Possibly the granddaddy of all charity super-concerts, as well-meaning as they come, and probably delayed from video and DVD release because of the same money-rights confusion that comes into play with these giveaway projects. The film itself is a blow-up from smaller stock film to 70mm, and you know what that means: a muddy, grainy visual workout for the eyeballs. It doesn't help that the director is totally incompetent, with constant shifts in focus and possibly the worst lighting ever of any theatrically-released concert film. Most of the players are lost in the darkness on stage, with an occasional spotlight seeking them out (for instance, the group 'Badfinger' plays acoustic guitars at the audience-right side of the stage for a number of songs but is unseen until Harrison introduces them and a spotlight pulls them out of the blackness). Showmanship is not the angle here: Harrison tells the audience that the gang of musicians on stage are playing for free and some even cancelled some paying gigs in order to be here. And it's not an ego thing, with rock stars demanding intros and "guest star attention"; they're all assembled on stage at the same time. Exception: Bob Dylan. He IS a guest star, but I don't know the backstage story. Maybe he showed up late. I DO know that Harrison had an initial commitment from John Lennon to play, but Lennon backed out at the last minute. But, hey, you got Harrison, Ringo, Billy Preston, Dylan, Leon Russell and Eric Clapton (and Badfinger, sorta) so, there ain't much to bitch about "cast-wise." It's too bad that there are few close-ups, and worse, there's no backstage material, interviews, or even narration. There IS a gentle warning at the opening, by Harrison, that the show will start off with some sitar and tabla playing by Ravi Shankar and some other Indian musicians. The crowd recognizes Shankar's name and roars approval (possibly aware that Shankar was dynamite at the Monterey Pop Festival) and settles in for a loooong stretch of sitar-tabla material (while I watch Shankar and think THIS is the man who would later help "produce" his greatest creation: Norah Jones!) It would be churlish to object to Indian-style music considering this IS a Concert for Bangladesh, not for Liverpool; but it is also an acquired taste for Western ears. Then again, Bob Dylan's hideously out-of-key voice is also an acquired taste for ANY pair of ears. Dylan also settles in for a looong stretch. I admit I'm no fan of his work for the most part, so to each his own. I think it IS good to see Preston and Russell given a few leads, but Ringo only gets one song and, as an example of the lack of showbiz flair at this gathering, he sings it while buried behind a drum kit instead of being brought up front stage to a mike (no, that wouldn't leave the song without a drummer: Jim Keltner, drummer extraordinaire, bangs away beside Ringo on his kit throughout the concert). It's also surprising that Clapton never sings and has no guitar solos except his classic work on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Also surprising is how it ends, with the band playing Harrison's song "Bangla-desh" at full-tilt, when Curious George puts down his guitar and rushes off stage as if in need of a bathroom break, then it's closing credits as the band plays on sans George... and that's it. Not a good concert film, needless to say, but definitely an artifact worth keeping for rock-history purposes.
Review of The Concert for Bangladesh
