Pete Townshend Movies

On the 30th Anniversary of the original Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball, event producer\co-founder Martin Lewis compiles some of the finest moments from the annual concert event that inspired rock and rollers to get actively involved with their favorite causes. In the aftermath of Pete Townshend's unforgettable acoustic performance at the June 1979 Secret Policeman's Ball in London, rockers from Sting to Phil Collins became convinced that their music could be used to do something more than simply sell records. Since then, some of the biggest names in music have performed at the annual Secret Policeman's Ball. In addition to performances by Kate Bush, Bob Geldof, and Peter Gabriel, this compilation also features Townshend's memorable of "Pinball Wizard", and finds Eric Clapton teaming with Jeff Beck to perform "Farther Up the Road". ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Oscar-winning filmmaker Murray Lerner and co-director Paul Crowder draw on the essential themes of The Who's music and lyrics to craft a definitive audio-visual document of the influential band's timeless legacy. From their origins as a 1960s R&B cover band to their transformation into the band that changed the course of rock and roll history, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle's unstoppable, arena shaking juggernaut is followed as the men behind the music experience triumph and tragedy over the course of the following decades. Authorized by the band, the film speaks with family and friends to explore the meteoric rise of The Who as unreleased performance footage from Monterey, Woodstock, The Concert for NYC and other landmark concerts show fans the scenes that, until this release, they have only been able to read about. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Introduced in May 2004 as an episode of CSI: Miami, the CBS "procedural" cop drama CSI: NY launches its first full season with 22 hour-long episodes. The opener, "Blink," finds NYC Crime Lab head Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his team of brilliant, iconoclastic forensic specialists hunting for a serial killer using clues provided by the perp's only surviving victim -- who has lost virtually all powers of communication. Later investigations involve a hungry rat who has swallowed vital evidence, a skeleton found by a tourist which may or may not be a hoax planted to throw the police off the trail of a real crime, and a grisly robbery-murder in Brooklyn in which the victims were systematically shot and smothered to death. Also, a police terrorist-response drill compromises the CSI's efforts to rescue a kidnap victim; a police horse may have to be put to sleep to retrieve an important clue as to the murder of the horse's rider; Mac's protégé Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) gets a bit too up-close and personal while hunting down a gang of young punks who kill for sport rather than profit; the team tries to determine if a somnambulist committed murder while asleep; three murders occurring simultaneously in three different boroughs might be connected; and the CSIers are forced to turn a mirror on their "own" when the chief investigator in a police-corruption case is murdered before making his findings public. The season ends with the episode "What You See Is What You See," in which Mac must choose to save the life of a shooting victim or immediately chase after the shooter -- a decision that triggers tortuous memories of the death of Mac's own wife during the 9/11 terrorist attack. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Combining intimate acoustic performances with personal banter and song history, VH1 Storytellers attempted to take the concept introduced with MTV Unplugged a step further. On this 2001 release, viewers are given the opportunity to sample highlights from some of the program's most popular performances. Featured performers include Ringo Starr, Pete Townshend, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Steely Dan, Sheryl Crow, and Jackson Browne. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Volume Seven of this 10-part series has interviews and profiles of such greats as Hendrix, Page, Townsend, and Van Halen; guys so big you only need to know their last names to know you're in the presence of masters. Make way for the ax masters! Lots of history and gritty low-down about the average Guitar God's life, including the crude and not-so-pretty bits. They tell it like it is. ~ Leslie Birdwell, Rovi

The Who were one of the most exciting and original rock bands to come out of England in the 1960's, combining a distinctive and intelligent lyrical perspective with a music that was passionate and explosive. The Who: Who's Better, Who's Best is a video compilation that features performances of sixteen of the group's best known songs, culled from concert footage, television appearances, and video clips. Songs include "Won't Get Fooled Again", "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "I Can't Explain", "Join Together", "Happy Jack", "Pictures Of Lily", and many more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this comedy drama, three exuberant high-school graduates finally find a direction in life when they decide to fix-up a ramshackle Catskill resort and turn it into a little slice of rock & roll heaven for teens. They work hard to make the repairs and pay the over $8,000 in back taxes. When locals hear of their plans, they misunderstand and try to stop the young men as do wicked industrialists and the corrupt president of the town council who want to use the locale to dump toxic wastes. The lively soundtrack features songs by Phil Collins, Julian Lennon, Arcadia, and Pete Townshend. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

One of a series of volumes containing tapes of live performances as seen on the fab British rock 'n roll TV show so popular in the 60s. ~ Rovi

The Secret Policeman's Private Parts, the second of two concert films produced on behalf of Amnesty International, is better photographed than the first (The Secret Policeman's Other Ball) but not quite as enjoyable. As in the earlier film, the show is stolen by the Monty Python aggregation: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam. Also on hand are former Beyond the Fringe-er Peter Cook and musicians Pete Townshend, Phil Collins and Donovan. Fans of the artists will probably get a bigger kick out of Private Parts than casual moviegoers. Like Other Ball, Private Parts fully deserves its R rating. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The highlights of two benefit concerts staged in support of Amnesty International are collected in this British performance film, which features ample helpings of both music and comedy. The members of the Monty Python comedy troupe serve as headliners, performing live variations on some of their most famous sketches. Additional humor is provided by such luminaries as Peter Cook, while the musical segments include performances by Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, and Sting, amongst others. While all of the performers deliver the goods, the film's overall effectiveness is unfortunately limited by the purely functional direction and often poor image quality. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi