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Directed by award-winning writer/producer David Leaf (who also wrote the Brian Wilson biography The Beach Boys & The California Myth), Beautiful Dreamer traces the 37-year saga of
Wilson’s most fabled work. Through interviews with celebrated friends, musicians, producers and peers (Sir George Martin, Elvis Costello, Roger Daltrey and film stars Rob Reiner and Jeff Bridges), the documentary explains the ambition and
inspiration behind SMiLE’s acclaimed songs, the obstacles that prevented their release and the joyous conclusion at the 2004 Royal Festival Hall debut performance of SMiLE.
BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS SMiLE: THE DVD also includes a 5.1 Surround Sound live performance of SMiLE, as well as never-before-seen interviews with its star, bonus
live footage featuring the 2004 Royal Festival Hall performance of “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” (a recent Grammy â winner for Best Rock Instrumental), plus priceless intimate footage of Wilson at the piano, playing
“Rhapsody In Blue,” “Good Vibrations,” “Heroes And Villains,” “Wonderful,” and singing “Cabin Essence.”
In addition, fans are treated to recording session footage, a photo gallery, the theatrical trailer for Beautiful Dreamer, fan and celebrity reaction filmed after the Royal Festival Hall performance, as
well as a contest-winning video for “Heroes And Villains.”
Thirty-seven years after he and lyricist Van Dyke Parks began creating SMiLE (Nonesuch Records), the album was released in 2004, giving Brian Wilson his biggest hit in nearly three
decades and garnering the pop icon widespread critical acclaim and three Grammy nominations. Featuring Wilson’s touring band of five years augmented by The Stockholm Strings and Horns, SMiLE was
dubbed a “masterpiece” by Newsweek and was saluted with the rare and coveted five-star review in Rolling Stone.
Filled with compositions that are complex and sophisticated while glorious and beautiful, SMiLE was originally intended to be the follow-up to The Beach Boys’ iconic breakthrough Pet
Sounds. It was to appear in stores in January 1967. In fact, more than 400,000 SMiLE record jackets were printed and ads were taken out in various magazines to prepare for the concept album. After Wilson began performing Pet Sounds
live in recent years, he decided to revisit SMiLE in concert at a universally hailed week of performances at the Royal Festival Hall in London in February 2004. Soon after, Wilson returned to Sunset Sound in Hollywood, where he’d
originally cut portions of SMiLE, to create the definitive studio recording.
The DVD set documents Wilson’s reunion with Van Dyke Parks, and even finds the lyricist interviewing the musical legend. The DVD’s documentary component was immediately lauded after it debuted on
Showtime last year as Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson And The Story of SMiLE. It tells the story of how a boy from Southern California who dreamed of becoming a major league baseball player instead became one of rock music’s greatest
visionaries.
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