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Rating: 
Summary: There was nothing wrong with the video.
Review: Dear Fans of Mahalia Jackson:I would like to inform you that there was nothing wrong with this video in my opinion. As for the color on the film being poor - what do you expect people? The footage was shot between 1969 and 1972 cameras were not as high tech as they are today!! The original documentary that was filmed by Allen Miner in the summer of '69 for the US State Department was not filmed as intended because he met opposition from a lot of the promoters of Mahalia's concert that year. But he put together the footage from the concerts, her press conferences, her rehearsals and even her wake and funeral on this tape after her passing, to give fans a glimpse as to who Mahalia was; her beliefs; her faith and her dedication to singing the gospel. I loved it. Having seen Mahalia perform years ago we never really got to see the human side of her much. You know, the everyday hardworking Mahalia. It also gives you a glimpse of the Holy Ghost filled singer who could make the most convinced of atheists shout amen. If you don't believe me, watch the video and watch her sing "Great Gettin Up Mornin'" or "I Thank God" or even "Just A Closer Walk With Thee"...Mahalia Jackson does not deliver a testimony...she is a testimony...a living witness to how God can take someone small and insignificant and make her great!! And she brings out her gratitude in every song she has ever sung...this video is no exception to that fact. Buy the tape folks!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Pictorial Glimpse of the Great Mahalia!
Review: Dear Fellow Mahalia Fans,
I was so taken by the sheer intimacy of witnessing a very personal side of Mahalia Jackson. One felt as if they were traveling with her and accompanying the Grand lady throughout Europe. The traveling scenes on the Rolls-Royce and the trains or seeing her feed the swans was truly captivating. Mahalia is seen walking into the great halls and gaze up at the ceiling with reverance. The footage is fast paced and evident of the technology of its time but the singing quality is superb. I actually felt as if I was there, listening and witnessing her every movement. Mahalia demonstrates great ease and flexibility with every nuance of voice range and dynamic rhythm. One can feel the vibrations of an awsome spirit as she delivers powerful songs from her vast collection of gospel songs. She even tells the piano player when he is going too fast. She is in full command and she wants ultimate perfection in the timber and range of her power contralto voice. This documentary is great because it gives a full dimension of mahalia jackson, the Singer and the true Servant of the Lord. This tape is a must for the libraries of all Mahalia Fans.
Rating:
Summary: An Essential DVD - Fantastic Performances
Review: Granted the production values are poor, even by 1970s standards, many of the performances are edited, and the narrative often gets in the way, but the power of each performance is staggering.
It is November 1, 2004, fewer than 24 hours before American voters choose between hope, charity & love and fear, greed & hatred. I am watching We Shall Overcome and feeling in my soul that one day, everything *is* going to be alright -- it may or may not be tomorrow, but that day will come.
JJWL
Rating:
Summary: Excellent...Awesome...Fantastic...Great...
Review: I saw this video when it was under the name GIVE GOD THE GLORY, and I had to purchase it. It took me 3 years to find it. This video is awesome. Mahalia sings my most favorite song, "Elijah Rock" and she put her whole heart into it, along with the other great songs that she sings on here. There's a little typo with the year of this video. It's not from 1957, but from 1971 a few months before she died. The only thing that I don't like about the video is that many words were cut out of the songs, but overall it's great.
Rating:
Summary: I Know What You Mean!
Review: In reference to Don Loughman's post, I understand exactly what you're talking about. That's all they did was narrate. My favorite song is "Elijah Rock" and they cut 2 verses out of the song. You got one of the songs mixed up. In the beginning of the movie, Mahalia was singing "Didn't It Rain" and that's when the narrator came in. There are only a few songs that they did show from beginning to end and they are: Search Me Lord
Great Gettin' Up Morning
Come On Children, Let's Sing (she was wearing the black dress)
Joshua Fit The Battle
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
It Don't Cost Very Much
The Lord's Prayer I'm sorry, but I watch this video everyday. That's how I know so much about it. I was saying that I didn't understand why the people cut so much out. If you're a true fan of someone, you wouldn't mind sitting there and watching. No matter how long it is. And if you do get tired at a certain point, then you'll turn it off and watch the rest later. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like that. Peace and blessings.
Rating: 
Summary: Greatest Singer of the 20th Century
Review: It was a great joy to see this video. Mahalia doesn't sing a song, she "lives" it. The audience feels that she direct cable to God. Never before I heard such a great version of "We shall overcome". She sang it in the church of Uppsala, Sweden. Every person in the audience and every viewer of the video feels the presense of God. Just a little bit sad is, that the director of this video made some mistakes. So, it was not Mahalias last Europe Tour. This video depends on her tour of 1969. Her latest Europe tour was in summer 1971. I saw her at Hannover in September 1971. Some days later, in Munich, she collapsed. And there are other wrong comments, too. It would have been better that the director had read L. Goreaus biography "Just Mahalia, Baby". There you can read everything about her Europe tours of between 1952 and 1971. But inspite of that, it's a great video about a wonderful woman. There will be no other Mahalia. She is the greatest!
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Singer of the 20th Century
Review: It was a great joy to see this video. Mahalia doesn't sing a song, she "lives" it. The audience feels that she direct cable to God. Never before I heard such a great version of "We shall overcome". She sang it in the church of Uppsala, Sweden. Every person in the audience and every viewer of the video feels the presense of God. Just a little bit sad is, that the director of this video made some mistakes. So, it was not Mahalias last Europe Tour. This video depends on her tour of 1969. Her latest Europe tour was in summer 1971. I saw her at Hannover in September 1971. Some days later, in Munich, she collapsed. And there are other wrong comments, too. It would have been better that the director had read L. Goreaus biography "Just Mahalia, Baby". There you can read everything about her Europe tours of between 1952 and 1971. But inspite of that, it's a great video about a wonderful woman. There will be no other Mahalia. She is the greatest!
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Singer of the 20th Century
Review: It was a great joy to see this video. Mahalia doesn't sing a song, she "lives" it. The audience feels that she has got a direct cable to God. Never before I heard such a great version of "We shall overcome". She sang it in the church of Uppsala, Sweden. Every person in the audience and every viewer of the video feels the presense of God. Just a little bit sad is, that the director of this video made some mistakes. So, it was not Mahalias last Europe Tour. This video depends on her tour of 1969. Her latest Europe tour was in summer 1971. I saw her at Hannover in September 1971. Some days later, in Munich, she collapsed. And there are other wrong comments, too. It would have been better that the director had read L. Goreaus biography "Just Mahalia, Baby". There you can read everything about her Europe tours between 1952 and 1971. But inspite of that, it's a great video about a wonderful woman. There will be no other Mahalia. She is the greatest!
Rating:
Summary: Great, there is no one with such a great voice at this lady.
Review: There is no one in the world like Mahalia Jackson. She was the best!!!! I loved it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Lord, Forgive the Director
Review: This could've been a great concert film of what I assume was the legendary lady's last tour. Instead it gets bogged down in minutia, as if the director wanted every inch of film shot included in the final cut except the concert footage. It shows Mahalia sleeping on an airplane. It shows her exiting a Rolls Royce. It shows her riding on a train and, in an obviously scripted moment, a woman passing by her compartment, without a word, hands her a baby. It shows her signing autographs. Without any warning the film cuts away to Mahalia literally in a dentist's chair! ("Does this hurt?" the dentist askes the open-mouth Mahalia. "No," she says. "Well, it should," says the dentist. Bud-da-bing! But seriously, folks, are my arms tired...) Despite the incessant droning of a narrator, there's even a bizarre death scene, literally, in what I assume is a close up of Mahalia in her coffin -- the lighting was bad, so all that's visible is someone in a blue dress.
I knew there would be trouble after the first two minutes of this video. Mahalia is singing a great version of Come On Children. She's jumping around, sweaty-faced, hand-clapping, really getting into it, then all of a sudden the narrator chimes in and drowns her out for the rest of the song. And that's really how it is for the entire movie. No songs from beginning to end, just partial performances, mediocre camera work, and superfluous narration. I think the director just didn't have enough faith in his subject's talent, which is unwarranted. From these partial performances, it's obvious why she was so acclaimed.
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