At the time of writing, this film is almost 20 years old. When I first watched it I was a half U2 fan, a U1 if you will. Joshua tree was one of my favourite CDs, but despite being a frequent listener of the earlier stuff, I'd remained unhooked. But after seeing Rattle and Hum I was almost literally breathless. It became one of a small handful of VHS music videos that I made the effort to take with me as I moved through life.
When I discovered the concept of digital movies, it was the first tape I digitised so I could watch it on my computer, and when video CD came along, I bought that too because the quality was much better than my amateur 'rip'. Naturally when DVD came along I had to have the quality offered by that too. And when I got my first portable video player, well Rattle & h Hum was the first DVD I ripped so I could play it on that (although Pink Floyds pulse had become it's constant companion too).
Today, I took delivery of my iPod Touch, and, sad bastard that I am, Rattle and Hum is the first movie I'm watching on it.
Why is it I love this film when the music press and the band itself seem to dis this film? I once read an article that suggested the band almost split after the release of the film. Instead they went off and regrouped into their post Achtung baby period. Better they had split and then reformed once whatever itch was out of their system, I think. I still hope they still will.
I love this film because it presents the band a their absolute peak. Every inch of concert footage is tight. Bono sounds amazing, much better than I ever saw him. The Edge soars, Larry beats perfect time, while Adam holds everything together. If that isn't enough, the photography is stunning. There is not a single scene in the whole film that would benefit from a different point of view, lighting setup or depth of field (except perhaps the Bono scene 31 minutes in where he tries his hand at graffiti backed by watchtower, personally I'd have made that blurred I think). The visuals are completely stunning and reinforce the bands stature already perfectly presented by just enough short of perfect performance.
If I last another 20 years, I'm confident this film will make the Journey with me.
