John Denver: A Portrait

While relieving himself one evening on a camping trip in the mountains, John Denver's gaze wandered upwards toward the stars and he found the inspiration for the title song to his 1972 hit album Rocky Mountain High. In this DVD "video portrait," originally released on video in 1994, three years before the singer/actor's untimely death in a private plane crash, perennially boyish Denver introduces 10 music videos which span nearly a quarter century's worth of work, from the 1969 "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary) to 1990's "Raven's Child." While some of the more popular hits are absent here (notably "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Thank God, I'm a Country Boy"), fans will still enjoy this collection which includes: "Rocky Mountain High", "Calypso" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders", as well as songs which tackled environmental, social and political issues near to Denver's heart. Although only a few of the songs are straight MTV-type videos, the scrabbled-together film montages paired with the other songs are generally more interesting. In particular, Denver's collaboration with a Russian singer/songwriter, "Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For?)", is a haunting ode to pacifism, while "Raven's Child" is effectively set against the horror of the Exxon Valdez disaster. Though his final years were marred by problems with alcohol and little creative output, John Denver's legacy will surely live on through the wonderful songs he gave us during the 1970s and 1980s. The DVD version, unfortunately, adds little in the way of extras: a brief bio and the option to see the lyrics during the songs. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)