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 date
  • December 12, 2020 (2020-12-12)
Running time
111 minutes
Country
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$283,826 [1]

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is an 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]

Reception

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." [11]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2021
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Documentary (Non-Theatrical) Derek Boonstra and Robert A. MartinezNominated [12]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary Gary A. Rizzo and Jeff KingWon [13]
Golden Reel Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature DocumentaryJonathan Greber and Pascal GarneauNominated [14]
Philadelphia Film Festival Best Documentary (Audience Award) Frank Marshall Won [15]
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 [16]
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 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. Well known for his wide vocal range, Gibb's most notable trait is a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Marshall (filmmaker)</span> American film producer and director

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

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<i>Number Ones</i> (Bee Gees album) 2004 compilation album by the Bee Gees

Number Ones is a compilation album by the Bee Gees released in 2004. It includes 18 of their greatest hits and a tribute to band member Maurice Gibb, who died in 2003. It is the final Bee Gees album released by Universal Records.

<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.

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

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

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

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References

  1. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  2. ↑ "Bee Gees documentary with new Barry Gibb interview is coming to cinemas". Smooth Radio. October 29, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)". Box Office Mojo. December 3, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Television Academy.
  5. ↑ Beachum, Chris (13 July 2021). "Frank Marshall interview: 'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart'". GoldDerby. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Leishman, Rachel (22 September 2021). "'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' Documentary Coming to Blu-ray". Collider. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "Bee Gees documentary with new Barry Gibb interview is coming to cinemas". Smooth Radio. October 29, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)". Box Office Mojo. December 3, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Metacritic . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  12. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (April 17, 2021). "ACE Eddie Awards: 'Trial Of The Chicago 7', 'Palm Springs', 'Soul' Top Film Winners; 'Ted Lasso', 'Queen's Gambit' Score In TV – Full Winners List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  13. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (April 17, 2021). "'Sound of Metal' Tops CAS Sound Mixing Awards". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ "2021 Golden Reel Awards Winners". MPSE.org. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  15. ↑ "29th Philadelphia Film Festival". Philadelphia Film Festival . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  16. ↑ "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  1. ↑ Sexton, Paul. "10 Takeaways from The Bee Gees' 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart' Documentary". UDiscoverMusic.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
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