Search - Jewel - A Life Uncommon on DVD

Think twice before buying it

James F Jacobs Jr | Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/14/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Being a fan of Jewel and watching a few of her performances, I was pretty excited when I found out she had a DVD available. That is , until I viewed it! It is a phenomenal story- a girl who sings in a coffee house where she is a waitress becomes a rockstar- but man oh man, this DVD ended up like a trip to the dentist. Thank goodness Jewel has talent because the producers of this DVD do not. Why in the world do I want to hear in depth interviews about how "great" jewel is from her 2 brothers, mother, and hear how talented she is from her "agent"...Everytime she gets into a song you want to hear, her agent/mgr/relative is talking about what a great person she is, etc....Jewel is known for her songwriting- I'd much rather see the inspirational process, and how she writes and why she wrote certain songs rather than hear jibberish from her PR crew....Save your $20- don't buy this DVD because you'll feel cheated..Jewel if you're reading this, maybe the next bet is just some videos/in concert performances with vignettes on how you wrote the songs and their meanings."

Lacking something

S.R.W. Phillips | Lexington, Kentucky USA | 06/16/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"What is this video lacking? Interviews with the girl herself, Jewel Kilcher!The video is semi-interesting, talking about Jewel's background and such, but it is obvious that it was produced by Jewel's mother, considering she is the one who seems to have the most interview time. The song "Little Bird," which she sang as the extra track on Jewel's CD "Spirit" (with harmonies by Jewel) opens the video. This just seems a little ego-trippy to me.Time is spent talking to Jewel's two brothers, but they really don't have a whole lot to contribute. The basic idea seems to be, "Yeah, we were forced to practice yodeling when we were kids and I lived in Alaska so I was just amazed when I reconnected with American popular culture and realized my sister was a rock star." There is also a "What was THAT?" moment where one of Jewel's brothers bribes a little boy (presumably, Jewel's nephew) to be quiet so they can give their interviews. Why was this included? Only Lenedra (Jewel's mom, if you didn't know her name) knows. Maybe she just thinks her grandson is so gosh darn cute that we just had to see him in one context or another.Only four live performances are included--"Barcelona" and "Deep Water" from Jewel's "Spirit" CD, "Love Me Just Leave Me Alone" from "This Way" (although a much different version), and "Down," which remains unreleased. There are also bits and pieces of some earlier live performances of Jewel; unfortunately, these are superseded by someone talking over the footage. The high points of the video are definitely the two moments where Jewel explains the difference between Swiss and German yodeling, then makes up a cowboy yodeling song on the spot, and the time when she is figuring out a song and has a "Eureka!" moment. Unfortunately, these are the only two times that Jewel is interacting with the camera at all.If you want to hear Jewel's stories and some background for songs, see her live. We can only hope that, although her image has changed, the power of her life performances has not."

Disappointed.

S.R.W. Phillips | 12/08/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Hello Jewel fans. Fact: I am a huge fan of Jewel's music, everything included, guitar, voice, imagery. I listen to Jewel to take the edge off a stressful day.
Opinion: I think the makers of the DVD achieved what they set out to do, present Jewel's semi-private life to the fans.
More Opinion: I was looking for pristine performances of her best songs, and I think this DVD came up way short. Don't buy this DVD if you are looking for a video version of the CD. I was, and it was a bad purchase for me. Fair Warning."

Jewel : A Life Uncommon

Angela | Ohio, USA | 12/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Jewel's first home video and it is a GOOD one. The video is a lot of fun to watch. You get a lot of behind the scenes footage. There is old and new songs,you see her past and present. You see her driving in her car and she 'teaches' you to yodel,you see her in a hotel room trying to finish writing a song, you see her on stage being ignored,you see 4 live peformances from a recent benifit concert. This is a very well done piece and you see sides of Jewel you usually won't see. So if your a fan of Jewel or know someone who is this is a must have ! You'll soon see what I mean :-)"