Rattle and Hum: Emotionally Electrifying Concert Footage from U2

U2 is one of the more successful and longer- lived bands in pop/rock music. The grouped was formed in Ireland back in the late 1970’s and the four members have been together ever since, defying the odds of rock and roll band longevity and producing a string of critically- acclaimed and top selling albums.

U2 came on the scene on a world- wide scale in 1980, but it wasn’t until 1987 that the band reached superstar status. It was this year that U2 released the album “The Joshua Tree”, a musical collection that expanded the group’s fan base and sent sales rocketing skyward. It was also around this time that a documentary of the 1987 world tour was filmed. The result is Rattle and Hum, a film/musical biography of U2.

Movie Facts:

Rating: PG-13
Format: Black and White
Director: Phil Joanou
Screenplay: Phil Joanou, U2
Theatrical Release Date: 1988
Movie Length: 99 Minutes

Cast: Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., B.B. King, Phil Joanou, Jack Hale, Jim Horn, Adam Gussow, Dennis Bell, Joseph Miskulin, Gayl Murphy, Sterling Magee, Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson, Dorothy Terrell.

Contents of This Movie:

“Rattle and Hum” opens up with U2 singing a cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” in front of a large concert audience. After some opening tunes, the scene switches to the band members, along with another man who is conducting an interview, sitting on chairs talking about their music and the making of the “Joshua Tree” album.

More concert footage is included throughout this documentary and there are also some scenes of the band members in a recording studio taping songs. There is one memorable scene where blues legend B.B. King makes an appearance and sings “When Love Came to Town”, with the band.

Each time a concert scene is shown, the stadium/venue name is indicated on the television screen along with the name of the city where the concert was held. There are no dates shown, however, so you can’t tell the exact point on the calendar when the concert took place. But since the film was taped during the Joshua Tree tour, you have a good idea of the approximate year.

Many songs are performed on this DVD, with almost all of them taken directly from concerts. The single “Pride” is the last concert song on this DVD. The film ends with one final track, “All I Want is You”, as the credits roll across the screen.

Final Thoughts:

“Rattle and Hum” was created back in the late 1980’s just when U2 was achieving superstar status. This documentary follows the band around the United States from one concert location to another, allowing fans to see U2 up close and personal during live shows.

Besides the music, there are other features in this documentary that will make it a must- have for fans of the group. There are a few interviews with the band members, with lead singer Bono providing the most feedback among the four members. As the group’s leader, Bono is the one you expect to hear speaking the most, and he doesn’t let you down. Often, Bono’s interviews are laced with his personal views and his outspoken feelings about different political topics and social justice.

The meeting with B.B. King is one of the many highlights in this documentary but there are some other interesting moments as well. One unusual scene takes place in a church, with the boys in the band singing the U2 hit “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”- a song with obvious religious overtones- along with a church choir. Another scene shows the band members taking a pilgrimage to Graceland and talking about Elvis Presley.

What stands out most in this documentary is, of course, the music. And if you haven’t already seen the band in concert, you are in for a real treat. For not only is the music original and thought- provoking, it is emotionally charged. Bono builds up the songs by talking to the audience about world events that are important to him and everyone. Then, the song begins and the audience explodes in approval. Probably the most memorable performance on this DVD is “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (performed at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona), a song filled with emotion and a pleading for the violence in Ireland to stop.

One thing you must keep in mind before you watch this is that, even though it is promoted and labeled as a documentary, it doesn’t really fit that designation. In fact, it doesn’t really fit any designation. Since it doesn’t go into great detail about the band members or their feelings, it isn’t really accurate to call this a documentary. Most of the minutes are filled with concert footage, not interviews. There is no narration or story about the band’s history to make this a true documentary. The members of U2 decided, I suppose, to let the lyrics of the songs and the concert performances speak for themselves about who they are and what they believe.

Since this is an “older” movie (i.e., released before the days of DVD’s), there are few extras on the disc. There are no outtakes, special interviews, or deleted scenes, like you get with other DVD’s. A theatrical trailer is about all you get. But the music is all there, with performances of twenty- five different U2 songs from the 1980 to 1987 era, including a few new verses added to some of the band’s old classics.

Overall, “Rattle and Hum” is a very good DVD to add to any music lover’s collection. U2 fans will love it most of all, but even if you’re not a die- hard follower of the band, you will still enjoy “Rattle and Hum”. It is worth watching at least once, just to see the emotional and inspirational concert performances.