This documentary is still readily available on DVD and I would highly recommend you buy it if you like the Carpenters - even just a little. It also includes some extras not shown when this was originally aired such as video of sections of the Carpenters performance at the White House when invited by then President Richard Nixon to play a show to a large audience on the evening of the official dinner given for the visiting German Chancellor, Willy Brandt. Pres Nixon's adoration for these people is interesting and the scene at the end when both the President and Mrs Nixon stood on the small stage hand in hand with Karen and Richard is really quite touching.
Much of the documentary is the quite excellent narration by Richard Carpenter which viewers will find so useful in gaining a much greater understanding and appreciation of just what made the Carpenters and their music and why they were such an international success. Interviews with names such as Burt Bacharach, writer -musician John Bettis, writer -musician John Williams, Carpenters talented guitarist (the late) Tony Peluso, A and M Records co-founder and musician Herb Alpert and others adds greatly to the story.
The show includes some live performances by Karen whose voice is just so fine and pure it virtually blows you away. Unfortunately time constraints did not permit the entirety of these live performances to be shown in most cases. This included the very moving live performance of Karen and Ella Fitzgerald singing "This Masquerade" during the last TV special performed by Richard and Karen. What a tragedy this entire performance by these two great singers was not included in full.
Richard provides an excellent summary of the background to the development/production of many of the songs that contributed to the Carpenters success and viewers will find this most interesting. Prior to having seen this documentary I did not fully appreciate just what a genius Richard really was in popular music and just how much he contributed. He was the backbone to the duo - without a doubt - and his musical arrangements and creations were and still are fabulous.
As for Karen, she is just a beautiful angel with an extraordinary singing voice that one never gets tired of hearing. Sadly one sees during the documentary a Karen that seems to get just a little thinner and thinner as times elapses until she sadly passes. The voice never deteriorates though.
Thankfully this beautiful lady lives on through her many magical recordings due in great part to her very talented brother Riichard. No doubt, in 50 years people will still be listening to that marvelous angelic voice from this delightful lady that has given, with her brother, so much happiness and joy to so many people around the world.
