After popping in Disc 1, the atmosphere sort of mingles itself into your living room (or where ever). After clicking to Play Set (because I guarantee you will not skip anything anytime you watch this), the opening chords start as an initiation, and the opening drums to "100 Years" starts. I _hated_ the original recording of the Pornography album, however I loved the songs anytime I heard them live. This is no different. Everything is amazing, and the drums on "The Hanging Garden", "The Figurehead", and "Pornography" really drive this first set. The song "Cold" is probably the most depressing moment of this entire DVD.

After this, Smith and Company walk offstage, saying they will be back in "7 years" (the time between Pornography and Disintegration). The haunting angelic chimes to Plainsong start afterwards, and the lightshow starts to become absolutely fantastic to watch, it truly complements this show well. Highlights include "Lullaby", "Fascination Street", and of course, my favorite song off of Disintegration, the title track. "Untitled" is breathtaking.

Immediately pop in Disc 2 to see Bloodflowers. This is where all the band truly shines. "Where the Birds Always Sing" is an extraordinary performance, as well as "There Is No If...". Words cannot describe this set. It comes to a close with "Bloodflowers", and the encore of "The Kiss" BLEW ME AWAY. It is also one of my top 3 favorite Cure songs, so that was a true treat.

There is an interview and some bonus stuff, but that is simply incidental considering how great the entire concert is. I only wish I could have seen it live, but this DVD really does make you feel as if you were there. *claps*. 5 Stars.


the cure trilogy: absolutely phenomenal   June 10, 2003
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The Cure "Trilogy" live in Berlin is an unprecedented document of one of the most prolific and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music.

"Trilogy" captures The Cure's performance of their landmark albums Pornography, Disintegration, and Bloodflowers, in their entirety. For those who are familiar with commercially-released Cure videos, "Trilogy" is comparably the epitome of The Cure's sheer genius. A brilliant light show, outstanding cinematography, and unparalleled sound quality effectively convey the melancholy and chaotic vision of Robert Smith as never before. The Cure's performance is alternately intense and subdued: Robert's vocals are consistently stunning, while subtle variations in musical arrangements breathe new life into familiar songs, rendering every performance superior to the album version while maintaining the essence of the original. Perry Bamonte's guitar work is particularly tasteful during the Bloodflowers set, while Simon Gallup's bass provides possibly the only semblance of cohesion during the near-schizophrenic Pornography set. Jason and Roger are once again acutely proficient at drums and keyboards, repsectively.

Highlights of the Pornography set include unbelievable renditions of "A Short Term Effect," "The Figurehead," and "Cold." The Disintegration set is simply mind-blowing. Note the return of the original synth to "Pictures of You," as well as haunting versions of "Last Dance" and "Distintegration."
"Fascination Street" and "Prayers for Rain" have never sounded better. Bloodflowers songs are even more concise and emotional than Dream Tour performances: standouts include "Watching Me Fall," "The Last Day of Summer," and a surprisingly improved "39."

The inclusion of encore "The Kiss" is a wonderful asset to the set and a fitting end to the DVD. Even long-established Cure fans will be shocked by the intensity of "The Kiss;" I have heard many, many live versions and this one...WOW. Worth the price of the DVD for this performance alone.

The Cure "Trilogy" DVD is a phenomenal testament to art-in-progress. The performance is timeless and classic, yet strangely contemporary. This DVD is a mere facet of The Cure's extensive catalog of music and is representative of Robert Smith's most ethereal, introspective work...casual fans would benefit from becoming familiar with less-demanding albums before watching "Trilogy" from start to finish (Cure Show might be a good place to start as far as concert footage.) "Trilogy" is a brilliant, unparalleled perforance...The Cure are successful in making three inherently dark albums sound, well...a whole lot darker. 10 stars.


Very Good   June 12, 2003
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Your response to this DVD will depend almost entirely on your previous feelings about the Cure, particularly the 'dark' albums - Pornography, Disintegration, and Bloodflowers. These discs document a one-off performance of this 'Trilogy' (a post facto descriptor; I don't believe Smith had a trilogy in mind when he recorded Pornography) in its entirety, in chronological order.

That said, the performances and musicianship are top-notch, the camera work is good, and the stage set and lighting are, well, non-distracting, I suppose. Disintegration and Bloodflowers sound very much as they do on the original releases, with a bit of speed and energy added as a function of live performance. The Pornography set, however, is a real revelation - driven, aggressive versions of a well-written song cycle that was abjectly performed and produced on the original studio release.

If you like early Cure, but have grown aurally discriminating enough to cringe at the stodgy production of their earlier work, this disc will open your ears to the truly excellent songcraft buried in the mix, particularly on Pornography. I believe this will become the 'definitive' version of Pornography, finally performed and recorded in the manner its creators intended.

The extras are fine, but for the die-hard fan only, I suppose. I could only watch so much interview footage featuring the various band members mumbling about the performance. Robert Smith is kind of articulate and funny in certain spots, though. 3.5 stars.


Simply Elegant!   June 17, 2003
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

I was waiting for a long time for a live The Cure DVD, and I used to thought that maybe someday the "Show" or "In Orange" concerts will be remastered in this format. But, to my surprise, these guys released something that I never expected to see in my life: the ...-Disintegration-Bloodflowers albums recorded live in an awesome 2 DVD set filmed in Berlin in late 2002.

The picture quality is perfect, great shots, excellent audio and incredible performances in all of the three sets. My favorite one is definitely the "Bloodflowers" set in which the guys really gave them selfs on stage. Of course the "..." and "Disintegration" sets are also brilliant, but the "Bloodflowers" set is simply outstanding.....just give a try to "Watching me Fall" or the opening "Out of this world" to understand what I mean.

It is so exciting to see Perry Bamonte now as the lead melodic guitar player of the band, I remember when Porl Thompson used to teach him to play "Never enough" in the "Play out" VHS..... but now Perry is taking all the job on his own in such a way that you can't even notice the abscence of Porl.

It is also a great job the one of Jason in the drums, specially by playing all those parts that Boris used to play for the "Disintegration" album......and Roger is definetely "the man" playing keyboards for the band. Simon's bass playing stills being the heart of the band, and of course, Robert Smith stills being the band itself.

I was so happy to notice that there were mexican flags in the first rows of the show!!!....

I wish so badly to see The Cure performing live. I've been waiting 100 years for it!
Please come to Mexico City!! There are THOUSANDS of cure fans waiting for you since the Monterrey show!!

In summary, this is a must have DVD set for all those Cure fans or music passionates......it's SIMPLY ELEGANT!