Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment. The disc contains approximately 54 minutes of exclusive interviews and footage not included in the broadcast version of the documentary. In English, with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
In the studio
Directed by Martin R. Smith and produced by Nick de Grunwald, Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures is a wonderful documentary, part of the Classic Album Series, that contains a wealth of information pertaining to the production history of these legendary albums. It is approximately sixty minutes long and contains original material as well as a great deal of archival footage spread over nine chapters: Before 2112, 2112, Passage to Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, Move to Moving Pictures, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Tom Sawyer, and Limelight.
The documentary opens up with a series of recollections from the members of Rush - Geddy Lee (Bass/Vocals), Alex Lifeson (Guitar), and Neil Peart (Drums) - that shed light on the unique transformation the band underwent from their breakthrough "2112" to "Moving Pictures", their most popular and commercially successful album. Geddy, Alex, and Neil's comments on their work with producer Terry Brown, who gave the band its identity, are particularly interesting.
The documentary also contains good information about the departure of John Rutsey, the band's original drummer, and the arrival of Neil, who everyone agrees immediately transformed Rush. Neil's lyrics and Geddy and Alex's complex compositions became the foundation for the style Rush would promote in the years to come.
There is also good information about the band's popularity overseas, as well as the initial struggles of the press to accurately characterize their music. A controversial article in the United Kingdom, for example, insisted that Rush sympathized with the extreme right.
David Frickle, senior editor at Rolling Stone Magazine, Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, Ed Robertson from Barenaked Ladies, and Jim Ladd from KLOS Radio also share their impressions of the band's stylistic maturation, and specifically their ability to blend rock with Reggae, Punk and New Wave in a manner no other band before Rush had attempted to.
Finally, producer Terry Brown plays samples from the original multi-track tapes of "2112" and "Moving Pictures" and extracts specific guitar and drum solos that clearly show how incredibly complex the music of Rush is - demanding incredible technical skill and concentration.
Note: This Blu-ray disc contains an abundance of exclusive footage that was not included in the VH1 Classic broadcast of Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i transfer, Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.
The original content looks excellent. Fine object detail is terrific, clarity pleasing and contrast levels stable. The color-scheme is also solid. Some extremely mild motion-judder occasionally pops up but it is never a serious issue of concern. In fact, I doubt most viewers would even notice it. The quality of the archival footage varies but obviously it is for illustrative purposes only. All in all, Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures is very much on par with Black Sabbath: Paranoid, which means that the presentation is indeed very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Eagle Rock Entertainment have provided optional English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese subtitles for the main feature.
The English LPCM 2.0 is most appropriate for Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures. This is a primarily a dialog driven documentary with occasional audio samples that sound very good. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or dropouts to report in this review either.
Note: All of the deleted footage can be seen with optional English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese subtitles. (55 min, 1080i).
Deleted footage - deleted footage (interviews) and studio sessions from Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures:
-- 2112 Overture
-- Influences
-- Something For Nothing
-- This Is Not A Drum Solo (Neil Warms Up)
-- Geddy On Neil & Alex
-- Neil On Geddy & Alex
-- Red Barchetta
-- Neil Waxes Lyrical
-- Tom Sawyer
-- Alex On Geddy & Neil
-- Why YYZ?
-- YYZ
Rush: 2112 and Moving Pictures is extremely easy to recommend. It contains a wealth of valuable information about the legendary Canadian rockers and their maturation as a band, as well as a good dose of terrific archival footage. As it is the case with just about every single Eagle Rock Entertainment Blu-ray release, the quality of the presentation is once again fantastic. The disc is also Region-Free and its content subtitled in a variety of different languages. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
