Ocean's Eleven - The Documentary DVD

Released to coincide with Steven Soderbergh's classy remake, The Ocean's Eleven Story is a fascinating American television documentary that sets the original Ocean's Eleven film in its historical context. Despite the opportunistic title, the film itself only constitutes part of the story and is featured in only the briefest of clips--none of which include any dialogue. Despite this--and the rather shoddy nature of the interview footage--there is still enough excellent archive material and interesting stories to make The Ocean's Eleven Story a worthwhile proposition.... Placing the film in the context of the whole "Rat Pack" period, the documentary also looks at the role of Sinatra and company in the political rise of the Kennedy clan, the involvement of the Mafia and their heady days in Las Vegas. It also focuses on the individual lives of the five principal members--Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop--and is particularly poignant with regard to Davis, who was treated as a god on stage but with utter contempt off it. This is maybe not the greatest piece of documentary film making ever made, but with a subject this engaging it would be difficult to fail. On the DVD: Despite the quality of much of the material involved (particularly the film of the Rat Pack performing in Las Vegas), there is a rather rushed feel to the release. DVD extras are minimal, featuring merely some dated TV footage and some equally odd trailers for other films starring the five. --Phil Udell [show more]

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