The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

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The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (HBO Film).png
Official Title Poster
Directed by
Written byMark Monroe
Produced by
StarringThe Bee Gees
Cinematography
  • Ariel Grandoli
  • Michael Dwyer
Edited by
  • Derek Boonstra
  • Robert A. Martinez
Music by
  • The Bee Gees
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • December 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)(United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand)
  • December 12, 2020 (2020-12-12)(United States)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$283,826 [1]

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a 2020 American documentary film, directed by Frank Marshall. It follows the life and career of the Bee Gees.

Contents

The film had a limited theatrical release in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand on December 3, 2020 [2] [3] with its worldwide release on December 12, 2020, through HBO Max. It received positive reviews and has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. [4]

Synopsis

The film follows the life and career of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, the Bee Gees. It includes interviews with Barry, alongside archival interviews with Robin and Maurice, plus new interviews with Vince Melouney (former Bee Gees' guitarist during the mid-to-late 1960s) and former touring members Alan Kendall and Blue Weaver. It also features interviews with other musicians and individuals in the Bee Gees' orbit, including Lulu, Yvonne Gibb, and archival interviews with the Bee Gees' younger brother Andy Gibb.

Other musicians and individuals (outside of the Bee Gees' orbit) interviewed include Justin Timberlake, Noel Gallagher, Nick Jonas, Chris Martin, Eric Clapton, Mark Ronson, and Bill Oakes. [5]

Production

The film is directed by Emmy-nominated director Frank Marshall, and written by Mark Monroe, with Barry Gibb participating for interviews with HBO for the documentary. [6]

Release

The film was given a limited theatrical release by Universal Pictures in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand on December 3, 2020 [7] [8] with a release worldwide on HBO Max on December 12, 2020, in association with Polygram Entertainment. [9] [10]

The film was first released on DVD, digital and Blu-ray disc in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures on December 14, 2020. [11] Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released it on disc in the United States on November 16, 2021 with two deleted Scenes - Meeting the Bee Gees and Bands of Brothers. [12]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 52 critics and assessed 52 as positive and 2 as negative for a 96% rating. Among the reviews, it determined an average rating of 7.7/10. The critics consensus reads "Blessed with the Bee Gees' discography and director Frank Marshall's concise thesis, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a poignant documentary that persuasively argues the trio's importance in music history." [13]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2021
American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Documentary (Non-Theatrical) Derek Boonstra and Robert A. MartinezNominated [14]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary Gary A. Rizzo and Jeff KingWon [15]
Golden Reel Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature DocumentaryJonathan Greber and Pascal GarneauNominated [16]
Philadelphia Film Festival Best Documentary (Audience Award) Frank Marshall Won [17]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special David Blackman, Nicholas Ferrall, Jody Gerson, Jeanne Elfant Festa,
Mark Monroe, Frank Marshall and Aly Parker
Nominated [18]
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Frank MarshallNominated
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Programming Mark MonroeNominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming Derek Boonstra and Robert A. MartinezNominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Jonathan Greber and Pascal GarneauWon
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Gary A. Rizzo, Jeff King and John RampeyNominated

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee Gees</span> Music group (1958–2012)

The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid-to-late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Gibb</span> British-American musician (born 1946)

Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger twin brothers, Robin and Maurice, he rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Gibb is well known for his wide vocal range including a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.

<i>Trafalgar</i> (album) 1971 studio album by the Bee Gees

Trafalgar is a 1971 album by the Bee Gees. It was their ninth album, and was released in September 1971 in the US, and November 1971 in the UK. The album was a moderate hit in the United States, and peaked at No. 34. The lead single "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" was the first Bee Gees' No. 1 single in the United States but failed to chart in Britain as did the album. It is Geoff Bridgford's only full-length appearance on a Bee Gees album as an official member.

<i>One Night Only</i> (Bee Gees album) Live album by the Bee Gees

One Night Only is a live album and DVD/Blu-ray by the Bee Gees. It features the group's concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 1997 and includes many of their greatest hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Melouney</span> Australian musician (born 1945)

Vincent Melouney is an Australian musician. He is best known as an official member of the Bee Gees from 1967 to 1969 during the group's initial period of worldwide success.

<i>Their Greatest Hits: The Record</i> 2001 compilation album by the Bee Gees

Their Greatest Hits: The Record is the career retrospective greatest hits album by the Bee Gees, released on UTV Records and Polydor in November 2001 as HDCD. The album includes 40 tracks spanning over 35 years of music. Four of the songs were new recordings of classic Gibb compositions originally recorded by other artists, including "Emotion", "Heartbreaker", "Islands in the Stream", and "Immortality". It also features the Barry Gibb duet with Barbra Streisand, "Guilty", which originally appeared on Streisand's 1980 album of the same name. It is currently out of print and has been supplanted by another compilation, The Ultimate Bee Gees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Can You Mend a Broken Heart</span> 1971 song by Barry and Robin Gibb

"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in Cashbox magazine for two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonely Days</span> 1970 single by Bee Gees

"Lonely Days" is a ballad written and performed by the Bee Gees. It appeared on their album 2 Years On, and was released as a single, becoming their first Top Five hit in the US, peaking at number three in the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one in the Cashbox and Record World charts. Barry Gibb later re-recorded the song with country quartet Little Big Town for his 2021 album Greenfields.

<i>Love Songs</i> (Bee Gees album) 2005 compilation album by the Bee Gees

Love Songs is the Bee Gees' third compilation album in four years, though the first to cover a specific musical style. A proposed album of love songs was in the works around 1995 when the Bee Gees recorded their own versions of "Heartbreaker" and "Emotion", but that project was soon shelved and those recordings remained unavailable until the release of Their Greatest Hits: The Record in 2001.

<i>Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live</i> 1977 live album by the Bee Gees

Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live is the first live album by the Bee Gees. It was recorded on December 20, 1976 at the LA Forum and was released in May 1977 by RSO Records. It reached No. 8 in the US, No. 8 in Australia, No. 1 in New Zealand, and No. 2 in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself</span> 1971 single by Bee Gees

"Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" is a ballad written and sung by Barry Gibb, and released on the Bee Gees' album Trafalgar in 1971, and the second single release taken from the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My World (Bee Gees song)</span> 1972 single by Bee Gees

"My World" is a 1972 single released by the Bee Gees. It was originally released as a non-album single on 14 January 1972 worldwide. but was later included on the compilation Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2 in 1973. The flip side of the single was "On Time", a country rock number composed by Maurice Gibb. "My World" reached the Top 20 in both US and UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run to Me (Bee Gees song)</span> 1972 single by Bee Gees

"Run to Me" is a song by the Bee Gees, the lead single from the group's album To Whom It May Concern (1972). The song reached the UK Top 10 and the US Top 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)</span> 1976 single by Bee Gees

"Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees for their Main Course album in 1975. It was the third single release from the album, peaking at number 12 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and number two in Canada. According to Maurice Gibb, producer Quincy Jones called "Fanny" one of his favorite R&B songs of all time.

<i>The Ultimate Bee Gees</i> 2009 compilation album by the Bee Gees

The Ultimate Bee Gees is a compilation album released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Bee Gees. Although the group did not start recording until 1963 on Festival Records in Australia, they began calling themselves the "Bee Gees" in 1959 after several name changes such as "Wee Johnny Hayes and the Bluecats", "The Rattlesnakes" and "BG's". Each disc is themed with the first containing more upbeat songs, called A Night Out, and the second containing slower songs and ballads, called A Night In, though the cover art does not distinguish this theme. Liner notes were written by Sir Tim Rice. This also marks the return of the 1970s era logo on an official Bee Gees release, which was last used on the Bee Gees' 1983 single "Someone Belonging to Someone".

<i>Mythology</i> (Bee Gees album) 2010 compilation album by the Bee Gees and Andy Gibb

Mythology is a box set compilation of recordings by the Gibb brothers, mostly performed as the Bee Gees, arranged in a four disc set each highlighting a Gibb brother. Barry and Robin chose their own songs, with Maurice's songs selected by his widow Yvonne and Andy's songs selected by his daughter Peta. Several U.S. and U.K. hits are absent from this collection including "Lonely Days", "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", "You Should Be Dancing", "Nights on Broadway", "World" and "One".

<i>One for All Tour</i> 1991 video by Bee Gees

One for All Tour is a concert video from The Bee Gees recorded live at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne, Australia in November 1989. Melbourne was the third final stop on their 1989 One for All World Tour, which included the United States, Europe, and Asia the first time the Bee Gees played live there since their 1979 Spirits Having Flown Tour. Originally, this video was released in two volumes on VHS, each 50 minutes apiece. Volume One incorrectly listed the song "My World" from 1972 instead of the song "World" from 1967. In the DVD era, the cover was slightly changed and was released under the title The Very Best of The Bee Gees Live! in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Country Woman</span> 1971 single by Bee Gees

"Country Woman" is a song written and released by British rock band Bee Gees. It was written and performed solely by Maurice Gibb, and released as a B-side of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", which was the group's first US No. 1. The songs were released as a double A-side in Germany, France, Japan and Canada.

The Mythology Tour is the first solo tour by British rock musician and singer-songwriter Barry Gibb formerly of the Bee Gees. It took its name from the Bee Gees' box set of the same name.

Tim Roxborogh is a New Zealand media personality, travel-writer and music reviewer. He hosts a Sunday evening programme on Newstalk ZB, and writes for The New Zealand Herald.

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  1. Sexton, Paul. "10 Takeaways from The Bee Gees' 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart' Documentary". UDiscoverMusic.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.