Earth, Wind & Fire Movies
- 2004
In the '70s, Chicago were the band who brought the punch and sophistication of big band jazz to rock by putting guitars and a horn section side by side, while Earth, Wind & Fire added a polish and intelligence to funk and disco grooves with their smooth arrangements and stylish songwriting. In the summer of 2004, these two ground-breaking bands were still going strong, and they treated their fans to a co-headlining tour in which each group played a set of their greatest hits before teaming up for several songs together. Chicago With Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek captures this star-studded tour during its Los Angeles stop at the world-famous Greek Theater. Chicago's set list includes "Saturday in the Park," "Make Me Smile," "Old Days," "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," and more, while Earth, Wind & Fire's song list includes "Boogie Wonderland," "Serpentine Fire," "After the Love Has Gone," and "That's the Way of the World." The groups team up for "Shining Star," "25 or 6 to 4," and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, (more)
- 1999
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Blending the precise musicianship of jazz, the smooth melodies of R&B, and the blazing grooves of funk, Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the hottest and most acclaimed American bands of the 1970s and '80s, and the band still remains a major concert draw to this day. Earth, Wind & Fire: Live By Request preserves a special live television event presented in 1999 in which Earth, Wind & Fire played a set of their greatest hits as chosen by the fans viewing at home. Selections include "Shining Star," "September," "After the Love Is Gone," "Boogie Wonderland," "Serpentine Fire," and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The talented rhythm & blues group Earth, Wind & Fire performs a number of its most popular tunes during this concert taped in Japan in 1994. Songs like "Can't Hide Love," "September," "Shining Star," and "After the Love Is Gone" will be instantly recognized by fans. Maurice White and Philip Bailey handle the lead vocals as they're backed up by an array of guitars and other instruments. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Earth, Wind & Fire
- 1992
One of the most popular R&B groups of the '70s and '80s, Earth, Wind & Fire blended funky grooves with melodic songwriting and world-class musicianship, and this video features live performances and concept videos of ten of the band's biggest hits. Selections include "Boogie Wonderland," "September," "Serpentine Fire," and "After the Love Is Gone." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- NR
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Earth, Wind & Fire, one of the most popular and acclaimed R&B acts of the 1970's, show they still have talent and charisma to spare in this concert filmed in Japan in 1990, which features original members Philip Bailey on lead vocals, bassist Verdine White and group leader Maurice White fronting a 12-piece band. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A rock & roll singer searches for eternal life in this animated musical fantasy set in a post-nuclear dystopia. Similar to the earlier Heavy Metal (1981) in tone, this film attempts to incorporate mythical themes and mutant beings with music by Cheap Trick, Deborah Harry, Iggy Pop, and other popular acts of the time, with mixed success. Clive Smith's film was a disappointment at the box-office, but has since attracted a minor cult following. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Francks, Paul Le Mat, (more)
R&B supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire performs their standards at the Oakland Coliseum on December 30-31, 1981. Highlights include "Sing a Song," "Fantasy," and "Shining Star." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Earth, Wind & Fire
Penned by Dan Greenburg, Private Lessons details the plight of a rich, fifteen-year-old boy (Eric Brown) whose French maid (Sylvia Kristel of the Emmanuelle series) is hired to teach him the finer points of l'amour. A contrived subplot involving a blackmail scheme complicates matters but really only serves as padding between the erotic scenes. In the end, the boy ends up wiser for the wear in more ways than one as he learns all the sordid details. Typical of many early '80s adolescent-oriented T & A films, this entry includes plenty of leering nudity and debauchery, although it seems comparatively tame compared with many others. Surprisingly, Private Lessons was a box-office hit at the time of its release; presumably, many film-goers had seen Kristel in her role as Emmanuelle, although they would have been disappointed to learn a body-double stood in during her love scenes in this case. A similarly-themed film, My Tutor, was released soon after. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, (more)
- 1978
- PG
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Pop star Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees star in this musical, loosely based on the popular 1967 Beatles album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In the story, Billy Shears, who now heads the Lonely Hearts Club Band, is the grandson of the famous Sergeant Pepper. He is confronted by the need to save the magical musical instruments of the band from the bad guys, led by music tycoon B.D. Brockhurst (Donald Pleasance), who want to steal them. If they succeed, the magic which infuses "Heartland U.S.A." will disappear. Among the many Beatles' songs performed in the film by well-known popular artists are: "She's Leaving Home" (Bee Gees, Jay MacIntosh, John Wheeler), "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (Steve Martin), "Got To Get You into My Life (Earth, Wind & Fire), "When I'm 64" (Sandy Farina), "Come Together" (Aerosmith), "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (sung by the Bee Gees, Paul Nicholas), "With a Little Help from My Friends" (Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees), "Fixing a Hole" (George Burns), and "Get Back" (Billy Preston). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Frampton, Barry Gibb, (more)
This cult favorite from director/producer Sig Shore featured the music of Earth, Wind and Fire and had a #1 soundtrack album, but went belly-up at the box-office. That's a shame, because what other film offers viewers Harvey Keitel as a record producer who skates at an all-black disco rink, Bert Parks as a child molester, and squeaky-clean singer Jimmy Boyd ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus") as a hardcase junkie? Other treats on hand include the manager of a Christian pop band threatening to stick an ice pick in Keitel's ear and appearances by noted disc jockeys Murray the K and Frankie Crocker. Amidst all of this insanity, Cynthia Bostick's female-lead turn as a Joplin-like junkie singer named Velour is lost. The film ends with a number of Earth, Wind and Fire songs, but by that point most viewers will be in bad-movie shellshock. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harvey Keitel, Ed Nelson, (more)
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Earth, Wind and Fire was one of the most popular and most innovative R&B groups of the 1970s, who, under the direction of leader Maurice White, created a sound that was at once funky and polished, blending danceable groves with first-class musicianship and high-level stage craft. Shining Stars -- The Official Story of Earth, Wind & Fire is a documentary created with the participation of the group that features both concert footage and interviews with the members of the group as they recount the story of their early days, their rise to fame, the group's burnout through overwork, and personal differences in the early '80s, as well as their later return to the concert stage and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
