Full Circle--The Life & Music of Dusty Springfield (1997)

Veteran British singer Dusty Springfield was all but forgotten when inclusion in Quentin Tarantino's savvy '60s soundscape to Pulp Fiction and a high-profile cameo on a Pet Shop Boys single helped resuscitate critical acclaim for her soulful yet velvety delivery. This affable '90s British documentary offers a broad view of the oddly self-effacing yet emotive stylist's career, and it's instructive viewing in the poignant aftermath of Springfield's March 1999 death from breast cancer, on the eve of prestigious British and American honors (an MBE and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, respectively).

American fans remember her primarily through a modest but indelible string of blue-eyed-soul singles from the mid-'60s, and from the brief but stunning late-decade "comeback" of Dusty in Memphis, still a hallowed soul album. But Full Circle regards the once and future Mary O'Brian from a homeland perspective, tracing her often eclectic path from her earliest home tape recordings through the earnest, rough-hewn pop folk of the Springfields (source of her stage name) and into the swinging '60s. Springfield's infatuation with Brill Building pop and epochal Motown soul shaped those early solo hits and led her to material from Carole King and, more crucially, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

A bumper crop of vintage British television clips from her appearances on her own shows will offer retro-surfers a delirious array of wigs, eyelashes, and couture that may be cause enough for viewing. Yet Springfield's vocal poise and superb taste in songs is borne out on a more serious level by interviews with Martha Reeves (for whom she was an honorary Vandella, and whose best early Motown sides are triumphantly covered in vintage Springfield clips), Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello, Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant, and producer Jerry Wexler.

Giving the hour-long documentary an irreverent spin are interviewers Jennifer Saunders (of Absolutely Fabulous) and Dawn French, who lampoon celebrity worship and reverent pop biographies. Music fans should be forewarned that the bulk of performances are from live television performances, suffering the lo-fi limitations of their source in old British air checks. But Dusty herself emerges as a winning, clear-eyed presence, making this a worthy valedictory. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com

I miss Dusty!

I miss Dusty Springfield. I bought the VHS version of this interview with the wonderful Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the hosts of a Full Circle. There were some interesting clips from Dusty's musical career. They shyed away from her sexual orientation which was a good thing because Dusty was part of this show and it had really nothing to do with her musical career. She should have been treated better even after her death. Dusty was too shy to talk about her personal life but she wasn't shy to talk about her music, fame, and pitfalls of being sucessful. This program was never meant to do anything to tarnish her wonderful image as one of Britain's greatest female singers. Even now, we miss her still. I'm grateful to the Pet Shop Boys for bringing her back in the 1980s. This video is a must for Dusty fans whether vhs or dvd. It doesn't matter. October 18, 2006

Dusty at Her Best

This interview started out as a French & Saunders comedy piece as Dusty could be a hard interview. Instead, Dusty talked well and a lot. It is very clear and has a lot of music and archival stuff. If you like Dusty, make sure you get this one. Excellent. BTW, after Dusty started opening up, French & Saunders got out of the way and let her talk. Rare find. November 1, 2005

The wry humor balances the dynamic performance clips

I saw this originally on Bravo. I immediately went out and bought Dusty in Memphis and have purchased so many more CDs since.

This video takes on an unenviable task... to put within a one hour timeframe the full and expansive life of a major artist. Volumes of tapes and clips and sound bites exist, and I pity the person who had to make the choices.

Having read more about Ms. Springfield since, I understand that she was a reluctant interviewee, and that she actually agreed to this one because it also would send-up the celebrity interview format she found so pretentious. Yes, it would have been nice just to see the performance clips, one after another, but watching Dusty interact with French and Saunders, being human, knowing that the laugh was really on all those "Barbara Walter" wannabes... well, that is worth the price of the video to me.

I highly recommend this video as an introduction to Ms. Springfield as a musical artist, but also as a portrait of the wry, intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive woman she was. And I hope it's on DVD very soon. May 11, 2004

Missed chance to honor a Diva

This video misses a chance to pay tribute to Dusty Springfield. Instead of giving us a substantative view of her famous songs and talent over her golden years, it squandered the opportunity by including a silly cameo by 2 even-sillier UK girls who "interviewed" Dusty for the occasion, making fun of her trademark beehive hairdo and heavy eye makeup.

Consider this video a disparate collage of Dusty's songs put together hastely to get money out of us. Not a single full song but bits and pieces everywhere. A disgrace to a famous Diva. Save your $ to buy Dusty's CD. March 4, 2004

Full Circle; the good news and the bad news...

The good news is that we get to see and hear Dusty on video, and since there is VERY LITTLE if anything else of Dusty Springfield available on video, it makes this a five star production by "default"! The other good news is that the actual footage of Dusty performing is incredible. The real show stopper and very best news however, is the black and white clip of Dusty, the Grand Diva of all time singing the greatest pop ballad of all time. Yes, here she is folks, in her prime and at her best, live in concert, blonde curls up, frilly blouse and eye shadow on doing "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me". If this doesn't take your breath away then you're already dead!

The bad news is that whoever directed and edited this thing should be shot. It is the biggest waste of precious time ever recorded. The use of the suposed-to-be-funny-by-being-irreverent interviewers is sooo tacky and just takes up irreplacable seconds that could have been spent watching her perform or be interviewed intelligently. And why would anyone in their right mind cut the concert clip short? The biggest disappointment, however, is the sad but obvious realization that Dusty was apparently insecure enough to think she needed (or allowed herself to be talked into having) the two bimbos there in the first place. In her manner it comes across painfully clear that she really didn't know or could not accept just how great she was. December 9, 2003

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