The Buddy Holly Story
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Charles Martin Smith, Conrad Janis, Don Stroud, Gary Busey, William JordanBrand: BUSEY,GARY
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.33:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-09-07
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Buddy Holly Story
Movie Review: Was Busey a better Holly than Buddy?
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie as a young teenager when it first came out in the late 1970's. Like everyone else I knew I was a 'hard-rock' aficionado on a steady diet of Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. I remember being struck by the number of recognizable songs (That'll Be the Day, Rave On, Not Fade Away, et al) that I had no idea had been written and performed by a skinny white guy with glasses in the late 1950's and very much impressed by the live stage performances by this guy Gary Busey.
I JUST purchased the DVD and (unlike my original 13 year old self) having been in classic rock cover bands for the last 20 years, I find Busey's covers of the classic Holly catalogue to be simply beyond belief. While it's hard to describe his non-stage scenes as anything other than 'average' to 'good,' EVERYTHING Busey does on stage is like Buddy Holly on steroids--the vocals, the footwork, his work around the mic, non-verbal communication with band members and off-stage personnel (witness his trying to get the real stage crew to turn up his amplifier during the final stage sequence in Clear Lake while trying to shake the guitar cord off his leg!)--are all hotter, brighter, more mesmerizing, more captivating and RIVETING than anything I've ever seen on tape of the 'real' Buddy Holly. I'd give him similar kudos on his guitar playing, but there's apparently some question as to whether we're actually hearing Busey or his friend Jerry Zaremba (who lights it up as Eddie Cochran covering "Whole Lotta Shakin'") overdubbing his parts.
Anyone who truly loves Rock and Roll should own this DVD. If you could find a way to remove everything but the stage scenes, you'd have one of the best rock films ever made. I thought Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Johnny Cash was the best true 'cover' I'd ever seen until I finally saw this film again after all these years. Watching Busey on my 50" HDTV . . . I have to give him the distinct edge.
This version also truly benefits from Gary Busey's 1999 commentary on the film. Hearing him suddenly start singing snatches of the soundtrack takes a little getting used to, but it's startling to hear how easily he mimics the unique vocalizations he captured Holly with 20 years ago--almost as if he never stopped practicing? By the end of the film, he sounds a little sad coming to terms with what was certainly the performance of his career and the one that probably should have earned him the Academy Award (over Jon Voight--how many people remember him in 'Coming Home?')
Summary of The Buddy Holly Story
Biography of the brief life and tragic death of Buddy Holly, one of the instrumental figures in the creation of rock and roll.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD
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