Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117733 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-11-09
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Best of, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 40 minutes

Amazon.com
Ricky Martin's bravura, swivel-hipped performance of "The Cup of Life" at the 41st annual Grammy Awards handily stole the spotlight from the evening's platinum-edged superstars, positioning him as poster boy for a Latin pop crossover boom that dominated media for months to follow. Like most "overnight" sensations (or, for that matter, "brand new" pop trends), Martin's impact was actually the payoff for an extended apprenticeship: anything but a novice, this Puerto Rican native was already a major star in the Spanish-speaking pop realm, having graduated from his early stint as a plump-cheeked member of Menudo to become a sleek heartthrob.

With his chiseled features, flashing smile, and sinuous physical presence, Martin can't be blamed for playing to his female fans, and these video clips do just that. The sequence for Martin's breakout English hit, "Livin' La Vida Loca" (also included in a Spanish version) offers a template of sorts: footage of Martin performing the song in a nightclub setting is interspersed with location shots of the singer and the siren he's singing about, stitched together with rapid cuts and swirling camera movement that echo the percolating rhythms. Elsewhere, on "She's All I Ever Had," Martin downshifts to the role of earnest balladeer. The objects of his affection are typically drop-dead gorgeous (and, in one instance, teasingly undraped), and the undercurrent of sex approximates the sort of glossy perfection you'd expect from lingerie or perfume ads.

The cover-boy route is probably inevitable for Martin, but his vitality is hard to dismiss, especially during the final song--the same live Grammy performance that put him on global pop radar. That joyous appearance confirms that Martin doesn't need supermodel costars or retakes to heat things up. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

A great start to your Ricky Martin video collection
This collection will be GREAT for a relatively new fan, but may be a disappointment for someone who was hoping to see some of his older work from previous albums like Vuelve, A Medio Vivir, and Me Amaras. The collection has both the English and Spanish versions of "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "She's All I Ever Had/Bella", and they are of course the SAME video with just the different songs -- perhaps they could have used the space in the collection more efficiently with some of Ricky's other older videos.

The picture quality on the DVD is excellent, and it does contain a great "interview" with Ricky -- actually it is his Video Press Kit that was released with the English album this Spring -- and the videos for "Vuelve," "La Bomba," and "Maria" are fabulous and likely new to a lot of the USA, plus there is the fabulous Grammy performance which took the USA by storm in February -- arguably the most significant performance in his career.

the effervescent Ricky
Ricky Martin's greatest talent is his effervescent showmanship, which he pours out to his audience with all his heart; I'd like to see a camera set in front of him, and just let him "do his thing", without the fancy camera shots, the endless edits, and the plethora of writhing babes that occupy most of the screen time. The video of "La Vida Loca" is the worst offender for this, which if you totaled up the time Ricky was on screen, it would probably be a lot less than what the wiggling dames get.
I also prefer him singing Spanish, and luckily we get 6 videos in Spanish in this collection. Total running time is 40 minutes.

The videos are:
"Livin' La Vida Loca" (English), Ricky's super hit.
"She's All I Ever Had" (English), this ballad has some nice special effects, with a dramatic, changing sky.
"La Bomba" (Spanish), this is probably the best track musically, and by far my favorite track in this collection. It's got a terrific rhythm, piano and brass arrangement, and it's Ricky at his very best.
"Perdido Sin Ti" (Spanish), a ballad with terrific b&w imagery, taken right out of Wim Wenders' film "Wings of Desire".
"Livin' La Vida Loca" (Spanish)
"Vuelve" (Spanish), filmed in what must be a Frank Lloyd Wright house, the architecture is fabulous, and the beauty of this ballad is that it's 100% Ricky, no babes.
"Maria" (Spanish), this is a fun, up-beat video, with Ricky looking young and very cute, filmed in what looks like Barcelona.
"Bella" (Spanish), the Spanish version of "She's All I Ever Had".
"The Cup of Life" (English), Ricky wows them at the Grammys. this is the live performance of the official 1998 World Cup song.

THE CRAZIEST MOST WONDERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD
I was so amazed to see this hunk move in front of me. It was the closest and most intimate time that I have ever spent with Ricky. I am sure that any Ricky fan or non Ricky fan will enjoy.

This is #1. BUY IT