Rating: 
Summary: There's nothing like a Grateful Dead concert...
Review: ...especially if you actually get to see and hear the band (not just the concert attendees). Allow me to elaborate:Ok, I know that this review will probably get a lot of negative feedback.. but this is how I feel. I think that the Dead were GREAT during the nights they were filmed in concert. They all were amazing. It is great to see the dead live during their prime.. '74's STEAL YOUR FACE tour. The concert was great. 5 stars definitely for the concert itself. However, I am very disturbed about the people who made this film. Yeah, it's ok to see behind the scenes and get audience shots sometimes, but the audience is shown more than the band! I bought this video expecting to see and hear the Grateful Dead.. not a bunch of spaced out hippies. The audience is shown WAAAAY too much. Also-- there are very few songs here in their entirety. It seems that when a song starts gettting good.. when the boys really start jammin', they cut to an interview with some spaced out Deadhead (no offense to spaced out Deadheads...) talking about how great the concert experience is.. OF COURSE SEEING THE DEAD LIVE IS FANTASTIC.. THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT THE VIDEO! I wasn't around the first time to see the dead live, so I was hoping that I would get a no-nonsense concert flick. The concert, or what we hear of it, is fantastic. If you want a no-bull$h!† concert, check out STOP MAKING SENSE... these filmmakers should take some notes from Johnathan Demme on how to shoot a concert. For God's sake, all I wanted was to see the dead.. not the Deadheads. If you love the Dead, I still recommend buying this.. I don't really regret it, per sé, but I was very let down by the cinematic technique used in the filming of this.
Rating: 
Summary: Grateful Head Movie
Review: Deuter: try the soundtrack for the tunes cut short by the movie..five discs have all the movie stuff plus all the extra's.
The movie itself is awesome. I've been waiting for years...my Laserdisc version holding me over until this fabulous release. The remaster with the improved sound is excellent and the extra stuff is a great bonus. David Lemieux (dead archivist) promises that they'll be more to come from this set of historic '74 Winterland "farewell" shows.
P.S., the Dead wanted to document the ENTIRE Dead Head concert experience so all the audience coverage was deemed necessary as it aint a show without the Heads!
Rating:
Summary: Plug in the stereo and turn up the volume!
Review: Having seen this movie numerous times during its original run, I am happy to say it loses little when brought to the small screen. Be sure to have your VCR hooked in your stereo and crank up the volume. Numerous times I put in the tape and never bother turning on the TV. I even made a copy of the soundtrack so I could listen to it in my car while cruising from one show to the next. While other members of the Dead continue to perform in one configuration or another, as one fan in the film says, "There Is Nothing Like A Grateful Dead Concert!" This is a great video to bring even a little of the experience back. A document that ranks with "The Last Waltz" as entertainment and as history. To deadheads everywhere, Have A Grateful Day!
Rating:
Summary: "I'm just tryin' to get my... space... together...."
Review: I actually wasn't a huge fan of the Dead when somebody plopped me down and made me watch a muddy VHS copy of "The Grateful Dead Movie" late one night about 15 years ago.
After a brief animated opening (which is mindblowing and which is dissected nicely in a documentary on the new disk), the concert kicks off -- Winterland, October 1974 -- and the movie meanders nicely between live footage, history, interviews and roaming through the crowd.
The music is excellent, really solid performances, and so is the ambiance -- yes, there is a lot of crowd footage but that's a inseperable part of what made the Dead's live shows such a unique experience. Director Leon Gast (who made the radically different but equally good "When We Were Kings") gets right into the heart of a concert and explores not just the band but the people who love them.
Admittedly, the sound and picture quality don't compare with that of later DVD releases but, seriously, compare the disk with the VHS (which had notoriously AWFUL sound) and you'll see this is about as good as it's going to get. For vintage Dead (as opposed to 80's and 90's era) the trade-off is worth it.
Now: whomever is in charge of such things, can we please get a widescreen DVD of the movie "Fillmore" ? Please?
Rating:
Summary: The Grateful Dead Movie
Review: I have come to the music of the Grateful Dead late I'm afraid, but better late than never I guess. This DVD is great, sounded spectacular on my surround system, turned up very very loud! I'm just starting to get into The Dead, and there is so much material out there that it is kind of daunting knowing just what to pick up! Can someone offer suggestions? Anyway, I loved this DVD and will be playing it quite alot, I'm sure.
Rating:
Summary: I got Gas
Review: I have had my copy of The Greatful Dead Movie for about a week now, and I can't believe the quality of this production. The video and especially the sound quality are insane. You can hear every note of the music with pristine clarity. It sounds much better than the Closing of the Winterland DVD, which was also great. I wouldn't review the actual movie other than it really captures the feeling it was going for.
The second disk bonus material is also great. All of the uncut live footage is incredible, and just getting some high quality video footage of 74 Dead is treat. The Other One, China-Rider and Weather Report are highlights. The documentaries offer some insight into what the band was feeling around the time of the break and are very interesting. There is even a long interview with Billy. All in all this is a keeper and well worth money.
Rating:
Summary: Dead at their best
Review: I remember when I couldn't wait for this movie to come to the big screen every few years. It is awesome. It is The Grateful Dead at their best. I have been hoping it will come out on DVD. If you like The Grateful Dead during that time period you will love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Bonus DVD really makes it
Review: I'm not going to write a long review here, but I have to say that the bonus disc is fantastic - seeing the Dead play in 1974(5 years before I ever saw them myself), without interruptions for crowd shots, etc., is really great. The song selection is excellent, far better than the songs in the movie itself. Watching this bonus footage, I feel like I'm right on stage with the band. The interviews are also very good.
Rating:
Summary: Garcia would be proud...
Review: My gawd this is a great dvd.
The film itself holds up as a look at a passionate rock band: the Grateful Dead seen in this footage are so musically confident that they can knock out tunes that are creative and loose, and at the same time intensely jazzy and complex. The opening animation sequence is as good as you might remember (if you've seen the film), but maybe not a relevant now that many of us no longer live on the road. The wall-of-sound stage setup is still awe-insiping. Donna and Keith are great... there is a moment in the film where Garcia looks so damned pleased to be playing little meoldic fills while Donna moans -- it's really amazing.
And ultimately, the movie is a important reminder that Garcia and the band were once young guitar-slinging rock stars, up for a bouncy musical exploration at every turn.
What makes this dvd absolutely outstanding is the extra performances included (sequences not shown in the movie itself). The jammed-out version of the Other One is stellar. The Dark Star is quite good (although the tune ends strangely), and the China-Rider is excellent. To see this 1974 film-quality footage is an immense treat.
Other dvd extras include excellent documentary pieces and some good still photography.
Garcia as the director of the original film would be quite proud of this modern re-release. What a fine job... it's my favorite Dead dvd to date -- thank you to everyone who created this -- from 1974 on up to 2004!
Rating:
Summary: An absolute must-have for Grateful Dead fans
Review: The Grateful Dead Movie is a two-disc DVD showcasing the famous rock-and-roll band. Disc 1 (132 minutes) offers the movie itself, transferred from its original 35 mm film negative in High Definition and presented in 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Audio options include the original theatrical audio mix and new Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 audio mixes from the master multi-track tapes. A feature-length commentary with supervising editor Susan Crutcher and film editor John Nutt as well as English subtitles offer an additional extra dimension over VHS copies. Disc 2 (175 minutes) is packed with extensive never-before-seen concert footage, bonus songs, a "making of the animated sequence" documentary, a photo gallery, production notes, and more. An absolute must-have for Grateful Dead fans, filled to the brim with excitement, majesty, and thrilling music.
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