Search - The Five Heartbeats on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Profanity Movie Release: 1991 DVD Release: 01/22/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 2 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Drama, Musical Drama, Showbiz Drama, Family Drama, Film a Clef See Also: The Five Heartbeats [15th Anniversary] [Fullscreen], The Five Heartbeats [15th Anniversary] [Widescreen]

Loosely based on the life and times of several R&B artists (The Dells, The Temptations, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke and others) The Five Heartbeats traces the rise and fall of a popular African-American 1950s singing aggregation. The story is told from the point of view of one of the "Heartbeats," played by Robert Townsend (who also co-produced, directed and co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Waynans). The film is an amalgam of anecdotes drawn from real-life experiences: the long struggle upward, the first rush of success, the dishonest record-company executives, the hard-nosed but nurturing managers, the sex, the drugs, the isolation and the precipitous downward slide. The film begins and ends in the 1990s, as the middle-aged "Duck" (Townsend) ruminates on the past and makes the best of the present. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert Townsend - Duck
Michael Wright - Eddie
Leon - J.T.
Harry J. Lennix - Dresser
Tico Wells - Choirboy

Robert Townsend's musical drama The Five Heartbeats comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 4.0 and Dolby Digital Surround. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a making-of featurette, trailers, television promotional spots, and a profile of the director. This is a solid if unspectacular release from 20th Century Fox that will please fans of the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide