Disco de Patsy Cline: “Sweet Dreams Still: The Anthology”

"Sweet Dreams Still" Review

Finally the Patsy Cline DVD the fans have asked for, full video performances uninterrupted! This is a video anthology of her work from 1955 to 1963. The big hits are here with some lesser-known performances as well. Nashville Music Historian, Robert Oreman, host the video giving insight and history into each performance.

A condensed version of this has appeared nationwide for PBS Fundraisers in 2005. Hallway Production put this together with Patsy's widower, Charlie Dick as consultant. This group has put together 2 outstanding video bios on Patsy and other country legends. So we can count on a quality project from this group.

The video starts with her first release, "A Church, A Courtroom and Goodbye" from a Grand Ole Show in 1955. It's wonderful to see this new star being introduced by Opry Legends, Little Jimmy Dickens and Ernest Tubb. As we watch other performances such as her first hit "Walkin After Midnight" we notice the confidence she gains in herself. We also notice the heartbreak she breathes into such classics as "Crazy" and "She's Got You." One of the most touching moments are her performances of "I Fall To Pieces" and "San Antonio Rose", taped days before her untimely death. Some may notice she is not quit up to par, but she was sick with a bad cold or the flu at the time of the taping. The show must go on and she comes through with the "fly-a-nest of colors".

The extras performances are what the fans will clamor for. A cast performance of "I Saw the Light" that includes June Carter Cash and Guy Mitchell is a rare treat. One of the first true video is her lip-synching "3 Cigarettes in the Ashtray". Kd lang must have seen this as she did a similar version on Carson's Late Night. The camera angles on "Come On In" are much like "I Love Lucy", they capture the audience and we see the side of Patsy at the same time. Oh, and the arm movements are very much like what Patsy did in her live performances according to her friend Anne Armstrong.

The video concludes with an interview with Charlie Dick and current family photos.

I love Patsy. I bought two documentaries the same day, one was this, the anthology, the other was The Real Patsy Cline. I watch the movie Sweet Dreams with Jessica Lange over and over and always wondered what Charlie Dick was really like and what happended to him and the children. The Real Patsy Cline DVD has more of this. The Anthology DVD is more live video of Patsy. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the other one. It depends on what you are looking for. Interviews with family members, get The Real Patsy Cline, if you want live video of Patsy back in "the day", get the anthology. Hope this helps.

Love it! I've watched this video fives times, and each time I walked away with a little something different--whether it was her unique way of phrasing or how she walked. I think Oermann's narration helps to make the video memorable. For instance, when he says, You hang on every word of the performance, I find myself hanging on. I'm glad that this video does not dwell on her death. Her death is too sad, and I want to enjoy what she has left. This video gives you full-length performances of her singing her earlier songs as well as some of her most popular ballads. She rocks! If I have any criticism of the video, it is that it is too short. I would have loved to have seen her American Bandstand performance, for instance.

I WANT EVERY PERSON WHO IS THINKING ABOUT POSSIBLY BUYING' THIS DVD, TO LISTEN TO THESE THREE WORDS: A MUST HAVE! I WAS IN WINCHESTER FOR THE PATSY CLINE LABOR DAY WEEKEND. PATSY CLINE'S HUSBAND, CHARLIE DICK BROUGHT TWO COPIES OF THE DVD FOR THE SILENT AUCTION. SOME OF US LOOKED ON IN THE HOTEL WITH THE WINNER'S COPY. EVERYTIME YOU HEAR PATSY'S TONE AND PERFECT EMOTIONS, YOU JUST MELT. THIS DVD OFFERS PATSY IN "FULL RUNNING VIDEO'S". NO OVER DUBBING OF FOLKS SPEAKING ABOUT HER. SO WHAT YOU GET IS A CONCERT LIKE SETTING OF PATSY THROUGH THE YEARS. I WILL SAY THAT THE EXTRA BONUS CLIPS ARE JUST AS EXCITING AS THE FULL RUN SONGS. THERE IS ONE CLIP, WHERE IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE ON STAGE WITH HER. ANYONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE A REAL PATSY CLINE FAN MUST BUY THIS FOR THEIR COLLECTIONS. IT IS REALLY GREAT TO SEE HER IN ACTION. YOU NOW HAVE A PLATFORM TO SEE IN YOUR MIND NEXT TIME SHE COMES ON THE RADIO. A FAN, SEAN

This documentary on the fabulous Country Singer, Patsy Cline, shows the depth and talent of an artist whose too short career shows what the world lost because of her un-timely death.

This is a must for all Patsy Cline fans. It shows her first appearances on the Country Music scene and compiles rarely seen footage of Ms. Cline's stellar performances. I'll watch it again and again.