Product Description

Filmed at San Francisco's Winterland during their 1976 \""Steal your face tour\"", the group performs 19 of their hits.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: GRATEFUL DEAD
Title: GRATEFUL DEAD MOVIE
Street Release Date: 11/09/2004
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40151 in DVD
• Brand: GRATEFUL DEAD
• Released on: 2004-11-09
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 131 minutes

Amazon.com
The only Grateful Dead video to have received a theatrical release (in the mid-'70s), this film is a real time capsule. See Keith and Donna Godcheaux as integral parts of the band! See the Wall of Sound! See the trippy animation! See Jerry with all-black hair! The photography and sound are crude and not on par with those in some of the more recent Dead videos, notably Ticket to New Year's or Downhill from Here, but its earnestness, and its focus on an era in the Band's history with little other video documentation, more than make up for the lack of polish. There's some above-average music, too, especially "Eyes of the World" and the ever-irresistible "U.S. Blues." --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews

ILLUMINATING LOOK AT THE BAND, FANS & PA
The Grateful Dead movie came out in 1977 but consists of footage shot during an October 1974 series of concerts at the Winterland, the last to use the "wall of Sound" system, and the shows preceeded a break from touring but by the time it came out, they had already resumed performing. It is as much about the fans, the sound crew, the "wall of sound" PA, and promoter Bill Graham as about the band. When I saw it back when it came out and a couple times at local high school auditoriums over the next few years, I was always left with the feeling that it was a little short on uninterupted concert footage. The film tries to cover so much ground the music performances suffer. The other place I felt it was lacking was the sound mix. This new DVD release basically fixes my two main gripes about the original release. It has a second bonus disc of extra song performances, and it has been remixed- it now sounds alot better (but for those who want the original mix, you can play it that way too for the movie portion). There is also some extra interview footage. The transfer of the film has been well done. The dead always had good people working for them, whether it was Betty Cantor, Dan Healy, Steve Parish or Ron Wickersham- and now Jeffrey Norman and David Lemeieux, the keepers of the vault. They have done some excellent work with this release and "The Closing of Winterland" DVD....both come from a period many consider to be their best. Now we can have our own virtual Dead concert. If you like this DVD, I'd also recommend the 5 CD "Movie soundtrack" set which is one of the best audio releases.

Just so amazingly good!!! Get it - you'll be glad you did.
I cannot express in words how awesome this dvd set is. They did an excellent job with it in every way. The sound will blow you away, especially if you have a 5.1 system (you don't need it, there is a regular stereo sound option too) but the surround sound is insane.

The extras are all top notch - stuff you actually want to watch. I have to say that this is probably the best music DVD purchase I have ever made - the content, the packaging the little booklet - it's all of the highest quality. Very highly recommended!

Irresistable
One: This movie captures the Dead live in 1974. Two: It shows them at Winterland, in San Francisco. Three: They sound GREAT!

If you still need more reasons to buy this, the sound quality is as good as 1974 could produce, with a lot of help from the included modern remixes. The film gives us a taste of the whole Grateful Dead experience. And the concert itself is simply an orgy of far-out good feelings, alternative-thinking people doing alternative-thinking things, and a smiling and animated Jerry Garcia who is of course the spark that lights the fire in the hearts and the breeze that rustles all the leaves in all the souls present.

If this movie has a downside, it is this: Some of the newcomers to the Grateful Dead who watch it will be converted into new, true Deadheads, and they will have to begin that lifelong journey living with the sad reality that Jerry is no longer with us. We are left with only recordings, films, and the memory of a Great Spirit who changed the world for the better with his fingertips.