The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over Blu-ray Movie Review

Dave Clark Presents: A Movie by Dave Clark. Starring Dave Clark.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 16, 2014

The documentary “The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over” is intended to celebrate the career of the titular band, who rocked the British and U.S. charts during the 1960s with their thumping rock and roll sound and clean-cut looks. They were an integral part of the British Invasion, but a group that’s often overlooked when talk of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones arrives, forcing Dave Clark himself to launch a media revival, using the two hour retrospective to remind viewers of such classics as “Glad All Over,” “Bits and Pieces,” and “Catch Us If You Can.” His evidence is persuasive, but the control-freak tone of the effort is disconcerting, with Clark producing and directing the picture, which eventually abandons Dave Clark Five history altogether to focus on Clark’s achievements as a burgeoning mogul and his forgotten stab at musical theater with 1986’s “Time.” A mixed bag of treats, “Glad All Over” is often more frustrating than enlightening, though there’s pure joy in seeing performance footage from 50 years ago, watching the band tear through television and stage gigs with a unique sonic energy and cheery demeanor.

It’s difficult to classify “Glad All Over” as biographical, as only the fringe details of the band members (Dave Clark, Mike Smith, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley, and Denis Payton) are offered, with ample time to detail origin stories passed over to underline musical achievements. However, there is a recollection of how The Dave Clark Five began life, with the group taking up residence at the Tottenham Royal Theater, where the boys dazzled young audiences with their amplified take on American R&B, helping to shape a sound that would redefine the musical landscape of the 1960s. The DC5 were an anomaly: a band fronted by a smiling, bopping drummer in Clark, who used media savvy collected during his time as a movie extra and stuntman to gift the group a crisp image of musicianship and affability, allowing them to expand into televised performances, including an astonishing 18 trips to “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The T.V. exposure sent The Dave Clark Five sky high, with numerous chart-topping hits, their own film (1965’s “Catch Us If You Can,” which was John Boorman's directorial debut), and the grind of touring helping to build their reputation.

“Glad All Over” collects celebrity admirers such as Gene Simmons, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Whoopi Goldberg to share their appreciation for The Dave Clark Five, pointing out wonderful oddities (including a saxophone player in the line-up), business acumen (Clark owns the rights to the music), and hidden treasures (Smith’s soulful singing is celebrated), while fan club members also offer their excitement and memories of the group. Unfortunately, there isn’t much input from the band, with Smith (who passed away in 2008) appearing in an older interview, and while Clark provides narration, he’s only viewed in prior interviews as well, leaving a gap where true insight should be. In fact, Clark the filmmaker avoids exploring the group dynamic, offering only basic details of personality, dodging any concept of conflict or friendship as the DC5 headed to their planned break-up in 1970. There’s not even a mention of the guys seeing each other after the dissolution, outside of a reunion of surviving members for their introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 (Tom Hanks’s emphatic induction speech is returned to repeatedly throughout the picture). While it’s entertaining to learn about the origin of the DC5’s signature high-collar look, their interactions with other stars, and their friendly rivalry with The Beatles, there’s little grit here, which suggests a withholding of truth to preserve the legend. Clark is no fool, but the lack of depth tends to dilute the viewing experience.

Focus eventually switches over to “Time,” adding to the self-serving nature of the program as Clark spends a copious amount of screentime celebrating his musical’s soundtrack album (featuring Julian Lennon and dear friend Freddie Mercury), its thematic reach, and elaborate staging, which made use of a “hologram” of Laurence Olivier, in what turned out to be his last professional appearance. Perhaps Clark fanatics will embrace the “Time” segment, and it does apply to the “Beyond” promise of title, but extensive celebration for the musical comes across as an ego-boost, and one I’m not sure will please DC5 fans on the hunt for an exhaustive examination of the band’s career.

The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is culled from a wide variety of source materials, including all sorts of film and video, representing a story that's been stitched together from 50 years of visual evidence. When fully exposing HD origins, sharpness is most welcome, primarily employed with recent interviews, capturing facial textures or, in the case of Gene Simmons, elaborate costuming and make-up design. Older footage also has its moments, keeping in step with the rest of the documentary, offering a welcome filmic quality that makes 8mm and 35mm clips looks satisfactory, without much damage. Colors are balanced and true, with the DC5's entrance into television providing the work with a generous blast of hues, while skintones on the interviewees are natural. Blacks are stable and expressive, rarely challenged outside of thicker fabrics and moody photographs. Considering the wealth of footage employed to tell the tale of the DC5, some mild video artifacts and poorly preserved images aren't troublesome.

The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM mix is one of three options on the disc, and best suits the musical mood of the documentary. DC5 songs are presented from various sources, with live and studio recordings blended successfully, with understandable shrillness due to the age and technical limitations. However, the majority of the songs retain a full sound with a pleasing bottom and crisp highs, creating a frontal force that respects the boom-boom-smash musicianship of the group. Interview audio also varies in intensity, but conversations are never obscured or buried by the tunes. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA and 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks promise a richer listening experience, but they disappoint tremendously, merely filling the multichannel event with stereo sound. It registers hollow and unpleasant.

The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Outtakes are divided into two sections: "Dave Clark Five" (45:51, HD) and "Time" (64:51, HD). The DC5 footage consists primarily of performance clips and extended promotional films, including the full "Hits in Action" picture, which apparently played before a James Bond release. Also included is the unedited Royal Command Performance from 1965. The "Time" collection serves up full-length interviews with Freddie Mercury (and it's fascinating to watch him articulate his musical mission), Julian Lennon, and Laurence Olivier, who's detailed in two separate sit-downs. Perhaps most valuable here is a glimpse at the premiere party, where stars (including John Hurt and Tom Conti) share their thoughts on the big show, providing a deeper understanding of the puzzling West End run. And, true to form, the "Time" segments are quick to celebrate the financial achievements of the musical.

The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While "The Dave Clark Five and Beyond: Glad All Over" is missing a level of personal inspection most documentaries strive for, it does highlight terrific footage of the band in performance and on the go, exposing their congeniality and swaying stage presence, while refreshing viewers on the impact of the band (without challenging Clark's control issues). It's certainly engaging, with tremendous songs powering the presentation. It simply lacks depth and bravery, threatening to slip into infomercial mode at any moment.