Rating: 
Summary: Into The Arms Of America
Review: Rattle & Hum is a documterary of U2's 1987 tour of America. Director Phil Joanou follows the band to New York, Texas, Memphis, San Francisco, Denver and Arizona. The movie is shot in black and white for the most part until the end when a couple of concert sequences appear in color. The sharp contrast is startling and gives the film an added power. One of the more poignant scenes is the band's visit to Graceland and Sun Studios as the visit the cradle of rock 'n' roll. For four guys from Dublin, Ireland this visit is like a visit to the Holy Land and it is treated with justifiable reverence. While the interviews and look at the behind the scenes are nice, the meat of any rock film are the live performances and U2 does not disappoint. Their performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with a Harlem choir in a church is uplifting. The do a gut wrenching take on "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and haunting version of "With Or Without You". They practically explode off the screen with the rampaging "Bullet The Blue Sky". Rattle & Hum is a must for any U2 fan and now that fourteen years have past and the band has changed its image and look a couple of times, it is interesting to look at them in a simpler time.
Rating:
Summary: a must have for die hards
Review: I have R&H and I must say I'm biased because U2 is my favorite band..but this surpasses The Beatles and Spinal Tap's attempt at a rockumentry..I don't see how u2 are self important at all..they have a love for american music at that's all...the movie is broken down into parts..interviews with each member and concert footage first the band rock into "Helter Skelter" and The Edge also adds his vocals for "Van Diemens Land" "It's A Musical Journey" says Larry Mullen Jr and he's right the whole video is about the bands journey through america next the band jam with the Voices Of Freedom for "I Still Haven't..." and also The Edge watching a blues band perform The band practise "Watchtower" and Bono spray paints "Rock and Roll Stops The Traffic" U2 visit Graceland and Larry Mullen gets to sit on a harley those are just some of the highlights in the movie, Phil Jounou does a great job filming a overall it's just awesome...
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: This is one of the ultimate rock movies for me. It ranks alongside The Beatles "A Hard Day's Night." It doesn't really have a story though. It's closer to a concert video, but instead of showing a single concert, it puts together some of the best performances of U2's Rattle and Hum tour. There are quite a few masterpiece performances in the movie. Of particular note is "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" which takes place in a Harlem church with a full choir. It's a very moving performance. Also I really loved "Angel of Harlem" which was performed in the Sun Studio in Memphis. It's the use of these kinds of unique performances that make this special. For fans of U2's 80's songs, this is the ultimate collection. It's a must have for every U2 fan.
Rating: 
Summary: RATTLE AND HUM TO THIS!!!
Review: Being a diehard U2 fan and DVD freak, I lament the short DVD selection - aside from Elevation 2001: Live From Boston, the Rattle And Hum movie and the "Classic Albums" documentary on the making of the Joshua Tree, there are no DVD's for ZOO TV: Live From Sydney; POPMART: Live From Mexico City; The Best Of 1980-1990; the Achtung Baby videos, interference, etc.; the Under A Blood Red Sky concert and any other that I didn't mention. So we have to make do with what we have. That said, this is a pretty good concert movie (my only compaints being the artsy-fartsy looking black & white picture in most of the film and the exclusion of the song "Hawkmoon 269" which was on the RATTLE AND HUM album). Otherwise, there are great live performances here, like "Where The Streets Have No Name", "With Or Without You", "Bullet The Blue Sky", the excellent cover of the Beatles "Helter Skelter", and a fiery rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which was performed on the day of the Enniskillen, Ireland massacre which Bono talks to the crowd about - U2 just tear it up!!! Those performances are yet another reminder of what a great band U2 are - critical moaning about the movie being pompous and overblown are completely irrelevant. Anyway, great concert movie!!!
Rating:
Summary: a must
Review: raw, powerful, u2 at their uninterupted best...clearly defines u2 as one of music's best live bands...a peek into their experiences on tour in the US...if you are a u2 fan you already have this, if you dont then you are not really a fan....
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Amazing Experience
Review: Rattle and Hum is one of my two favorite U2 DVD's out there, tied with the excellent Best of 1990-2000.
While technically considered a documentary, Rattle and Hum is really a concert film, each song filmed during one of their live shows on their tour for the Joshua Tree album. But Rattle and Hum is a real movie, (it even has an MPAA rating). The directing is unbelievable, especially for a concert film. Instead of setting up cameras in the crowd and using a zoom lense, director Phil Joanou uses swooping cameras all over the stage, and it makes you feel as if you're on stage with them. Most of the film is in artsy black and white and it really brings out the emotion in the music, although there are three songs filmed in color.
The picture quality is very good, and although I won't claim to be an expert on sound quality, it sounds very good.
U2 are incredible live performers. These live versions of 'Exit, 'Where the Streets Have no Name', 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', and 'With or Without You' may very well be superior to the already excellent studio cuts. They even perform 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' with a gospel choir, and it is absolutely amazing. If you are a fan of U2's older stuff I suggest you purchase this immediately. Otherwise, it's definitely still worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: a must have for die hards
Review: I have R&H and I must say I'm biased because U2 is my favorite band..but this surpasses The Beatles and Spinal Tap's attempt at a rockumentry..I don't see how u2 are self important at all..they have a love for american music at that's all... the movie is broken down into parts..interviews with each member and concert footage first the band rock into "Helter Skelter" and The Edge also adds his vocals for "Van Diemens Land" "It's A Musical Journey" says Larry Mullen Jr and he's right the whole video is about the bands journey through america next the band jam with the Voices Of Freedom for "I Still Haven't..." and also The Edge watching a blues band perform The band practise "Watchtower" and Bono spray paints "Rock and Roll Stops The Traffic" U2 visit Graceland and Larry Mullen gets to sit on a harley those are just some of the highlights in the movie, Phil Jounou does a great job filming a overall it's just awesome...
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: This is one of the ultimate rock movies for me. It ranks alongside The Beatles "A Hard Day's Night." It doesn't really have a story though. It's closer to a concert video, but instead of showing a single concert, it puts together some of the best performances of U2's Rattle and Hum tour. There are quite a few masterpiece performances in the movie. Of particular note is "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" which takes place in a Harlem church with a full choir. It's a very moving performance. Also I really loved "Angel of Harlem" which was performed in the Sun Studio in Memphis. It's the use of these kinds of unique performances that make this special. For fans of U2's 80's songs, this is the ultimate collection. It's a must have for every U2 fan.
Rating:
Summary: Rattle and Hum
Review: Looks like I have finally found what I was looking for...
Rattle And Hum on DVD is what every U2 afficionado cannot and will not do without! A travelogue of sorts for the irish band in the US, Phil Joanu's film captures the band's essence in the 80s, when they were essentially basking in the glory of Joshua Tree. Loads of attitude (Check out their interviews) but no pretensions here, its just the band at their musical best, as ordinary people who can be dazzled by the splendour of Graceland and get excited jamming with B.B. King and amidst their bantering admire with all honesty a roadside blues guitarist and do an impromptu session with a Church choir for I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For. In between all this is the exemplary courage shown by Bono to go public against the IRA in one of the bands concerts. If I had to look in perspective, this DVD serves as a perfect window to see the band as who they were and what they would be [As seen in Zorropa] before their radical Discotheque days. Right at the start of the film, you are treated to an exquisite vocal rendition by Edge of a song thats hauntingly familiar [I dont remember the name]. Gloria was not how I expected it to be, but in the larger scheme of things, it hardly matters. Though the entire format is in black and white, I would say this is an excellent decision taken by the director, because in a certain way it has added a subtle surreal atmosphere. All in all an hours worth of pure music fidelity... Sit back and enjoy...
Rating:
Summary: Full Of Great Music.
Review: Okay, so maybe "Rattle And Hum" isn't the greatest concert film ever, but watching it you just have to feel puzzled at how much lashing this film got. It's a really good concert document with a lot of great songs, many of the performances show the best of U2's abilities as a live act. They play some of their most adored hits and still go on to cover a few classics along on the way with great skill and a lot of passion (something lacking in today's new band scene). "Rattle And Hum" is director Phil Joanou's documentation of U2's trek through both America and American music, a lot of it sounds damn good and it's flaws can be forgiven, even forgotten. The film opens with a driving cover of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" and goes on to look into the band exploring ideas and recording new songs (which of course are for the soundtrack) like "Desire" and "When Love Comes To Town," a roaring duet with B.B. King, both these tracks alone prove U2 are masters at the blues form. Frontman Bono comes off a lot as an impassioned artist who likes to make statements (check out his stinging indictment on the Irish revolution during "Sunday Bloody Sunday") but he has a magnificent voice, something rare when it comes to today's rock music, and it soars along with the rest of the band's wonderful playing. The film's flaws aren't too annoying, there is a cheesy but interesting trip to Graceland and the film fails to really get INTO the band's world, it is more about their performances than the members themselves. These aside, it's a must for fans of the band and a trip back to the days before U2 went into more daring experimental routes. It's also an interesting film to compare with today's U2 releases like the "Elevation 2001" DVD. Other noteworthy moments here are a great rendition of "All Along The Watchtower" and an evocative "With Or Without You." Was it an adequate release for theaters? No. It works better in the video format because it is not as detailed or cinematic as most documentaries, but in the end it's a really good concert movie for any fan of U2 or anyone who likes their music. "Rattle And Hum" really does as the title states.
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