Audience Member
What an Interesting life he lived. An artist that will live forever. The documentary takes its time and it makes great use of Sinatra's music.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
philip s
On December 12, 1915 one of America's greatest entertainers was born. His name was Francis Albert Sinatra. He was more well known as Frank Sinatra. That was just a little more than a century ago. And this past December America stopped to mark the 100th anniversary of the late, great entertainer's birthday. Tributes were paid throughout both the music industry and Hollywood since Sinatra's career spanned both worlds. There were even television specials that put the spotlight on some of Sinatra's greatest achievements in his life and career. And just ahead of the anniversary Eagle Rock Entertainment released a very special retrospective on the music legend's life and career in the form of Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All. The title lifts from his hit song of the same name. And even while the hundredth anniversary of Sinatra's birth has passed it does not detract from the importance of this bio. As a matter of fact, with the milestone anniversary in question having passed, this documentary actually takes on even more importance. It is such a thorough look at Sinatra's life and career that the standard DVD presentation requires two discs to cover everything. The main feature presented in Eagle Rock's new bio of "Old Blue Eyes" is just one part of what makes this presentation a must have for fans of Sinatra's life and work. The bonus material included in the presentation adds even more enjoyment to the documentary's overall presentation. It is made up of various interviews with those that were close to Sinatra. But the anecdotes that are shared in each interview serve to make the portrait painted in the program's main feature all the richer. The companion booklet that comes with the double-DVD set rounds out the set's presentation. It gives even more background on Sinatra's life and career, even including Sinatra's own note written to fans announcing his retirement and then return from retirement. Each element plays its own important part in the whole of Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All. Altogether they make this presentation a piece that any Sinatra fan should have just as much as any lover of the true classics.
Eagle Rock Entertainment's new Sinatra bio Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All is a presentation that any Sinatra fan should have just as much as any lover of music's golden age. That is because it in fact gives its all over the course of its nearly two and a half hour run time. Specifically speaking its run time comes in at two hours and twenty-one minutes. Note this is in the case of the presentation's DVD and Blu-ray presentation. There is so much information provided in the course of that time that the DVD portion requires two discs in order to cover everything. In other words Eagle Rock Entertainment doesn't just give a quick over view of Sinatra's life and career here. Rather, they present Sinatra the man, the myth, and the legend. The story doesn't pull any punches along the way, either. Audiences are presented with the full picture of Frank Sinatra as a man that loved doing what he did and fully appreciated his audiences for their love of his work. They are also presented with a man that was a social activist of sorts, openly noting in interviews that he disagreed with segregation in every form. There is also plenty of mention of his support of America's military. For all of the positives that audiences see here, audiences also see a portrait of Sinatra as a man that was a playboy of sorts, much like so many male celebrities of his time and who had a little bit of a controlling side, too. This and so much more is presented in the documentary's main feature. From his birth in New Jersey right up to his final days, Eagle Rock presents in the bio's main feature what is one of the most thorough Sinatra bios presented on DVD or Blu-ray in a very long time. As important as that thorough presentation is to the overall presentation of Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All it is just one part of what makes this presentation well worth the purchase. The bonus "interviews" included in the presentation add even more enjoyment to the presentation.
The central feature of Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All is in itself plenty of reason for audiences to add this video bio to their home DVD/Blu-ray collections should they not have access to the extended Deluxe edition of Eagle Rock's new Sinatra bio. The bonus "interviews" that are included with the bio's main feature are just as important to the overall presentation here as its central feature. The "interviews" are not that long. In all they total roughly thirteen minutes. But even in that short time, audiences get even more background on Frank Sinatra the performer and the man. Ex-wife Mia Farrow notes in her interview how casually he suggested they get married, laughing as she recollects the suggestion. And close friend Jerry Weintraub recollects Sinatra telling him at one point that he [Weintraub] needed to get his heart checked, only to end up getting him drunk shortly thereafter. Weintraub's recollection of what Sinatra said days later will leave audiences in stitches. That won't be revealed here for the sake of those that haven't yet heard this anecdote. But it is funny needless to say. Jill St. John shares her own interesting bit of info in her interview noting that Sinatra did not like doing multiple takes when recording. She notes that he was more of a one-take type of person. It really showed his dedication to getting the music right and getting it the best that it can possibly be. Comedian/entertainer Jerry Lewis offers what is one of the most enlightening and moving memories of Sinatra as he recalls going to Richmond, Virginia to perform at a private benefit show for a fireman that had died doing his job. Lewis recalls that Sinatra never answered his question as he asked about people knowing that he [Sinatra] was a good man. The response that Sinatra gave will both leave audiences laughing but also being moved. It's just one more way that the bonus "interviews" included in the presentation of Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All prove to be their own collectively important way to the documentary's overall presentation. Together with the program's central feature both elements show even more clearly why this latest Sinatra bio is one of the best to come along in a very long time. Even as important as both elements are both by themselves and together, they are still not the only elements worth noting in the program's overall presentation. The companion booklet that is included in the double-disc DVD presentation rounds out said presentation.
Both the main feature of Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All and the bonus "interviews" included in the package are equally important to the documentary's overall presentation. As important as they are to its whole, they still are not all that make it an interesting program to watch. The companion booklet included with the package rounds out its presentation. The booklet offers even more history for fans and audiophiles alike. It gives a much shorter version of the bio presented on the program's discs. But it is still just as concise, offering up the most important parts of Sinatra's life. It even includes Sinatra's own to his fans announcing his retirement. That is followed by the history of his return from retirement, including his own explanation as to why he came out of retirement. His humble explanation plays even more in tandem with the statements made by his friends and family in the program's main feature and interviews. He notes that, "After the so-called retirement I was struggling, I was really fighting my way out of the doldrums because when I quit, I let everything go, and it all fell down. He goes on to offer more in his explanation for his return. But that will be saved for audiences to discover for themselves when they purchase this documentary or its deluxe edition. Those statements couple with everything else presented in the program's companion booklet to prove in whole why the booklet is more than just a booklet. It is its own important part of the bio presented in Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All. Together with the program's main feature and bonus "interviews" all three elements combine to show with full clarity why this documentary is, again, a must have for any Sinatra aficionado and for any audiophile in general.
Eagle Rock Entertainment's new Frank Sinatra bio Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All is a must have for any Sinatra aficionado and for audiophiles in general. That is because it is one of the most thorough bios presented about the music legend in a long time. That depth of information is centered on the program's main feature. The main feature comes in at nearly two and a half hours. And it is nearly two and a half hours that will keep audiences completely engaged from beginning to end. The bonus "interviews" and companion booklet that complement that feature complete the presentation, giving even more background and history on Sinatra the man, the myth, and the legend. Each element plays its own integral part to this documentary. Altogether they make it a documentary that any Sinatra fan should have in his or her own home DVD/Blu-ray library. That is especially the case for those that can't get their hands on the documentary's deluxe edition. That edition gives audiences the fullest experience. That is not to take anything away from this presentation of course. It offers its own entertainment and value. It is available now in stores and online. It is available on 2-DVD, 2-Blu-ray, Deluxe Edition and digital formats. The 2-DVD and 2-Blu-ray presentation will both retail for MSRP of $29.98 while the Deluxe Edition will retail for MSRP of $69.99. That is because of the expansive amount of material included in the Deluxe Edition. It features the All or Nothing At All Documentary on two DVDs, Sinatra's complete 1971 "Retirement Concert" on both DVD and CD platform, a one-on-one interview between Sinatra and famed newsman Walter Cronkite originally recorded in 1965 (on one DVD), a reproduction of the 1971 Life Magazine article discussing Sinatra's "Retirement Concert," a separate bonus booklet, and six art cards housed in their own envelope. More information on Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All and other titles from Eagle Rock Entertainment is available online now along with all of the latest news from the leading name in live recordings at:
Website: http://www.eagle-rock.com
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Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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