Product Description

Charles Malik Whitfield, D.B. Woodside, Terron Brooks. Told through the eyes of Otis Williams, the legendary Motown group's last surviving member, their unforgettable true story unfolds. Beginning in the 1950s with virtually overnight success, the biodrama moves through periods of alcohol and drug addictions, suicide, cancer and much more as it works it way up to the deaths of the other four members in the 1990s. 1998/color/150 min/NR/fullscreen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4062 in DVD
• Brand: Uni
• Released on: 2011-01-11
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .17 pounds
• Running time: 150 minutes

Amazon.com
The soap-opera career of Motown's most successful group, the Temptations, lends credence to the old belief that great art comes from troubled lives. Over three decades, the band struggled through numerous ego trips, countless members, broken relationships, coke addiction, alcoholism, suicide, cancer, deadly arthritis--in short, all the melodramatic devices necessary for a TV miniseries. This two-and-a-half-hour docudrama touches on all of these personal tragedies, but unfortunately forgets the real reason for the strength of the story: the music. Sure, there's wonderful reenactments of the quintet's finest material, such as "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "The Way You Do the Things You Do," all performed with the slick choreography and shimmering vocal harmonies that made the band legendary. But, unfortunately, director Allan Arkush (Rock and Roll High School) and writers Kevin Arkadie and Robert Johnson forget to put the music into any historical perspective. Why were the Temptations so important? What was their contribution to pop music? By watching this saccharine, manipulative exposé, you'd never know. The performances are nonetheless terrific, especially Charles Malik Whitfield as leader (and narrator) Otis Williams, D.B. Woodside as his partner, Melvin Franklin, and Leon as the group's talented livewire, David Ruffin. The DVD edition offers several fine features including 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound, a discography, cast and crew profiles, extensive production notes, and most important, the ability to jump to any of the seven songs performed... basically the main reason to watch this epic. --Dave McCoy