Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101759 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-01
• Formats: Color, Full length, Full Screen, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

About the Actor
David Hoffman is one of America's premier documentary filmmakers. For more than 35 years, he roamed the world finding and recording unusual and provocative stories. His 125 reality films have appeared on prime-time Public Television, Turner Broadcasting, The Discovery Channel, and Arts Entertainment. He produced specials for NOVA, The American Experience, and National Geographic. His films have won every major national and international documentary award. Hoffman is known for finding ordinary people stories to tell. He is a consummate storyteller who uses the re-enactment, original music, and never before seen vintage footage, to enhance the drama of his stories. Several of Hoffman's Public Television documentary specials were among the highest rated television programs of the year that they aired.

Customer Reviews

Missing Lester
It is a very interesting video and the only thing lacking is his time with Lester Flatt, however I didn't much like Lester anyhow and this was about Earl

The Print is Worn but this one is a Gem-Baez, Dylan, EARL!
I just got this DVD and just finished watching it! When you consider that it was film (not videotaped) over 30 years ago, you can live with the print quality. What comes across is EARL Scruggs and how he lives his life. Who woulda thought that he was part of the Moratorium against the war held in Washington. The last 15 minutes are spent at Joan Baez's house and Joan sings while Earl Plays. The film starts with Earl and Bob Dylan. The Moore Brothers (old time players who wrote "Salty Dog Blues" are a hoot! And then there's Doc Watson and even the Byrds. It's cinema verite but I found this a really entertaining 90 minute film and I'm so glad it's out on DVD for all to see.

Steve

Good idea, horrible production in second half
This is a well-told story with rough in-the-field production. You are introduced to Earl Scruggs's personal feelings about his music. The director at times has Scruggs speaking right into the camera telling his story. There is some narration, but most of the info is conversational speaking between the subjects. The approach works well. I was really spellbound...

That is until the second half when the sound went _badly_ out of synch with the picture. It got so bad, I needed to not look at the folks' lips. It ruined the part filmed at Joan Baez's house, and it continued to the end where a live performance at the Grand Old Opry was very hard to enjoy.

This may sound like nit-picking, but when you spend $40 on a DVD, you are entitled to proper synchronization between sound and moving picture. Oh, by the way, don't buy this film if you expect to see Bob Dylan. His is a tiny cameo role. There's more footage of Joan Baez's baby than Bob Dylan. In fact many viewers may not even realize Dylan is in the thing (now, that is nit-picking). And Dylan and Baez are never in the same scenes.

This is a tale about Earl Scruggs. He's important enough that the producers and Amazon need not provide a fake marquee. I have no idea where the "Earl Scruggs with Joan Baez & Bob Dylan" came from.

The actual title of the film is: "The Complete Earl Scruggs Story" for gosh sake!

It's too bad, really, because the poor synch ruins a good project. It should get 1 star, but the revelations by Scruggs are so moving, I gave the film a 2 star rating.