful and an absolute joy to watch
Summary: 5 Stars
There was a moment at the beginning of this dvd when I thought, "Oh no, this might [be bad]." Having been a huge Nina Simone fan for so long I've been waiting for this dvd for a long time, so you can imagine my excitement when I finally sat down to watch it. The picture and sound quality of the dvd were so bad though I had my doubts, but, when Nina started singing I knew that it would all be alright. In fact, after a while I didn't even mind the way it looked because I allowed myself to imagine that I was actually there at Ronnie Scott's that night watching and listening to this amazing woman perform. Of course I was way too young back then to appreciate or even be allowed there but that's beside the point, this is my review and I'm allowed to be anachronistic if I choose :) There is a lot to love about this dvd. Nina's performance is one of if not the most intimate performance I have ever watched and I know it's hard to understand that if you're not there in person but somehow she managed to transcend even the barriers of a television set. Listen to the way she beautifully performs her "two love songs" as she calls them, "If You Knew" and "Mr. Smith" and then effortlessly move from playing the harpsicord (on a keyboard) to the piano on "Fodder In Her Wings". Other standouts include her wonderful rendition of "I Loves You Porgy" and "The Other Woman". Both showing such vulnerability and sadness you wonder how anyone cannot possibly love her??? Her two signature songs, "Mississippi Goddam" and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" are absolutely wonderful as is the entire concert. "Mississippi Goddam" this time blended with "Alabama Song" from Brecht's "Mahagonny". Brilliant! My absolute favourite though is "For A While". I have never and I doubt I will ever hear a song perform with such aching tenderness, truth and sadness. What she does towards the end of this song is evidence of her amazing knowledge of musical performance and also one of the most moving moment I have ever witnessed. It's worth buying the dvd for this one performance alone.
I am always reminded of experiencing an amazingly emotional yet cathartic show everytime I watch this. OK, is it not evident that I am a fan? But that aside, I truly do believe this is worth the price if you're a fan, have just discovered her or somehow magically stumbled here but enjoy quality music and a performer who really knows how to get inside your heart and soul.
Interview clips throughout the concert, inserted between songs give insights into this remarkable woman but is not really necessary. Her music speaks for itself.
Summary of Nina Simone - Live at Ronnie Scott's
This DVD features Nina Simone (vocals, piano) delivering an intense emotional performance at the legendary Ronnie Scott's in Soho, London on November 17, 1985. Simone is considered to be one of the most diverse singers of the 20th century, recording mateThere's some deep soul in effect here-?as there nearly always was when Nina Simone, who died at age 70 in '03, got anywhere near a piano and a microphone. The fiercely individual, genre-defying performer, filmed in a 1985 performance at Ronnie Scott's in London, is accompanied by drummer Paul Robinson for a set that includes some of her better-known material, like the Gershwins' "I Loves You Porgy" and "Mississippi Goddam," a product of Simone's racially and politically charged '60s period. Elsewhere, she sings a tune ("Fodder in Her Wings") that could be an ancient British folk song, while "God, God, God" and "Be My Husband" are rhythmically driving, almost chant-like meditations. The film is rather grainy and not especially imaginatively directed, but little matter; every note is imbued with conviction and intelligence, and there is absolutely nothing trivial going on here. (Interview segments connect the songs, but there's no bonus material.) --Sam Graham
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