Live Forever [2003] [DVD]

It's hard to fill a music documentary with the same energy that ignited the movement, but Live Forever succeeds in charting the rise and decline of the Britpop genre with ease. Looking back on the 1990s phenomenon, it removes the rose-tinted spectacles that are so often donned for such retrospectives and looks at the trend and hype through a refreshing political perspective hinging around the New Labour government. It's fascinating to see how the spin doctors went to work on this new youth culture to increase popularity with voters.

It was a time of political change, when, after long Conservative rule, people were looking forward to the future, and Cool Britannia filled a cultural hole. There was bizarre art from the likes of Emin and Hurst, and a vibrant music scene filled with "jolly" Blur tunes and Pulp's off-kilter takes on the working class. But it was Oasis's meteoric rise and the simultaneous "Lad" cultural stereotype they embodied that really gripped the nation's youth (both male and female). Live Forever offers interviews with the Gallagher brothers (who actually come across as sound geezers), Damon Albarn (who fares less well, and it becomes clear where director John Dower's commitment lay in the big Britpop battle) and the sublime Jarvis Cocker (who really should have become more of a cultural icon). Although Britpop ended after a blitz of cigarettes and alcohol, its place is sealed in music history. Just as The Filth and the Fury has become the must-see documentary on punk, Live Forever may well become the defining film of the 90s generation. --Nikki Disney

DVD Special Features:

• Feature length audio commentary (Director/Producer)
  
• Unseen interview clips
  
• Wonderwall (tribute band) video diary – including performing at London premiere (25 mins approx.)
  
• Trailers

16:9 Wide Screen
English
English
Region 2
Unseen Interviews
Wonderwall Video Diary
Audio Commentary By John Batsek And John Dower
Trailers