Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I remember watching the start of this DVD for the first time & instantly falling in love with it, how could you not fall in love with The Grateful Dead performing Truckin' live in 1972? I have seen a few other classic albums in this series such as Jimi Hendrix - Electric Lady Land & The Who - Who's Next, although I love both of those albums the episodes dedicated to the making of them were really boring, so boring in fact I started to dislike the bands, so thats when I knew I had to turn the t.v off.Anthem To Beauty is different to all the other ones for several reasons, i.e It focuses on several albums rather then one, it also is a lot more funnier and interesting because of all the old hippies commenting on the band and the albums (true freaks) with Anthem To Beauty it felt like a mini documentary on the era as well as the albums and the band.The first part is dedicated to the acid rock phase of The Grateful Dead and that is always a lot of fun, the second part is less weird and more down to earth, just like the music. Robert Hunter provides a heartfelt moment when he talks about his view of the time around the making of American Beauty, there are simply beautiful scenes in which a song from the album will be playing and you will be shown footage of them traveling on a train along with other great images. The whole band realises how many lives have been changed by American Beauty and they to share their thoughts and feelings on one of the most heartfelt albums of all time.

This is a very well produced documentary about the evolution of the Grateful Dead from its early days of mind-ripping psychedelic explorations like "Alligator" to the bittersweet Americana lullabies of "Brokedown Palace." The band has never been famous for its studio work and the albums "Anthem of the Sun" and "American Beauty" could not be more different from one another - from the music to the cover art - but they are unquestionably products of the same musicians whose hallmark was always exploration. That said, I would still argue that "American Beauty" is a wonderful studio album that I think everyone should have in their record collection regardless of whether or not you are a Deadhead.People who were key but little-known figures for the band like Neal Cassidy are further revealed in rare footage while band narrations tell the stories you always want to hear when seeing a band documentary. Hearing individual tracks isolated in playback with Phil Lesh and Bob Weir at the console are a special treat for audiophiles familiar with the intricacies of these two particular albums. Hearing things explained from the Warner Brothers executive point of view adds an unexpected chuckle too.This has some incredible old footage I've never seen before. That alone makes the film worth it, but there's so much more than that. Getting the back stories from Hunter, Lesh, Weir, Garcia, Hart and others is a must for anyone who loves the Grateful Dead, and I also highly recommend this film for those who never "got it" about the band. Hearing these guys talk about the how and why of making the music they did, interspersed with some fantastic recordings displaying their musical prowess should make a believer out of anyone. You still might not like the music, but at least you'll understand why people who do like the music are ravenous about it.