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Close to You - Remembering the Carpenters

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When Karen Carpenter died on February 4, 1983 at the age of 32, more than one generation mourned. Karen and her brother, Richard, had achieved monumental success as purveyors of soft-rock soulfulness, aided by their wholesome, wistful looks. After all, these were the hard-rocking, disco-throbbing '70s, yet with classics like "Close to You," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "We've Only Just Begun," the pair blurred the lines of musical class. But no one knew--or at least talked about--Karen's debilitating bouts of bulimia and ongoing battle against the ravaging effects of anorexia. Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters is more a gracious memento than a documentary and presents a rather biased view, heavily influenced by Richard's opinion and commentary. Beginning with the duo's early major success, winning a Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl, it's a quick trip through the salad years including the first record deal with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. Alpert calls his initial listen to the Carpenters' demo tape "love at first hear." That appears to be true for everyone who came into contact with them, as band members, songwriters Burt Bacharach and Paul Williams, and singer Petula Clark readily testify. The hits and the TV specials are reviewed, too, but something feels missing from this glimpse, which barely scratches the surface. It's obvious to anyone watching the film that Karen, who really wanted to be known as a drummer who sang, not the other way around, was in immense pain and terribly conflicted. Yet by the final credits, we know little more about her than we did before. She remains an enigma and this peek at her life--and Richard's--feels too protective of her memory to tell the whole truth. --Paula Nechak

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(5 stars) - Remembering the Carpenters

A great gift for the Baby Boomers age group. Well scripted and touching movie.

(5 stars) - an absolute must for any carpenters fan!
i've always loved karen carpenter with all my heart and if you share anywhere near this sentiment, this dvd is a must have. it's a journey through their whole career with the man that knew her best, her brother richard. even though i have always partially blamed him for karens' early tragic passing (he should have paid more attention), it is sadly obvious by watching this that he loved her deeply. there is so much great karen to see here, including a historic duet with ella fitzgerald, that any real fan will be brought to tears. hey, sometimes that's a good thing.

(5 stars) - It Was A Better World While She Was In It...
Great documentary on the Carpenters. It contains stuff I didn't even know. Back in 1982 I worked for the law firm which represented the Carpenters and Karen would come in from time to time. It truely was a thrill just to hold a script of their T.V. special in my hands. She's gone now but she left us with so many great songs and performances. Their great success was due to 3 things: Karen's GREAT voice, Richard being a brilliant musician, and Richard's ability to know a good song when he heard it. I followed their career from the begining and never in a million years thought I'd work at a firm that would be their attys. Anyway if you love the Carpenters, you can't help but love this DVD.

(5 stars) - close to you
when i got this movie i thought it was the tv version movie but it was good

(5 stars) - Wonderful
I can't even think of how many times I have watched this wonderful rememberance of Karen Carpenter and the career with Richard. It is moving to say the least. If your a true fan you must have this. You will watch it over and over. Karen is an inspiration to me in more ways than one. Her voice has never been matched and never will be in my opinion.
This has wonderful clips of many things they have done together as well as their battles. Many of the reviews have told pretty much everything but this is my 2 cents.
Karen...your voice lives on forever in our hearts...we miss you.

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Close to You - Remembering the Carpenters

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