Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Depeche Mode: 101 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 1, 2022

Original Cast Album: "Company" was one of the standout Blu-ray releases of last year, and it probably should have made my so-called "Top 10 list," especially since I kind of cheated and offered more than ten titles, but perhaps I can help make up for that oversight by enthusiastically recommending not just it, but virtually any other documentary helmed by the inimitable D.A. Pennebaker. Much as he was during the recording of the original cast album of Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical (now enjoying a new life with a well received revival), D.A. Pennebaker was a figurative fly on the wall following Depeche Mode as they got ready to give the 101st and final convert of a whirlwind Music for the Masses tour.

101 also follows some band fans who have won a contest to attend this final gargantuan concert at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. This documentary may not have quite the immediacy of other Pennebaker efforts like Original Cast Album: Company or even Dont Look Back since there's more than a slight whiff of marketing at play here, which is maybe (maybe) understandable with regard to the band and its performance, but which also extends to the "fans" chosen to appear in the film. It just smacks a bit of contrivance, but that doesn't totally dispel the energy of some of the performances, which is nicely contrasted with some much more mundane but occasionally goofy interplay behind the scenes.

The set list for the concert is:

• Master and Servant


• Pimpf


• Behind the Wheel


• Strangelove


• Blasphemous Rumours


• Stripped


• Somebody


• Black Celebration


• Pleasure, Little Treasure


• Just Can't Get Enough


• Everything Counts


• Never Let Me Down Again

Depeche Mode: 101 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Depeche Mode: 101 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Rhino with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. There's really no technical information provided with this release other than a couple of "fine print" mentions on the back cover which state "this groundbreaking film has been meticulously upgraded from the original sources" and then, a bit lower down, "This HD edition is created from 4K scans of the original film reels". The IMDb lists this as 35mm, but Pennebaker often used 16mm and this certainly has more of a 16mm look to my eyes. There's an appealing grittiness to the presentation that may not always offer superbly consistent levels of fine detail, but which is generally perfectly in line with the way any theatrical screenings of Pennebaker films in general and this documentary in particular that I've personally attended. The palette is generally well suffused, though there is a certain drabness at times to both some of the outdoor material and a few passing interior shots, like a scene aboard a charter plane. There are a few moments that can look especially rough and even slightly pixellated (see screenshot 2). My score is 4.25.

Depeche Mode: 101 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Depeche Mode: 101 features LPCM 2.0 and 5.1 audio options (along with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track). There's some really appealing separation and surround activity on the 5.1 track that's evident from the get go, as voices are discretely channeled. Both behind the scenes footage and performance shots often have a surplus of sound, musical and otherwise, and the track remains clear and inviting throughout. The almost foreboding nature of some of Depeche Mode's music is well represented in the performance footage and on the soundtrack. Optional subtitles in several languages, but not English, are available.

Depeche Mode: 101 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Rose Bowl Concert (HD: 54:26) features just the performance without the interstitial sequences.


• Bonus Videos

  Everything Counts Music Video (HD; 5:26)

  
  

  A Question of Lust (HD; 4:10)

  
  

  Sacred (HD; 5:11)

  
  

  Something to Do (HD; 3:51)

Depeche Mode: 101 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm personally a bit more of a fan of some of D.A. Pennebaker's other pieces, but this review at least may help me to atone for my oversight of not including Original Cast Album: Company in my 2021 Best list. That said, I'm admittedly not the hugest Depeche Mode fan in the world, which of course may well play into my response to this piece, but my hunch is fans of the band will get a kick out of seeing some of the backstage scenes, and the live performance footage is very enjoyable. Technical merits are generally solid. Recommended.