Directed by Frank Marshall, this definitive, two-hour documentary about the legendary British group, The Bee Gees, songwriters of over 1000 pieces of music over a multiple-decade career, arrives on the small screen on HBO and on Sky Documentaries, as well as a timely DVD and digital package just in time for Christmas.
Starting at the beginning as three young musicians from Manchester, though born on the Isle Of Man in the 1940s, the film examines the life of older brother Barry, and younger twin siblings Maurice and Robin; from those early days, emigrating to Queensland, Australia in the late fifties, where they would perform as a trio to earn pocket money. Marshall’s film charts their early popularity back in England in the ‘60s, their first ‘wave’ of success with songs like ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’, and ‘To Love Somebody’ bringing them international acclaim. Surviving member, Barry, provides personal insight into the period, along with peers in the industry, including Eric Clapton, who would later suggest that they record in America when their initial popularity started to drop. Later hits like albums ‘Main Course’ and ‘Children of the World’ brought them even bigger success, a period which would lead them to their second spike in popularity, the disco period of the late ‘70s, and the soundtrack to the iconic Saturday Night Fever.
Marshall ushers us into the backlash period when disco became uncool and mass destructions of disco albums took place at baseball stadiums. We’re then well into the ‘80s period when the brothers turned to songwriting, penning some of the biggest hits of the decade, during a time when it was difficult to get their own voices heard on the radio. Marshall also includes the fourth brother, the very successful younger sibling, Andy, whose music spoke to a much younger crowd than his brothers’.
The post-’80s stuff is touched on briefly during the film’s final 30 minutes, the filmmakers spending much of the previous running time focusing on their biggest periods of success. There are interviews with Clapton, Noel Gallagher, Justin Timberlake, and former members of the Bee Gees band scattered throughout, all remarking on their influence from the band, and the impact they have had on the industry over the 45 years that they were active.
The Bee Gees’ story is told through archive footage; mainly late-’90s interviews with the trio, with Barry also present giving a new interview to camera. This gives the film a deeply intimate touch, and some of the feature’s most touching moments, particularly during the footnote of the piece. There are hundreds of photographs; every one of their big songs are featured, and there is tons of unseen concert footage and backstage material, too.
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart crams a lot into its 2 hours, and while it does tell the story of one of the world’s most successful singer-songwriters, there is so much that didn’t make the cut for obvious reasons. Indeed, how can you deep-dive into a five decade career and retell it in just a couple of hours? Marshall and co. do an excellent job, though, both narratively and stylistically; the documentary is wonderfully presented.
Heartfelt, nostalgic, and uplifting, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is an absolute must for fans of the legendary group, and music in general.
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Summary
A very rewarding documentary about one of the most iconic and influential bands of our time.
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is out now on DVD and digital.
