One of the most difficult problems documentary filmmakers face is dealing with too much archival material and too many interviews, especially when the subject/s spent as much time in the public eye as The Bee Gees. The recent Frank Zappa doc comes to mind, the director seemed to want to convey the psychedelic '60's by too many montages of poor quality video yet at what still felt like a plodding pace to me.
although I was not a big fan of either Zappa or The Bee Gees, I was completely riveted from the opening 5 minutes of 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' with the cuts between a live performance and Saturday Night Fever. The film NEVER felt bloated by covering too many incidents or songs.
Frank Marshall did a masterful job of culling a great story from 50 years of material. Some others here have mentioned other events and songs that they believe should have been front and center (and I confess, I was disappointed that I didn't hear MY favorite Bee Gees song, Words, until the final credits). I would argue that the director covered an enormous amount of inside info (loved learning about the unexpected genesis of songs like 'Stayin' Alive') and made what could have been momentum stopping interviews with engineers and other band members fascinating.
Finally - with the tragedy of the untimely deaths of 3 of the brothers and the clear melancholy of Barry, the oldest and the only surviving member, the film could have slipped into a maudlin reverie very easily. I appreciated the filmmakers handling of all this by noting their passing at the beginning and including specifics at the very end of the film via slates. Extremely moving without feeling manipulative.
As someone else has already said, truly a master class in how to make a great documentary and a film I will absolutely watch again.
although I was not a big fan of either Zappa or The Bee Gees, I was completely riveted from the opening 5 minutes of 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' with the cuts between a live performance and Saturday Night Fever. The film NEVER felt bloated by covering too many incidents or songs.
Frank Marshall did a masterful job of culling a great story from 50 years of material. Some others here have mentioned other events and songs that they believe should have been front and center (and I confess, I was disappointed that I didn't hear MY favorite Bee Gees song, Words, until the final credits). I would argue that the director covered an enormous amount of inside info (loved learning about the unexpected genesis of songs like 'Stayin' Alive') and made what could have been momentum stopping interviews with engineers and other band members fascinating.
Finally - with the tragedy of the untimely deaths of 3 of the brothers and the clear melancholy of Barry, the oldest and the only surviving member, the film could have slipped into a maudlin reverie very easily. I appreciated the filmmakers handling of all this by noting their passing at the beginning and including specifics at the very end of the film via slates. Extremely moving without feeling manipulative.
As someone else has already said, truly a master class in how to make a great documentary and a film I will absolutely watch again.