HIStory On Film Volume II [DVD]

Who'd ever think I'd end up picking up this DVD,something I've thought of doing for years right after his passing?Hopping on the bandwagon?Nope. Just seemed as right a time as any. I picked this one up because looking at the video selection I could see that this was a very interesting video collection. Unlike a lot of people in this day and age Michael Jackson is less interesting to me as a phenomenon than as a musical entity. And that is what you get here-14 videos and 1 hour,46 minutes of MJ videos. Michael's musical talent had two parts:one audio and one visual and both were equally as penetrating and powerful.This is a double sided DVD.On the first side...well sentimentality aside you get Michael Jackson at the height of his game,doing his famous dance on Motown 25.It's called the backstep (the moonwalk is the same basic move done in a circle) but by whatever name it's the dance that propelled Michael into an entertainer in the league of Sammy Davis and Fred Astaire. Between "Smooth Criminal","Thriller" and "Beat It" you see more of MJ doing his stuff that dazzled me and everyone else in the 80's.You could be cynical now and say "well he ripped off his moves from James Brown or whoever and just made them faster paced" but I don't;not even people who try today can move exactly the way he does.Here he was in a league of his own."Liberian Girl" is very atypical of an MJ video as it takes the form of a comical rehersal featuring some of MJ's celebrity friends-he himself only makes a brief appearance at the end. His 1995 American Music Awards performance point to some of the content on the second side of the DVD. Six of the eight videos featured on it are from his intense 1995 album  HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I  and find a very different Michael Jackson,a man with a broken reputation and in a far more uncertain place.Because each video tells a different kind of story I'll review them seperately:SCREAM Actually one of my favorite of Michaels later videos,this duet with sister Janet features a busy,angry mixture of sci-fi and different forms of emotional metaphores from smashing guitars Pete Townsand style to anime and other things I'm not sure of.It's one of his angriest songs and the video is a great document of internal tormentCHILDHOOD Yes the video is overly cutesy and it's clear it was set up to inspire a lot of MJ bleeding heart-ism.But whether he sacrificed his childhood for the benifit of our entertainment or not it's rather strange for him to emphasize the issue of his childhood and other children (floating in the sky on boats Peter Pan style) in this kind of way.It's one of his most personal songs even if the video seems a bit planned.YOU ARE NOT ALONE This video says more about Michaels personal life than it planned. An overly effeminine looking MJ is seen rather withdrawn from his obviously wanton wife Lisa Marie and,an image of him with angel wings aside is a non to sudtle expression of his romantic uncertainties.It's a bit too alienated feeling to be really sexy but it isn't a bad video and great to watch.EARTH SONG A video such as this is something I support for the most part.Michael is clearly saddened genuinely by the terrible plight of environmental damage and war.And the imagry of poached elephants,pollution,starvation and despire WILL make you think about what we don't often see or choose to see.But.....the ending is rather questionable:Michael depicting himself as some biblical type hero who alone has the power to reverse the worlds ills and wrongs. Not to speak ill of the dead but is this his take on benevolance or...a distressing detour into near full blown meglomania? Maybe both,maybe neither.Either way it's an amazing visual experience,if having more questions than answers.THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US Here's a great video!Michael dancing through the streets with a chorus of drummers.Even though he's indulging in some heavy self victimization here (the infamous "jew me/sue me" line is carefully rolled over with pounding drums so as not to be heard) it's great to see Michael dancing again in his videos,even if it's in a more angry state of mind.STRANGER IN MOSCOW Dealing with depression in video was kind of overdone during the 90's (sorry) but this again says more about MJ's state of mind at the time than it probably meant to. Another B&W video here Michael is NOT dancing happily but taking a sad,lonely walk through a dank,rainy city where time itself draws to a hault.Considering his situation from this point until now..........this is the most haunting visualization of his woes of later life.BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR Admitedly this was from a time where Michael Jackson's transformation from respected performer/singer/composer into a huge media circus was a bit of a turn off for me. Michael is a rather static figure here at a funky retro 70's dance party and there are similarities to "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller". But it's kind of repeating past glories and isn't saying anything all that new for him in the video arena. The ending of the video is kind of a long litany of the...well kind of idolotry that REALLY turned me off.Of course it begins the same way with the VERY infamous HIStory teaser that....well it's hard not to see it as either an expression (or parody) of pure meglomania and self obsession.Whatever it was based on,either that or Michael's yearning to to an epic film about his own idolotry is still a mystery. It's beyond over the top and is the only thing here or that Michael had ever done that qualifies as kitch to me. But that luckily doesn't take too much away from the other marvels,old and new to be found on this DVD that serve to remind us of his talents in the medium of music video.

I bought both this and his History dvd (greatest hits on dvd).If you are looking for incredible value this is probably the best way to get a pretty complete collection. If you must only get one though, get History Volume 2. It's about 20 minutes longer, and has many more tracks.Here's why: Not only does it have the staples you would expect such as Thriller (full length), Beat it, Smooth Criminal.If you're like me, watching Thriller definitely brought back the great memories of the first time I saw it, maybe 25 years, who I was with, how much we were wowed. It's funny how you can remember something just before you reexperience it.It also has the live version of Billie Jean at the Motown 25 celebration in 1993, when he debuted the moonwalk. Definitely, one of Michael's best performances, in my opinion probably the best. That makes this a must own for that reason alone.It also contains the 1995 MTV live performance, of Black or White with Slash going crazy with his guitar solo. You wonder if it's part of the act, or if he is genuinely possessed.Scream with Janet, not a particular fan of the song, but love the video. Janet brings the attitude, an amazing video really.You are not alone: with Lisa Marie Presley. She brings the sexy and sensual in a very artful way, absolutely stunning. I have never seen Lisa Marie this way before. Hmmm.. In this video, Michael goes from being with her, to portraying an asexual angel half clad almost waist deep in water. Perhaps Freud or Jung might be able to shed some light on this.Childhood. A Peter Pan type ballad with children passing by overhead in a boat, no doubt a repesentation of his childhood passing by. Have you seen my childhood...Earthsong. Quite a spectacular movie filmed over several continents. Obviously, Michael was very serious about respecting life on the planet, and shows images of restoring life. Outstanding.Blood on the Dance Floor. I can't explain why I like this so much. It's totally new to me, has a great vibe, and I just love it.There is also a starstudded Hollywood video. I was surprised to see both John Travolta, and Olivia Newton John among many others.Now, if you are considering getting the first dvd as well, there is a little duplication. It also has Thriller, and Beat it. Billie Jean is the video version, so not a duplication.Highlights of that dvd include: Bad, the 18 minute version directed by Martin Scorsese, The Pharaoh video with Eddie Murphy, Imam, and Magic Johnson, Black or White with the infamous Panther Dance, The Way you make me feel with the model and the car, and the destruction sequence at the end. That dvd is about 20 minutes shorter.If you are like me and you cannot decide which one to get, get both. Because I don't think you can get such a comprehensive collection any other way, and I find it to be incredible to get most of the best videos of probably the greatest entertainer who definitely made the best videos at this price. I certainly will be checking out Lisa Marie again.I hope this was helpful.

Toller FilmIch versteh die negativen Kommentare ärlich gesagt nicht ist doch ein super Film ich lieb ihn

Reçu tel qu’annoncé et parfait pour la collection! Très bon DVD avec le teaser d’HIStory.

Chegou muito antes do prazo, Amazon tá de parabéns na entrega, produto bem embalado e conforme anúncio.

Genial. LLegó a tiempo. Fácil de recoger. Es fantástico que se pueda recoger en Correos, especialmente para las personas que trabajamos con horarios que coinciden con los de los repartidores. Cómodo, fácil y rápido.

どの曲も良かったです