THE PLOT THUS FAR
Marvin Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – Aug. 6, 2012) earned four Grammys, four Emmys, three Oscars, three Golden Globes, a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize before his untimely death. Hit after hit The Way We Were, Nobody Does It Better and scores for The Sting, Sophie’s Choice and the Broadway juggernaut A Chorus Line made him the go-to composer and performer for film, Broadway, every U.S. President since Reagan, and concert halls worldwide. With exclusive access to Hamlisch’s personal archival treasure trove and complete cooperation from his family, this film explores his prolific life and career.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“What He Did for Love” is a love letter to everything that Marvin Hamlisch ever did in life. One of the few EGOT winners, my wife says he’s best known for fucking up the score to “The Spy Who Loved Me”. I’m sorry about including that, but I lost a bet last night and here we are. The documentary is pretty straightforward with a lot of time spent on “The Sting”, “The Way We Were” and “A Chorus Line”. That’s great and all, but the guy was so much more than that. He also fucked up the score for “The Spy Who Loved Me”. My wife made me emphasize that point, as she’s pregnant and I should feel bad for making her watch a documentary.
The amount of talking heads that pour out praise for Hamlisch is amazing. The one that mattered to me was Joe Torre. I love finding fans of musical theater in unexpected places. That being said, the rest of the material was a mix of talking heads that worked with Hamlisch and a few that worshipped him as a Modern God. There are loving memories and the usual claptrap that comes alongside this.
The DVD comes with bonus footage, featurette and a trailer as the special features. The A/V Quality is strong with a supportive transfer and a Dolby audio track. The Dolby track doesn’t get much back channel action. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans of the musical theater.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!