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TechnoTV - Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan
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List Price: $22.98
Our Price: $13.68
Your Save: $ 9.30 ( 40% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Paramount
Starring: Gano Grills, Wu-Tang Clan, Bobbito Garcia, Gerald K. Barclay, Mitchell Diggs
Directed By: Gerald K. Barclay
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Paramount
EAN: 0097368924741
Format: Color
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-11-18
Running Time: 79
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: wu tang forever
Comment: after all this time, it's good to finally get some insight on the origins of the wu in depth. good stuff
Customer Rating:
Summary: The saga continues!!
Comment: There is a lot of time spent on some of the issues with the death of Ol' Dirty [........], as well as other problems.
For me, once the documentary ended I was ready for more, as there is still far more details and such that this could have gone into if the creators really wanted to try and pull it off.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not At All The FULL Story, But Still A Good Watch ... 3 ½ Stars!
Comment: I've been a die hard fan of the Wu for years, and like many fans, I've picked up as much info on the group that I possibly can. When I first heard about this, I instantly held anticipation, and was bound and determined to view it, once finally released to the public.
After several viewings, here's my say on it ...
The film was directed by childhood friend Gerald Barclay , so it's a plus that someone who actually understands them and the culture got to direct this. The commentator cast is excellent, consisting of;
Wu affiliates
Childhood friends
Their manager
Their A&R
CEO of Loud Records
Their road manager
Their designer
Their tour barber
A writer for XXl
A writer for Entertainment Weekly
The first DJ to play them
Mitchell Diggs (RZA's brother, GZA and Dirty's cousin)
Popa Wu (RZA, GZA, and Dirty's cousin)
Prince Poet (from Organized Konfusion)
and finally - Bonz Malone (the guy who signed them and Mobb Deep, and is a writer for Spin Magazine)
The film starts with old interviews, live performances, and really takes you back to the grimy street era that this all took place. It briefly covers RZA's plan, the explosion and impact of 36 Chambers, and their acceleration to success. It accounts their peak of fame (the Forever era) and plays many clips from their famous tour to Hawaii (which we've all seen before in the music video for "Reunited" as well as "It's Yourz/Older Gods"). There's also some miscellaneous footage, mention of Wu Wear and a clip of a news reporter doing a story on it. Then finally, the film covers the unique, outrageous story of Ol' Dirty that unfortunately had a dismal end. This section is where it gets extremely serious and makes you wish even more that he could have conquered his demons, risen back to the top, and lived longer. Having Popa Wu, his widow, and Mitch Diggs doing most of the commentary on this section makes it so powerful, you need to see for yourself. Then, the film ends with a rather abrupt, vague ending that could have been done a bit better, but oh well. The side clips they play during the credits are entertaining.
If you're wondering why I gave this 3 ½ stars, I'll explain why. Although I already know the following information, these are my complaints:
1.) They didn't actually cover the famous financial dispute.
2.) They briefly state that there's always been tension among certain members, but they don't go in depth on any of these.
3.) They didn't cover anything past 1997 (except on Dirty) There was no details on everything that happend after '97.
4.) Probably my biggest complaint - THEY DIDN'T GO IN DEPTH ON THE CLASSIC SOLO ALBUMS. Between the 36 Chambers and Forever section, the director states that they put out solo albums between these two group albums. They briefly show a clip of these solo albums. What dissapoints me about this scene is; they include Cappadonna's "The Pillage" which came out AFTER all this, and Cappadonna's not even an official Wu member. I know he's perhaps their biggest affiliate, he grow up with them, etc. but they end up showing more of him in this entire documentary than GZA and Masta Killa. I don't get it. In this scene they should have mentioned how impactful, and classic the early solo albums are that came out during that time period.
5.) At the final end, they should have briefed up the Clan's career - all the solo albums, affiliate albums, colloberations/beefs with other artist's, the slang/style they invented, not to mention how influential they've been on the entire genre of Hip Hop.
I understand this documentary can't be too long, but the stuff I just mentioned is beyond necessary to cover. Most of the Hawaii footage (that we've already seen before) and other unnecessary footage, should have been replaced by the 5 complaints I stated above. Had this not contained these flaws, I'd give it 5 stars in a heart beat. In my opinion, this doesn't really tell the story. It's basically some rare footage, interviews, and close people telling fragments of the story. It's still not a bad watch.
*If you get this, make sure to check out the extras. You get dope interviews with Raekwon, RZA, the director, and the interview alone with O.D.B.'s widow makes the special features a must watch.
Well, there you have it. The film could have been better, but it could have been worse. If you're at all into the Wu, and/or Hip Hop I advise checking this out.
UPDATE: 11/24/08.
I heard about a Wu Tang documentary a few years ago, and I thought this particular one was it. I just found out, the one I heard about is one that GZA is working on. So when GZA's one drops (whenever that may be) be sure to check it out, cuase I'm sure his actually tells the full story. But in the meantime I still advise checking this one out, being that it has quite a bit of old, rare footage that us Wu heads love to see.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Rise and Fall of the Clan
Comment: I saw this documentary by Gee Bee at the 2007 H20 Int'l Film Festival in NYC. It was pretty interesting to hear the problems that most members of Wu-tang had w/RZA's brother, Divine. The beginning of their career, Divine was the group's manager, and a lot of them claimed that they weren't paid fairly. When you watch the documentary, it is up to u the viewer to decide who was right or wrong. Did they have a Lawyer review their contracts? Did they have an Accountant? Gee Bee informed me that BET deleted a couple of the scenes. He plans to release the Director's Cut(the original version) in the near future. I love Wu-tang, and I hope they can mend their problems and tour together. [...]
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Editorial Reviews:
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Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 11/18/2008 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: Nr
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