Europe Movie Reviews

In addition to the great music, this DVD has excellent footage of all the players (not just Kenny Drew) including closeups of their hand (and foot) techniques. The trio members share the spotlight equally and hence the camera-time is quite evenly distributed among them although most of the solos are for Kenny Drew and NHØP with one lengthy solo for Alvin Queen. Queen does however still shine through on all the songs.

Kenny Drew is excellent without being too fancy and although NHØP exhibits his usual electric-sounding tone as a result of his choice of amplification gear, his notes and intonation are faultless and impressive.

Watch out for the interesting introduction to St. Thomas from NHØP and Alvin Queen.

If I could wish for just one thing it would be more songs as the trio plays only one set of five songs. It makes me wonder whether there was another set that did not make it to the DVD for some reason.

if you like jazz - "kenny drew live - may be the best issued dvd format material to enjoy. "kenny drew live" - 5 stars. sorry for a "no" 5.1 channel sound - the man died to early (1994). look to more dvd's like "kenny drew live".

Kenny Drew-Piano, Alvin Queen-Drums, Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen-Bass What a fabulous DVD. It was recorded in 1992 in England live. This is one of the tightest rhythm sections you'll ever hear. All three are masters at their instruments.

Rick Steves always makes his commentary seem like he's speaking directly to you, the viewer. In his description of France, it's as though he is holding your hand through the adventure. Rick also wants you to enjoy the same things as much as he, and only chooses the cream off-the-top for his viewers and future travellers. In his tour of Paris he highlights the best but not necessarily the most popular or most travelled places there, leaving you with more intimate and less fearful feelings for trotting around Paris. If you haven't travelled to Europe before I would highly recommend reading Rick Steve's travel books along with Fodor's, be prepared and you won't be sorry. Rick Steve's DVDs can only wet your appetite for more!
Michele Schroeder

This is a wonderful travel guide if you are going to any of the countries that are included. The video is high quality and Rick Steves provides great tips and recommendations. It will double as our June 2003 Mediterranean Cruise souvenier and is a wonderful reminder of a Greek vacation we had several years ago

If you love Italy and love to travel but are constrained by money or the obligations of work and family, this video is for you. Rick Steves is the kind of guy your mother probably wanted you to marry - practical, articulate and fun to be around. He approaches travel with such a positive attitude that he makes you ashamed you are sitting at home! Some of the footage here is new to me and some is "recycled" from his shows. However, the picture and sound quality on the DVD makes it a good buy for this arm chair traveller. He covers the classic tourist places and some that are truly off the beaten path. He peppers the DVD with his philosophy on being a tourist, an American, on packing light and on dealing with the occasional problem. Since he travels most of the time, his insights are worth hearing. I love cheap travel and I like knowing "secret" places to sleep, eat and sight see - (Although after being shown on a TV program across the USA, how secret will it be?) Anyway, when I'm feeling a little lonely for Italy, I pop in the DVD and in a few minutes I'm back in one of the most exciting countries in Europe - with a perfect guide at my side.

This six-part documentary is created for serious students of film, as European silent pictures would be unfamiliar (and uninteresting) to most casual viewers. The six-hour running time can also be a deterrent. But, for those who are willing to partake of this journey, it is extremely well done. An off-screen Kenneth Branagh, bridging the material to me as an American viewer, narrates each segment. And the remastered quality of the selected scenes is startling considering most have been forgotten, lost or destroyed.

The first episode, entitled WHERE IT ALL BEGAN introduces the series and discusses the first movies and how they were affected by the onset of World War I. The second episode, PROMISED LAND focuses on hour on the Swedish impact on cinema. Then they discuss German expressionism in Part 3, THE UNCHAINED CAMERA. That is followed by the French contributions in THE MUSIC OF LIGHT, Part 4. Part 5 OPPORTUNITY LOST, reveals British filmmaking as sub par and only shows promise when they stylistic borrow from Germany. Alfred Hitchcock is also featured. END OF AN ERA chronicles the arrival of sound film and how it affected all the involved countries as well as the onslaught of World War II.

CINEMA EUROPE is a wonderful essay on silent European films but it can be a long journey with some repetition. But, many of the clips are marvelous and the musical reconstruction is great. The DVD has no special features beyond an episode scene selection.

Brownlow & Gill's documentary series was originally broadcast in 1996 by the BBC to celebrate 100 years of cinema. Not only is it incredibly interesting as a history lesson but top marks must go to the archive researchers who have dug up some incredibly rare footage (such as Dietrich's screen test for THE BLUE ANGEL). All 6 episodes are on this 1 disc and although there are no extras, you do get 6 hours of pure magic, masterly narrated by the excellent Kenneth Branagh. The quality of the archive footage is amazing and anyone contemplating studying film for education or academic reasons really should start with this disc, for it starts with footage circa 1895 (including the Lumiere bros) through to the advent of sound over 30 years later. It's all very well to read about this stuff in textbooks but seeing it on your TV really does make a difference. It is truly amazing just how much stuff has survived considering the time that has elapsed and the chemical volatility of early nitrate film stock. All in all this is well worth watching, masterfully put together and nicely presented. It is also worth noting that contrary to the technical information on the page, this disc is in fact not region coded so will play in any DVD player in any country so you really have no excuse not to get it (however the U.S. appears to be the only country where this series is available as a DVD).This disc is must for any film student or historian!.

If you are interested in film and want to learn more about the early days, you will be enthralled, from start to finish, by this remarkable six-hour documentary, the last joint project by film historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill. Intelligently written and wonderfully narrated by Kenneth Branagh, each hour is filled with rare film clips and fantastic interviews.

The only weakness here is a lack of extras. A documentary or commentary track about how these clips were found, etc., would have been wonderful. Also, a documentary package like this would be made even more valuable with the addition of a comprehensive index of the actors and films.

You'll travel on very nice trains, in this DVD, and see interesting parts of the world. As one might expect, the DVD falls a little short in its depiction of the cities that are visited, because the focus is on the train ride and what can be seen from the train. You'll occasionally ride up front with the conductor, go through tunnels, over high bridges, alongside rivers, and should enjoy the view. Bon voyage!

This is a very interesting video introducing famous railway lines in Europe. This is one of the three video series of "Travel the world by train Europe." I myself have travelled some of the railways introduced in this video and this video reminded me of good memories of my former trips in Europe. This video is highly recommendable for people who like travelling in Europe. I have to add that this video format (NTSC) is also accepted by Japanese video players. I have bought all of the three videos of "Travel the world by train Europe" series. Interestingly, this video was produced by "TV Asahi," Tokyo, Japan. We have a similar TV program series in Japan introducing railways all over the world.

Overall, I found the video a pleasant display of beautiful women against the fascinating backdrop of European culture and architecture. Admittedly, the detractions had little to do with the subject matter, but rather the extensive "fogged lens" effect usage and the often tiresome music selection. Also, I think some pleasant conversation, with their attractive European accents would have added well to the video. But it wasn't to be.

I had to contend with only visual displays that ranged from average to astounding. But at least the women were "eye catchingly" attractive, and from what I could tell, most if not all were completely natural.

In conclusion, it was a great eye piece that deserves viewing, but just doesn't merit a maximum rating.

This has to be the best Penthouse DVD I own. I don't own many but the girls on this DVD are stunning, eye popping, etc....

Spectactular DVD! Penthouse comes through for us again. Their 1995 released DVD titled "Girls of Europe" is excellent, without a doubt. Surrealist, Penthouse photography and beautiful women make this a definate must have! Happy viewing.

Contrary to some other reviews, the sound is okay. All the tracks came across clearly on my speakers without any audio adjustments. However, I've noticed on this DVD that the bass is pumped up and tends to overpower the vocals in certain spots.

As for the video quality, the B&W soundstage segments are bright and crisp and the Roundhouse show (also in B&W) isn't that bad. The extreme contrast between lights and darks makes the Roundhouse segments seem murky at times but you can still see all figures clearly. Plus, the camera work is definitely livelier than the famous Hollywood bowl show.

The audio and video flaws are easily overlooked, but the most annoying faults come at the end of the DVD. Because a Jefferson Airplane segment leads straight into "Five to One", the start of that track is cut. This last track "Alabama Song" is NOT shown in performance but rather laid over a Pere-Lachaise montage which, after Grace Slick's comments on Morrison, makes it seem like he expired at the end of the European tour! If not for this silliness, the DVD would rate 5/5.

The Doors were a great band and here we have some great film documentation of their performances during the 1968 European tour that captures the visceral energy Jim Morrison and the rest of the band captured on stage. The songs are great and on this DVD, they sound magnificent. Well, I was a bit disappointed that the performances of "Light My Fire," "Backdoor Man" and "Spanish Caravan" are a bit crudely recorded. They still work though. The best piece of film here is when the band performs "When The Music's Over." The performance captures the viewer with the intricate playing, provocative lyrics (as in "The End") and Morrison really comes off as an impressive rock artist. I especially loved it when he says, "We want the world and we want it now." "Unknown Soldier" and "Love Me Two Times" are also magnificently done. The fault of this DVD (and video for you VHS watchers) is that we really don't get THAT much information on the tour itself. Jefferson Airplane give a few interesting insights, but nothing very fascinating that keeps your attention. All we really get are the good performances, and that's it. Yes, The Doors are the greatest rock band of all time, but this film deserved a wee-bit more work.

Even in the year 2500 the doors will be known and listened in all over the universe.

What a disappointment! This DVD should be entitled 'D-12 All Across Europe.' Seeing behind the scenes was interesting but if I had wanted to see a travelogue of Europe I would have purchased a travel documentary. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Em' but what was the purpose of endless scenes of the concert crowds and waving hands? This DVD isn't worth taking the time to watch -- save your money.

If you thought Eminem was only known in the USA, you're really wrong. This is a polemic Eminem/D12/XZibit Tour in Europe. Eminem and his crew go to Hamburg (Germany), Oslo (Norway), Stockholm (Sweden), Amsterdam (Holland), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Manchester and London (United Kingdom).
Eminem sings The Way I Am with Marilyn Manson in Hamburg, B**** Please II with XZibit and Stan with Dido in London.
The extras are:
- Purple Pills: A live version of this D12 song, you can't find it nowhere else, I think.
- Forgot About Dre: Featuring Dr. Dre.. A song from the 2001 Dr Dre's album... Can't find it anywhere else neither...
Is it cool? Worth? Yes. It's a funny DVD, full of backstage things, in fact, this DVD is more backstage than live performance. So, if you're looking for an Eminem show, buy the Up In Smoke Tour DVD, because this is 80% backstage, 20% live performance. Was it helpful?

This DVD is real dope, don't believe that ... you just read, you see a lotta performances,muuuuuch backstage material, you see the guys walking through Amsterdam by night.You see them on their whole tour,it's like you are right there. I got a lotta Eminem DVDs and this is one of my favorites, if I watch it,I always watch it 2 times, and I go back to my favorite scenes and watch them over and over again. This DVD is really worth it.
You can see Marshall talking to Hailie on the phone and all that behind the curtains stuff =o)
The sound quality is good and as extras there are 2 performances, one is Forgot about Dre (from Up In Smoke Tour) and the other one is Eminem performing "The Way I am" with Marilyn Manson.
BUY THIS STUFF IT'S REALLY DAMN GREAT.

How to see Europa as a unwashed hippy, stay in dives, and meet the more smelly volks. All with a bit of anti- Americanism, from our most admired PRAVDA traval writer.
Also this should be titled "Rick Steves, watch ME travel, a boring home traval vidieo"!

I've watched Rick Steves over the years and finally decided to buy his 6-pack of European DVD's. These are pretty much all of the main countries in Europe and a few in Central Europe (Greece, Egypt).

For those of us who love to travel, using Rick Steves' as a personal guide is a great way to see the European Continent. He
does a great job in telling the watcher not only about places to see, but how to "travel" when you're a guest in a foreign country, how to change money, how to find the "off-the-beaten path" places away from the tourist crowd, nice family type restaurants...but he never seems to overdo anything. Perfect balance. Some other videos I've seen will sometimes spend way too much time on how they make cheese in Switzerland.....who really cares that much about cheese!

Ricks big thing seems to be getting into the local ways and culture, talking with locals, and I must say that I totally agree with his views here. There is no better trip than when you meet some locals and spend time with them. The experience will not be soon forgotten.

What I enjoy most is his personal touch when he explains what to look for when seeking food, a room for the night and just some local fun. Basically, this travelogue is from his perspective with very much the personal touch as he talks into the camera right at you when explaining some of the how's, why's, do's and dont's. On one DVD, he sits down and explains how he packs and shows what he puts in his money belt that he wears, ie important documents for safety's keep such as passport, travelers checks etc. He does a lot of walking/hiking during his trips and explains about packing lightly and being able to carry everything in a backpack of sorts. Don't worry, it's not "roughing it" at all.

If there is one thing I might do differently on my trips to Europe that Rick does in his DVD's, would be to stay at a bit higher rated hotel. He seems to really low budget on the overnight accomodations.

All said and done, I truly enjoyed this set and having been to Europe many times, I can certainly appreciate the time he takes to explain things, tell a bit of history of some sights, talk to the locals even though he doesn;t really speak any of the languages and is just a real normal kind of guy who is not perfect. His style of travel is not for the elite types, but rather those of us who are genuinely interested in the culture of where you're at.

I have been to Europe following the advice of Rick Steves, and it was an awesome trip. If I had seen this DVD after I went, I would have had to go back! He really hits the best sights and cultural attractions, and the tips he gives on budget travel make European excursions affordable to many more than otherwise would be able to go. That alone makes the DVD worth every penny because you will save much more. Buy it to make your trip fantastic and memorable. The DVD is well done and you will want to watch it again and again just for fun. A trip anywhere should be intellectually stimulating and interesting as well as filled with beautiful people and sights--Rick Steve's makes sure it is.