Search - 20th Century Masters - The Best of Donna Summer: The DVD Collection on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 2/1/2020...

Big fan of Donna Summer but I was let down by this. It had six videos but only one was recognized.

Why not release Donna's ABC 70s TV special on DVD? PLEASE!

G. Mitchell | Los Angeles, CA United States | 08/22/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Once again, labels assume fans wil rush out and buy anything sub-par just because it's on DVD format - yes, it's nice to have a mere FIVE videos on DVD for posterity, but these are clearly my least favorite of Donna's videos/hits - where are here videos/live/TV performances from here "Bad Girls" era? Instead of releasing these to cash-in on Donna's popularity, why not do a deal with ABC and release her amazing, long lost 1979 one-hour TV special she did featuring live versions of "Dim All the Lights," a special promo of "Bad Girls/Hot Stuff," "Sunset People" and more! I remember as a kid begging my parents to let me stay up late so I could watch - and once I did, I was TRANSFIXED by Donna's beauty and sheer vocal talent! If you look at other "best of" DVDs out there (like BOWIE's, THE JAM, THE CLASH, etc.) that feature stuff from the vaults, the LACK of old 70s clips is pointless to purchase for true fans - heck, even the more recent MELODY OF LOVE from "Endless Summer" VHS isn't here, WHY?!! Donna did a slew of early TV appearances singing her old disco hits LIVE - where are THOSE? Until then, I refuse to buy these cheap, exploitive DVDs!"

Just a sampling...

C. Wikane | New York, NY | 02/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Donna Summer is an artist whose career was not made by videos. I feel this gives her more credibility than many of those who followed in her spotlight, but that's a whole 'nother discussion.On this DVD, we are given 5 videos. Anyone who owns the VHS "Endless Summer" video already has them ("She Works Hard For the Money," "Unconditional Love," "There Goes My Baby," "This Time I Know It's For Real," and "Love's About to Change My Heart") but Universal has washed, rinsed, and dried them so they have a nice sheen. I recommend it to die-hard fans, casual fans, those wishing to find out more about Donna or music from the 1980's, pop cultural enthusiasts, and especially those interested in depictions of race in music s videos.Let me expand on the last comment...the first two videos are from 1983. At the time, MTV's core audience was mostly young, white, males living in non-urban haunts. Therefore, black artists were seldom seen on the channel... until Michael Jackson. Even after "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and "Thriller" appeared in heavy rotation, videos by black artists featured white characters prominently in order to "speak" to MTV's audience (also see early videos by Tina Turner). The first two videos on this DVD illustrate this phenomenon to great effect. We see Donna narrating the story of a white woman and her many jobs in "Hard for the Money," and teaching a classroom of white students in "Unconditional Love." (It's interesting to note that the group Musical Youth who duet with her in this song are depicted as troublemakers in the video.)Not that black artists need to be in videos with black characters - I celebrate diversity in any form possible! - but these videos were filmed during a very racially stratified period in the history of music television. Watch the videos and see for yourself! It's an interesting lesson.Still, the music is a sampling of some of the best from Donna's '80's releases. While I've never been a huge fan of "There Goes My Baby," the dramatic, wartime video appropriately amplifies the lyrics (and Donna looks great!) The two latter '80's videos give a good impression of where music videos were at in 1989. "Love's About to Change My Heart" is, in my opinion, Donna' s best video. She looks joyful and very naturally beautiful. It's the least staged and least directed-looking of the videos on this disc, which is why it stands out for me. Rarely does Donna show off her dance moves in music videos so it's a treat to see her shake it down and have fun. Unlike music videos today, it focuses just on Donna, with no cheesy storyline, dramatic vignettes, or disorienting camera work. It's simply beautiful (and it sounds great with the remastered audio track).So, yes it's only five songs, but there's a lot to sink your teeth into. I do wish that Universal would release a more comprehensive collection of Donna' s videos and perfomances. "Woman In Me" depicts Donna being very sensual without being overtly sexual - it's sublime. "Love is in Control" is plesantly playful. These two videos were not inlcuded on the "Endless Summer" compilation, which is a shame, but hopefully Universal will plan to release them on a future collection, not to mention Donna's classic perfomances from the '70's and her 1980 television special. There IS a maket for this material!For now, though, this very affordable collection will do. In short- the videos look great on DVD, the audio is excellent, and it's a window to how music videos evolved in the '80's. The packaging is streamlined and illustrated in a similar fashion to the CD versions of Universal's Millennium Collection.Buy it!"

Donna a real video star

tom | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 06/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation may only have five videos and is very short, but if you're a Donna Summer fan like me, you will undoubtedly enjoy this budget-priced compilation.What is very striking about this compilation is how well Donna made the transition from disco/radio phenomenon to video star. Many stars in the '70s had to adjust to becoming video stars, and some made that transition better than others. It helps, of course, that Donna is a beautiful woman, but her ability to emote well for the camera suggests that she should perhaps pursue more acting. She's strong and independent in "She Works Hard For the Money"; makes a striking transition from frumpty headmaster into sexy teacher in "Unconditional Love" and convincingly plays a war bride in "There Goes My Baby".As a reviewer remarked earlier, "This Time I Know It's For Real" and "Love's About To Change My Heart" really show Donna in a fresh light. She looks stunning in these videos, playing up the "dance goddess" image without being sleazy or made-up. She looks the most relaxed ever at this point in her career, even dancing freely for the camera, and sadly after this point, Donna would pretty much make sporadic public and chart appearances.It's a great little video to play at parties or if you just want to see Donna in her '80s heyday."