Half its members may be dead and its leader may be keeping a low profile, but the Who remains enormously popular. Devotees who haven't availed themselves of Jeff Stein's thrilling, self-mocking 1979 documentary about the group shouldn't wait another minute now that the film has been painstakingly--perhaps heroically--restored to its theatrical-release length from original elements. The sound is clearer than on previous video releases, images are once more crisp and color-rich, and adjustments in tape speed make the Who sound like themselves again, particularly in vintage television performances and filmed club dates from as far back as the band's sonically thrilling, early R&B period. Special features are, shall we say, extensive: 100 or so minutes of multiple-angle footage, an insightful interview with Roger Daltrey, a featurette about the film's restoration, and a mesmerizing, isolated John Entwistle audio track. --Tom Keogh

PROGRAM - Digitally re-mastered picture in HI-DEFINITION from the original negatives. Restored to the original "Directors Cut" length of 109 minutes which was never released on home video (save the defunct RCA Selectavision discs sold in the early 80's). Intensive color correction, re-framing and dirt and scratch removal have made this new picture look as good, or better, than it did when it was released in 1979. It is also presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.1:85 making it doubly valuable to consumers.

SOUND - The sound has also been renovated and re-mixed to Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS. For the first time on DVD, original multi-track recordings were used to create a truly discrete mix for the sections of the film where they existed, specifically, Baba O'Riley, Who Are You, and Won't Get Fooled Again. These new mixes were created in London by long time Who associates Jon Astley and Andy McPherson. The rest of the film was re-mixed from existing stereo and mono sources making for the most accurate and sonically pleasing sound possible.

COMMENTARY - Director Jeff Stein, having not spoken about the film or been involved with it since its release in 1979, has provided a remarkable retelling of his time with the band while making this truly great film. Searching through millions of feet of archival material, collected at the age of 19 from all around the world, his journey from fan to filmmaker is both hilarious and emotional charged; filled with antidotes and memories never shared before.

ON SCREEN NOTES - Every chapter has a different location and date indicating when and where it was recorded. A subtitle steam, when selected, will reveal this information to the viewer. Also the title of the song is indicated. So now the world will be able to realize the song they've been calling "Teenage Wasteland" for twenty years is really called "Baba O'Riley"!

ENGLISH SUBTITLES - Figuring out the lyrics the band is singing is one thing, but deciphering what they say while screaming over each other is a whole other puzzle. With an available English subtitle stream, the linguistic nightmare is finally over. Now you'll know both. The phase, "I always wondered what he said" is now a thing of the past.