In 1988 when this video first came out, we were skeptical. How can any video do justice to such a show as that on the P.o.V. tour?
Later, we saw an ad in a magazine that read that P.o.V lasted "80 breathtaking minutes". Then we were fearful. After all, if you had your breath taken away for eighty minutes, wouldn't you die?
Needless to say, it was worth overcoming that fear to watch the video.
This concert set for the end of the So tour, is one of the most unique live concert performance videos of all times. Of course, not every video has someone with such charisma and showmanship, and not every concert video has a producer like Martin Scorsese involved in it.
PG's performance is top form...from the super-cordinated dance moves with his bandmates on the opener ("This is the Picture") to the expected-yet-climatic closer ("Biko").
The most stunning live rendition has to be "Mercy Street". If you've ever heard the PoV version of "Mercy Street", it's almost impossible to believe that it's PG making those haunting squealy noises near the end. On PoV, even when you're watching it's *still* impossible to believe that it's PG making those noises.
The live version of "No Self Control" is slow and methodical as opposed to the original urgent-sounding recording...all the more eerie.
And then we have "Sledgehammer"...face it, the live version of that song never really worked, but at least we get to see some interesting theatrics. PG does pelvic thrusts that would send most guys half his age to the chiropractor.
On "Lay Your Hands On Me" we get to see PG do that famous backward flop into the audience, where someone decided to relieve PG of his jacket (yet another dude who makes the "Hey Jealousy" list.)
The performance of "Games Without Frontiers" is so good that they should've made this the official video for that song and pretend that the original video didn't exsist.
Other than the performance, what makes P.o.V. so unique is the way behind-the-scenes footage and PG's personal home videos are incorporated between and in the songs. We get to see short clips of young Pete, some of PG practicing "Shaking the Tree", and many clips of video shot by PG himself.
One of the funniest clips from PG's P.o.V. is on an airplane where Pete films a comrade talking when a pillow fight breaks out. A pillow flies toward the camera before cutting to black, creating the unintenional impression that our hero just got knocked unconscious.
Scorsese also uses various footage used in the concert performance itself. Although such film is used to good effect ("Games Without Frontiers", "San Jacinto") occasionally, it's somewhat distracting. Who's idea was it to show a clip of someone water skiing when PG sings, "Let's take the boat and wait until darkness..." on "Mercy Street"?
Overall, this video is a must for the fan and even not-fans who need to have one good example of a concert video in the house.