Elton John – Someone Like Me (Eagle Media DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Documentary: C+

 

 

Elton John is suddenly getting documentary attention he rarely got at his peak and that includes a few programs that do not license his music, like the British-produced Someone Like Me (2007) which has good interviews with several persons (including himself) and is not a bad 98 minutes.  However, it could have been better and is an adequate crash course in his career at best.

 

To its advantage, it goes back to long before he became a musician and explores the British scene in a way all other works on John have not.  Instead of coming out of nowhere and becoming a phenomenon with only an angle on who he was personally, it gives us an idea of known British culture of the time and matches it with the years before his breakthrough and peak period.  It is worth a look and fans will definitely want to see it once.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is not bad with its mix of new HD, old analog video and film footage, but offers more motion blur than expected.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is adequate, especially since the only music is generic, thus missing surrounds are not an issue.  Extras include discography, black & white Carnaby Street newsreel, why he bought The Goon Show scripts, more on his AIDS Foundation and more extended interviews.

 

For more on Elton, start with the recent DVD/CD set Rocket Man – Number Ones, which also offers links to0 his classic albums in SACD and more:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5290/Elton+John+–+Rocket+Man:+Number

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo