It’s been quite a while since my latest DVD review, so I thought it would be cool to do another one. Yesterday I watched the documentary “Forever And A Day”. It documents the farewell tour of Germany’s biggest Hard Rock export, Scorpions. The movie was released in some cinemas in conjunction with the release of the new album “Return To Forever”. I will discuss whether or not this was a smart move in this review.
Back in 2010 “Sting In The Tail” was supposed to be the last album by the Scorpions before they said goodbye to their fans and the music world. A huge farewell tour followed and director Katja von Garnier followed every step of the guys during this tour. The end result was a documentary of that tour. Live and behind the scenes footage alternates with interviews of old companions (Michail Gorbatschow, Michael Schenker, Paul Stanley, Don Dokken) and the band itself. The documentary included original footage of every important event during the band’s existence.
So, what is very impressive about this film is that you’ll get to learn much more than the band’s historical background. It’s not just about the Scorpions, it’s about what happened in the world during a certain period of time. Such as: what it was like when you tried to attend a concert of a West European band in Russia during the 80’s. The feeling people had when they were a part of the fall of the Berlin wall. Looking at how life was back then compared to now. Looking at the changes in times when you remember or think of important buildings and all that stuff. That made for an interesting approach for this documentary.
Next thing I really liked was the honesty in all those interviews. The band also talks about the darker side of the business and how this affected their personal lives. Things such as the effect touring has on relationships, families and friends. Klaus Meine speaks about his marriage, Pawel Maciwoda explores the effects of the loss of his mother and much more. All these little personal stories make these guys very authentic and sympathetic. But the focus surely lies on how a group of young teenagers followed their dream and became famous throughout the world. This is certainly captured very well.
It was a bit sad that the film did not lay the events out chronologically. All the important things that happened during a 50 year period were mixed up. I also asked myself during the whole movie “why have they releases this film now?”. Why not 3 years ago when the farewell tour was over? The documentary feels a bit outdated because you don’t get the insight into how/why they came together for their new album. And also all those interviews were done some years ago. Why not releasing it then? For me, the link between to their new album and the “here and now” is missing. Currently, it’s about their huge comeback and in this film they are saying “goodbye”. Strange, isn’t it?
All this nagging is on a high, superficial level. Technically the DVD is top notch. The pictures are great (beside the original footage from back in the days, but that’s normal) and also the sound is powerful. When you see the guys rockin’ out to “The Zoo”, “Rock You Like A Hurricane” and other songs you just want to see them live immediately. Yeah and maybe this is what the documentary wants us to do.
So, all in all this is a very interesting and honest movie about the Scorpions. Every fan will be happy with it. Because of the many historical references it’s even interesting for people who don’t watch documentaries about Rock bands that often. Now let’s see what happens during the next decades with the Hard Rock legend from Germany. One thing is for sure: the guys are back and hungry for more!
Written by: Thomas Schwarzkopf
Ratings: Thomas 9/10
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