Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26354 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-02
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Colour, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 74 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
"We're done," says Stewart Copeland near the end of Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, his homemade documentary about the rise and eventual fall of the group that ruled the planet during their '70s-'80s heyday. "When you get to where you're going, the ride is over." Yeah, but what a ride it was. Some 20 years after the Police (Copeland, Sting, and Andy Summers) disbanded for good, the drummer, now a film composer, edited the 50-plus hours of Super 8 footage he shot way back when, compiled a new soundtrack, wrote some voice-over commentary, and put together a film that, while considerably less than perfect, provides genuine insight into the chaotic, ultimately deadening world of rock superstardom.

It all starts in '76, when the original band formed in England; by 1978, Copeland narrates, "we were ready to shed the leprous scab of (our) wretched history… and sally forth to the promised land of America." Fame and fortune ensued, and along the way, Copeland filmed everything--not just the inevitable scenes inside their tour van and backstage, but pre-gig sound checks, recording sessions, in-store promo appearances …

Hell, he even recorded the band while they were making their videos, and there's one remarkable sequence in which he sets up his camera on a tripod behind his drum kit, then turns to address the viewer in mid-performance ("There's a little fight going on in front of the stage," he tells us). The camera work is often pretty shaky, and the performance footage is primitive, not to mention loud and distorted, but somehow that fits Copeland's fly-on-the-wall approach; and the soundtrack, live and studio versions of familiar tunes that Copeland "lobotomized" and "de-arranged," is revelatory.

Perhaps best of all, the film offers Copeland a chance to tell us how it all went wrong. By the time of Ghost in the Machine, Sting (who comes off as his usual standoffish, mostly-humourless self) was no longer collaborating with other musicians in the studio. What's more, "(the) adulation started to feel like obligation," and while being rich and famous was swell, the price they paid was "our vibe, our essence." Part documentary, part travelogue, part video diary/confessional, Everyone Stares helps capture that essence again. --Sam Graham

Synopsis
A behind the scenes documentary about the hugely successful rock band The Police. Captures The Police from their inception in 1978 to their split in 1984 and details their rise from a struggling rock band to global superstars. Directed by drummer Stewart Copeland, who used a Super 8mm camera. Includes over 60 rare song performances by The Police.

Customer Reviews

Prices, prices
I have heard some good things and some bad from the US about this but as a Police fan I do intend, eventually, to make the investment.

HOWEVER: I merely wish to use this space to highlight - and I am not blaming the company - that the amazon.com version is half the price of the .co.uk version.

I do wonder if the powers that be will ever end the absurd rip off regarding European pricing and also the formatting obstacles which the consumer also continually comes up against.

everybody stares....
A great film, i'd even go as far as saying fantastic - but then i've been waiting for years for something like this....
we get to see their first US tour in dodgy vans, the numbers of roadies, fans and gigs all growing in numbers. Shots of stingo before he's really aware of his image and its great to see him focused, energetic (and without a lute!)
stewart's commentary is insightful and funny, the 'extra' one of stewart and andy is wonderful too. I don't think it's too much for a non-fan to watch and anyone who plays in bands will appreciate the developing story.

If you leave the dvd menu running you get the mixes which stewart has created using old live stuff and deconstructing studio tracks. Apparently there are 'issues' with licensing and stuff so that'll be the only place you'll be able to hear them.

I went to the premier where (the god that is) stewart had a Q&A; excused the slightly out-of-sink chronology (for the sake of the film's 'arc') and also that he missed a lot of the synchronicity tour 'cos he realised that he was missing it all and took the camera away from his face. He said he had about 50 hours of footage....i wish this was a 25 disc set with every second available......

One for the fan, and if you are, this is essential...
For me what Stewart's film shows, is how they went from semi punk jumpy festival gig openers to Stadium crowd pleasers, and all through the eyes of their drummer. It does have the feel of a home movie about it, but then portable camera and sound technology has moved on somewhat in 30 years.

It was at times almost surreal watching the film. The footage of the fans back stage practially ripping the bands car apart and banging on the windows when they are inside it was astounding, i cannot see how anybody can keep sane and their head above water, with that level of fame and adoration. This is in stark contrast to the footage of their early tours of the USA where it is just the guys in a truck larking about crossing America. You can see the difference in attitude and how much less tension there is in band when the pressure is off. A nice touch I thought was at the end of the film where the credits thank Henri Pandovani.

I couldn't honestly recommend this to a non Police fan but as a fan, i found this a fascinating insight into the Police behind the scenes. At times it doesn't show Sting in a particularly positive light, which doesn't surprise me having read about Stewart and Gordon's fights before, but the fact is without any of the three indivuduals there wouldn't have been the police, a fact they all acknowledge and ultimately what kept them together for five great classic albums.