Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll [Blu-ray]

Taylor Hackford

Overview

Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll features a concert organized to celebrate the 60th birthday of Chuck Berry. The show was filmed in Berry's hometown of St. Louis, MO, in 1987. Highly respected by fellow musicians and music fans alike, many consider Berry to be the father of rock & roll. Fellow musicians paying musical homage to Berry on his birthday include: Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, and Bruce Springsteen.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/19/2019
UPC:	0826663203844
Original Release:	1987
Rating:	PG
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:00:00
Sales rank:	1,274,851

Special Features

1080p High-Definition; 2006 DVD introduction by director Taylor Hackford; Witnesses To History#1 - featuring Little Richard, Bo Diddley & Chuck Berry; together for the first time; Witnesses to History#2 - 3½-Hour look at the birth of rock with Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Willie Dixon, Roy Orbison, Sam Phillips & Ahmet Ertegun; 54 minutes of Chuck Berry rehearsals with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Etta James & more; The Reluctant Movie Star- 1-hour making-of documentary; "Chuckisms" - collection of classic Chuck Berry remarks; The Burnt Scrapbook - Chuck Berry & Robbie Robertson reminiscing; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Keith Richards	Performer
Chuck Berry	Musician

Technical Credits

Taylor Hackford	Director
Keith Richards	Producer
Stephanie Bennett	Producer
Chuck Berry	Producer

Editorial Reviews

In films from The Idolmaker (1980) to Ray (2004), director Taylor Hackford has displayed a special feel for capturing the energy and mystique of roots rock 'n' roll and R&B. Yet his most gripping musical feature may be his 1987 documentary, Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll. Using Berry’s 60th birthday and an upcoming tribute concert in his hometown of St. Louis as his starting point, Hackford makes the most of his privileged access to delve into both the rollicking music and the equally ambiguous personality of this founding father of rock 'n' roll. And what a character he has to work with! Berry is an unabashed control freak who delights in making his supporting musicians, as well as Hackford, jump through hoops, keeping an iron grip on both his music and his privacy. Yet under Hackford’s penetrating gaze -- particularly during the grueling rehearsal period -- Berry reveals more than he intends to, and the results are gripping. With guests including Keith Richards (the concert’s long-suffering bandleader), Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt, Etta James, Robert Cray, and Berry’s indispensable collaborator, pianist Johnnie Johnson, the concert footage virtually explodes with joyful abandon. Hackford’s interlude interviews with such R&R legends as Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, and a hilarious Bruce Springsteen, imparts a sense of true occasion to the film. Berry himself may not have welcomed the intruding gaze, but Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll nonetheless remains a fitting and fascinating testament to his musical and social importance.