The Police: Synchronicity Concert

Although the punk-reggae-pop band The Police announced that they were taking a sabbatical after their fifth album, 1983's Synchronicity, it turned out to be their swansong. More the pity that this 18-song concert shot in Atlanta the same year, is filmed by Godley & Crème, a pair of session musicians with—unfortunately—artistic pretensions, resulting in an ineptly-filmed program that features almost as much footage of the audience as the band, and a variety of cheesy visual effects. Musically, the band—singer/bassist Sting (who went on to launch a huge solo career), gifted guitarist Andy Summers (who later released solo albums and collaborated with King Crimson's Robert Fripp), and prodigiously talented drummer/percussionist Stewart Copeland (who would compose scores for films such as Rumble Fish and Wall Street)—sounds good, offering a solid mix of cuts from all five albums, including the hits “Message in a Bottle,” “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” “King of Pain,” and the smash (if somewhat creepy) single “Every Breath You Take,” and lesser-known (though Police fan favorites) songs such as “Can't Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely” off their 1978 debut Outlandos d'Amour. DVD extras include four bonus songs presented with multi-angle capabilities (including two hits that should have been in the main program—“Roxanne” and “Don't Stand So Close to Me”), and a brief featurette with band member interviews. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo sound, this musically vibrant but disappointingly filmed effort is an optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)