Black Sabbath: The Last Supper (1999)

Just about every commentator has mentioned the way that some of the interview footage is superposed over the concert footage in places. This is true, and is the biggest flaw of this film. However, it isn't so often, or so bad, that one shouldn't see this video. If you are a Black Sabbath fan, you have to see this. Aside from having seen Black Sabbath in the Sevnties and early Eighties, I saw them in 2005 or 2006 when they also headlined OZZfest just like in this video. The concert was amazing, and very much like this, which was why I rented this in the first place. It's just about the best geezer-rock out there. Check it out.

This movie would have been alright, indeed probably excellent, if the directors would have left the interviews and the concert footage separate. "Into the Void" is a great song, and I hate how it is cut off at the best part to go to an mumbling interview with Ozzy Osbourne. That should have been at the end of the film, or located in a special feature. The best part of concert DVDs is to put them on and let the music play, but "Black Sabbath: The Last Supper" is hard to put and and simply let play because the music is continually interrupted. Nevertheless, there are a few strengths to this film; the concert footage, when it does play, it excellent. Black Sabbath returns to the stage after a long hiatus without Osbourne and this film captures that well: Sabbath basically rocks the fans. The fans, of course, have a sweet advantage in the film because they are seeing the band live, of course, but also they do not have to put up with the incessant interviews that the DVD viewers are burdened with. Shame on Jeb Brien and Monica Hardiman (the directors) for doing this to the film! Also, shame on Wyatt Smith for editing the film in such a way.

This had the potential to be a nice document of the reunited Ozzy-era Black Sabbath, with solid concert footage, and some insightful interviews. However, the mixing of the two ruins both. The producers chose to splice the live music with the interviews, which completely ruins the cohesiveness of the concert. It seems like every guitar solo is overwritten with an interview second. Quite a shame that some overzealous wanna-be filmmaker would ruin this. It's also a shame that there isn't an option on the DVD that would let the user turn off the interview portion, so that the concert would play straight thru. C'mon, isn't stuff like that s'posed to be one of the DVDs main selling points?

The Last Supper DVD is a great concert of the great Black Sabbath songs. However, most of the songs can't be enjoyed because they are stepped on, the narration by the band interrupts the songs. Sometimes in the middle, sometimes towards the end. What a disappointment this is, DVD quality music that can't be enjoyed. The producer of this DVD could have put the band's comments (which are great and very informative) at the end of each song, but they didn't. I think whomever produced this DVD should be greatly criticized for screwing up such a great concert. Sure you can buy the CD of this concert, but the sound quality is nowhere near as good as this DVD.Does the music industry still wonder why people download music? How about putting information on back of the cover indicating that the DVD is also a narration that interrupts the songs.