A revealing and deeply personal documentary exploring the life and creative renaissance of music icon David Crosby. A cultural force for over fifty years, Crosby faced an uncertain future after the 2015 dissolution of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Racked with health issues and personal obstacles, Crosby forged a new path at the age of 77. Seeking out younger musicians and recording a pair of critically-praised new albums, Crosby now sets out to make a mark in a world now so different from the generation he came to define in the 60’s. With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, Crosby shares his often-challenging journey with humor and bite. This inspirational story, filled with music, will speak to loyal fans, and legions of new ones.
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[youtube https://youtu.be/l1PXBES-HHw?t=3350]
Video Quality
David Crosby: Remember My Name comes to Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a stellar high definition master. The film balances new interviews with some really cool archival footage and photos in a very cohesive manner. The older material seems to be in the best shape that would be possible, with most of it looking at least passable to very good. New interview segments and candid footage look crisp and clear with natural skin tones and detailed facial features.
The film looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. The transfer appears to have plenty of room to breathe and there are no issues with compression artifacts, banding or other digital nuisances. The colors appearing in the film are natural and vibrant as they provide a nice palette on screen. Black levels are deep and allow for a nice amount of detail in shadows. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has provided a rock solid transfer for this one.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a fantastic DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track which allows this material to come to life. The music is the core of the film, and it emanates with flawless fidelity as it fills the room. Interviews come through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. The filmmakers do a top notch job of capturing their subjects in all environments and making sure all this information comes through without issue. Environmental sounds are plentiful when in public spaces which adds a lot of texture to the space. This audio presentation accomplishes everything quite well. There are optional English, English SDH and French subtitles included for those who desire them.
Special Features
- In Conversation with David Crosby & Cameron Crowe at the Asbury Park Film Festival: A great 27-minute conversation between director/music journalist Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) and David Crosby in which they discuss Crosby’s initial reaction to seeing the film at Sundance, what it was like being so vulnerable for this project, memorable moments that stand out in his career, the recent women who have been in his band and more.
- Deleted Scenes: There are eight unused scenes totaling 18 minutes provided here including Crosby telling a story of tripping in Mama Cass’s swimming pool, Crosby on stage, Crosby on Twitter and more.
- Extended Scene – Seeing John Coltrane: A longer three-and-a-half minute scene of Crosby relaying his story of experiencing John Coltrane.
- Extended Interviews: There are extended interviews with Chris Hillman (6:44) and Roger McGuinn (6:40) provided here which gives you more uninterrupted conversations about Crosby.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
- Previews: There are trailers provided for After The Wedding, Aquarela, Where’s My Roy Cohn?, It Might Get Loud, Maiden and Neil Young: Journeys.
Final Thoughts
David Crosby: Remember My Name is a documentary that hits even harder now that Crosby has passed away. This film does what every documentary should aim to do, which is strive to find the truth of its subject rather than function as another stop in their PR blitz. The music legend is not always beloved – the man left a trail of bad blood along his journey – but his complexity makes him fascinating, and his faults make him human. There is very little varnish on this story, and the insights we get from Crosby himself and those who knew him are an invaluable part of getting a clearer picture of how things really were. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and a rich array of special features. If you are wanting to reconnect with Crosby after his passing, this is well worth a watch. Recommended
David Crosby: Remember My Name can be purchased on Blu-Ray directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
