Again, I was very pleasantly surprised with the overall quality of the Knebworth footage. Consider this for the period in which it was shot: most seventies footage of rock groups consists of grainy film stock, sound typically out of sync with the picture ( or worse, from a different performance altogether ), poor lighting, mediocre MONAURAL audio, etc. I would’ve liked more close ups on Artimus Pyle, as well as Billy Powell…again, there weren’t as many cameras to cover the angles we’re used to today. If the camera set-up was primarily for the Stones, then the director–who actually calls the shots on what camera fades to what–probably wasn’t at all familiar with Skynyrd’s material, evidenced by a tight shot of one guitarist playing rhythm while another was actually playing lead! It certainly wasn’t done as routinely as it is now. Location videotaping during the seventies was very expensive and cumbersome ( check out the size of those cameras during the wide shots ). I get the feeling that the only reason this footage was shot is that Skynyrd happened to be opening for the Rolling Stones, apparently the headlining act of this festival. The Knebworth performances were all complete, sans annoying interruptions of stars reminiscing about bygone days ( more than a couple of DVD releases of other groups are plagued with incomplete songs, cutting to an interview snippet or, worse, sound suddenly muted with yet another voiceover ). Review The first thing that struck me about this footage was how clear it was ( as well as the stereo sound ). In short, if you’re a Skynyrd fan, then this is THE DVD you have to own.
As a follow-up, (according to the Skynyrd website) he died several years later of pneumonia.
#WORDS TO FREE BIRD MOVIE#
One interesting note you learn from the second movie is the tragic car accident which left Allen Collins paralized. It shows the reorganized band but, still covers the past too. The second movie on the DVD is also good. This movie brings the people themselves right into your house. The closing credits are one of the best parts with a high fidelity version of “Simple Man” playing in the background while home movie footage along with candid photos are intersperse with the credits.Īfter the tragic crash we had so little to remember except of course the music. You could always see that these people were not phony baloney rock stars but, real people that loved their craft and loved presenting it to the world.
I could really imagine how he was probably thinking up more great lyrics for some song which would tell a story or maybe he was dreaming of bass fishing back in Florida. He was staring out the window, turned to place his bet and then turned back to the window.
The ending is unbelievable as they show actual home movies of someone in the band holding a video camera and walking right onto the plane, into the cockpit and film it taking off and you can see the pilots briefly.įor me it was the 2 second clip showing Ronnie Van Zant playing poker on the plane that stuck in my mind the most. Some of the scenes showing the band on stage and the reaction of the fans to Freebird brings a tear to the eye. I wish the music quality was a little better but, it’s still very, very good. The movie also shows early raw footage and precious (although too short) interviews with Ronnie Van Zant. Of course the highlight of the film is the concert footage featuring a lot of the band’s greatest songs. And, to think that these young guys could be such powerful forces in the music world is amazing. Some of the footage showing their neighbourhoods on the West side of town brought back so many memories for me of a place I haven’t seen now for many years. I even have a photo in my early 70’s Ed White High School yearbook showing them playing at a school dance. I grew up very near to some of the guys in Jacksonville FL and have been a true Skynyrd fan for years. Review This movie is fantastic for true Skynyrd fans. Lynyrd Skynyrd Freebird: The Movie (DVD) (1999)
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