DVD Movie Rating for: Paris Concert for Amnesty International

3 out of 5

Movie Plot of: Paris Concert for Amnesty International

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DVD Production Details of: Paris Concert for Amnesty International

Starring: Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman

Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, Dolby

Rated: NR
Studio: Image Entertainment

DVD Release Date: August 14, 2002
DVD Features:
Songs: Get Up Stand Up (Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Youssou N'Dour), Baba, Hand in My Pocket, Thank U (Alanis Morissette), Medley, Se Dam Bon Jou (Kassav), Black White, Buzzin', Free Satpal Ram (Asian Dub Foundation), Signal to Noise, In Your Eyes (Gabriel, N'Dour), New Beginnings, Fast Car, Baby Can I Hold You (Chapman), No Surrender, Born in the USA, Working on the Highway (Springsteen), When the World Was Young, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Gallows Pole, Rock & Roll (Jimmy Page & Robert Plant), You're Still the One, Black Eyes Blue Tears (Shania Twain), Karma Police, Bones, Paranoid Android (Radiohead), Shaking the Tree (N'Dour, Gabriel), 7 Seconds (N'Dour, Gabriel, Chapman, Jocelyn Beroard)

Cast of the movie: Paris Concert for Amnesty International

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Paris Concert for Amnesty International

Reviews of the movie: Paris Concert for Amnesty International

One of rock's nobler dividends has been a legacy of ambitious fund-raising concerts that carry on the social consciousness that first entered the music in the '60s as a byproduct of that decade's urban folk music. Even after much of the music retreated to safer, less partisan themes, the right crusade has been able to mobilize artists to raise funds and awareness, and Amnesty International has proven among the most reliable of these missions: from The Secret Policeman's Ball shows produced in England, to more recent tour packages helmed by '80s superstars such as Peter Gabriel and U2, the human rights organization has inspired bold concerts.

This production, mounted December 10, 1998, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone underscored with between-songs informational segments that succinctly promote the beneficiary's themes of tolerance and social responsibility. Filmed and live cameos mix celebrities with sage comments from the Dalai Lama (whose impish "thumbs up" to the crowd elevates the entire affair) and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. An underlying fervor also sparks much of the music, particularly from Peter Gabriel, Youssou N'Dour, Tracy Chapman, and a solo Bruce Springsteen, whose songs all allude to the human rights agenda. Alanis Morissette's brief set likewise takes on a spiritual glow consistent with both her second solo album and the context at hand, while jubilant sets from Kassav and the Asian Dub Foundation serve as potent multicultural celebrations.

The show isn't without its rough spots: an opening rendition of Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" by Chapman, Gabriel, N'Dour, and Springsteen is more awkward than transcendent (especially in Springsteen's wooden delivery), and Gabriel's subsequent duet with N'Dour starts out shakily. Two Led Zeppelin classics from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant incite Zep fans but seem nearly irrelevant here, as does Shania Twain's slick but shallow stint. But Radiohead's three-song set restores the two-hour concert's generally thoughtful and thought-provoking substance. --Sam Sutherland --This text refers to the DVD edition.

Description
In 1998, a host of internationally acclaimed artists performed a landmark concert celebrating Amnesty International and the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Songs: Get Up Stand Up (Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Youssou N'Dour), Baba, Hand in My Pocket, Thank U (Alanis Morissette), Medley, Se Dam Bon Jou (Kassav), Black White, Buzzin', Free Satpal Ram (Asian Dub Foundation), Signal to Noise, In Your Eyes (Gabriel, N'Dour), New Beginnings, Fast Car