History of the Eagles
Alison Ellwood’s intimate, meticulously crafted patchwork of rare archival material, concert footage, and unseen home movies explores the evolution and enduring popularity of one of America’s truly defining bands.
Grant English@TheGSides
At over 3 hours long (187 minutes), the film delivers the history of The Eagles primarily from the perspectives of the founding members and unquestionable leaders of the band – Don Henley and Glen Frey.
Along the way, we get treated to both archival footage, concert footage, archival interviews as well as current interviews with former bandmates. We hear from jilted bandmates, abandoned producers and record labels. Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown, and Bob Seger all make appearances as well.
What is great about the film are the ugly parts. We get to see the egos clash, the drug use, the alcoholism, the women-chasing, and even the back-stage nasty contract negotiations. David Geffen, founder of Asylum records and later Geffen records shows his dark side in the film as The Eagles and him fought for years over the rights of the songs.
The dynamic between Glen Frey and Don Felder is even more explosive. There is even footage from the last concert that Frey and Felder played together before the band broke up in 1980. The conversation is absolutely incredible and it’s like watching a train wreck. You just can’t believe they got this on film and you can’t walk away. What makes the whole thing even MORE compelling are the jump cuts to the modern-day perspective of Frey and Felder which still shows there isn't a lot of love lost between the two.
Henley and Frey are compelling story tellers. They have the ability to be objective and biased at the same time. It's unreal to watch it in action. This is the big draw of the film - the raw, authentic, story telling.
From a cinematography point of view, there is nothing spectacular about it at all. It’s basic, it's not a distraction but there is nothing spectacular about it either. The editor did a great job in breaking these shots up among the live footage.
If you are an Eagles fan – this is a must. If you are a music fan – you need to see it. For the rest of the populace - it's an interesting perspective on a great band. It's not to the level _20 Feet From Stardom_ or _Muscle Shoals_ but it's definitely worth a watch.