Grammy Bruce Springsteen presents a variety of documentaries based on his bestselling autobiography all over the world, which his audience is surprised by. 'Springsteen on Broadway' is a unique evening with Bruce, who offers a powerful musical series through guitar, piano, and personal stories that seem more attractive and realistic.
Like many of the all-time great concert films, Springsteen On Broadway is no substitute for being in the room, but it's power transcends any perceived limitations.
The approach conjures a compelling intimacy as the musician takes a trip back through his life, reflecting on his childhood, the very different personalities of his parents, and the effects his hard-drinking father had on his development.
A master class in pacing, dynamics, modulation of volume and tone, and the film brings you right up onstage with Springsteen, giving you a more intimate view of his technique - understated, seemingly casual but absolutely controlled.
However, it is Springsteen the raconteur - in a more rueful and reflective mode than his usual brand of stage banter - that is the principal focus of the Tony Award-winning show.
Springsteen's attempts to conjure up a spell, while they probably worked on the stage, are constantly shattered by Thom Zimny's cuts and disengaged zooms.
Granted, those kind of accolades [EGOT] might sound like a lot to ask of one guy, standing alone on stage, armed only with a few musical instruments and an unabated passion for rock. But fortunately, he's that good.
Springsteen on Broadway nicely showcases Bruuuuuuuce's artistry and deconstructs his self-created mythology even as it ultimately doesn't reveal as much about the man's own flaws and fears as it appears to in the moment.
An absorbing viewing experience, one that comes with the warm, accumulating feeling that while under Bruce Springsteen's tutelage, everything makes sense.
