Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781574927382
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 1574927388
Label: Evergreen Ent
Manufacturer: Evergreen Ent
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Evergreen Ent
Release Date: 1999-03-23
Running Time: 150
Studio: Evergreen Ent
Theatrical Release Date: 1998-11-01

The soap-opera career of Motown's most successful group, the Temptations, lends credence to the old belief that great art comes from troubled lives. Over three decades, the band struggled through numerous ego trips, countless members, broken relationships, coke addiction, alcoholism, suicide, cancer, deadly arthritis--in short, all the melodramatic devices necessary for a TV miniseries. This two-and-a-half-hour docudrama touches on all of these personal tragedies, but unfortunately forgets the real reason for the strength of the story: the music. Sure, there's wonderful reenactments of the quintet's finest material, such as "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" and "The Way You Do the Things You Do," all performed with the slick choreography and shimmering vocal harmonies that made the band legendary. But, unfortunately, director Allan Arkush (Rock and Roll High School) and writers Kevin Arkadie and Robert Johnson forget to put the music into any historical perspective. Why were the Temptations so important? What was their contribution to pop music? By watching this saccharine, manipulative exposé, you'd never know. The performances are nonetheless terrific, especially Charles Malik Whitfield as leader (and narrator) Otis Williams, D.B. Woodside as his partner, Melvin Franklin, and Leon as the group's talented livewire, David Ruffin. The DVD edition offers several fine features including 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound, a discography, cast and crew profiles, extensive production notes, and most important, the ability to jump to any of the seven songs performed... basically the main reason to watch this epic. --Dave McCoy

Customer Rating:
Summary: Looking for a song
Comment: In the Movie, Smokey Robinson sings a song at Melvin Franklin's Funeral. Can anyone one help me with the title of the song??????? Thank you

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Customer Rating:
Summary: "Tall, Tan and Tempting" -- The Temptations
Comment: As one reviewer stated, "have a box of tissues handy." Absolutely! I started crying at the beginning of the movie and could not stop. I have all of the Temptations' records since they were first released on "the Gordy Records label"--one of Motown's many labels. I love the little-known early songs that were not included in the movie like "Farewell My Love" and "Growing". I especially like the one that did not "chart," "I Want A Love I Can See." It got a lot of air play in Washington, DC in the early 1960s. The movie brought back a flood of memories for me which prompted the flow of tears. I was a freshman in college when their first songs came out and rejoiced along with the whole campus after "The Way You Do the Things You Do" hit number one in 1964! Great movie, great actors and "true to life" characterizations, like the scene where their bus had a flat tire in the south and they were thought to be the "freedom bus riders" from the civil rights movement. I highly recommend this movie for everyone who is a fan of the "Motown Family." I will treasure it always. TEMPTATIONS FOREVER!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Temptationd DVD
Comment: GREAT entertainment if you love the old Motown, Soul, and Volt-Stax Mussel Shoals studios music sound. Also good if just interested in some of the early roots and groups of this phenomonon. It gives a look at a number of the Motown artists we all know about as real people with the same joys and struggles that we all share.

I saw part of this movie\mini series on cable one night and as soon as it went off got on Amazon to see if it was available. I think just about any music lover will enjoy this.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Love It!
Comment: I purchased the VHS version several years ago and watched it last night for the first time in a long time. I remember having seen the movie when it was originally broadcast on NBC back in the late 90s.

For anyone who is a fan of Motown, the Temptations, music from the 50s-60s era - this is a must see! The movie begins in 1957 and chronicles the history not only of the Temptations but includes a lot of Motown history as well. The music is out of this world!

Because I'd seen the show when it was originally aired on TV, I realized that some key scenes had been excluded from the VHS; this was very disappointing. Note that the special was broadcast on two nights at 2 hours each and the VHS is only 2-1/2 hours long, you can figure that quite a bit had been cut. The pacing seems too quick on the VHS and you get the feeling that you missed something. Case in point: There is a scene that had been cut from the VHS that shows Paul Williams in the early years refusing a beer and drinking milk instead. But in the VHS version, the viewer is unaware of Paul's uncharacteristic descent into alcholism until later when his problem is obvious and one of the band members comments that Paul used to refuse to drink. When Otis informs the band (then called the Elgins) that they needed to come up with a new name before Mr. Gordy would allow them to audition, the boys banter names back and forth along the sidewalk in front of Hitsville U.S.A. Their struggle to think of a name was the scene that was cut and I no longer remember which one of the group came up with the Temptations. Anyway, that's just a small sampling of deleted scenes. There were many others.

I was pleasantly surprised to read in another viewer's review that the DVD contains the full version. It is well worth purchasing the film again just to have the full version, so I'm clicking this gem into my cart.

In closing, I think it should be mentioned that the movie was based upon a book by Otis Williams and that the story is told from his perspective. Although I loved their music, I was totally unaware of what went on behind-the-scenes. Sometimes fame exacts a terrible price from those who are unable to handle it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great biography of one greatest R&B Group of the sixties
Comment: This is a great movie if you like biographical drama of the entertainment industry. It filled,with drama, musical numbers performed by the actors who portrait this famous group. There is love, unity, friendship, egoism, etc. This is real story of a group's humble beginnings to their ending. You love the music, the drama and the actors.

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