FOOTAGE of Michael Jackson rehearsing for his comeback concerts until his June 25 death put an end to it, offers a glimpse of the creative genius that was the King of Pop.
The documentary This Is It, which premiered simultaneously in 99 countries on October 28, is an emotional journey containing footage that was originally meant only for Jackson’s personal library.
Highly charged, spectacular and heartbreaking, the doco depicts a creative, humble, polite, gentle man.
A perfectionist at the top of his game, Jackson’s is determined to get the details right.
Performing The Way You Make Me Feel, he tells his band to ``feel’’ the music and a keyboardist to ``let it simmer’’and make it sound ``like you’re dragging yourself out of bed’’.
When he wants to do a dance move or song again, he is heard saying, ``That’s why we rehearse’’.
Jackson gives Adelaide-born guitarist Orianthi Panagaris her moment during her Black or White solo, telling her it was her time to ``shine’’.
He is always softly spoken, constantly telling others, ``God bless you’’, and he uses the word ``love’’ a lot.
At the time of his death some reports said Jackson had anorexia. Yes, he was thin, but he did not look sick and he was keeping up with dancers half his age.
This arguably would have been one of his greatest concerts. The special effects he was planning were incredible a 3D version of Thriller, pyrotechnics and a cherry picker taking him to soaring heights.
A funny moment comes when concert director and director of the documentary Kenny Ortega asks Jackson to test out the cherry picker at a low level and without music. Jackson, in Peter Pan-style, wants to go high straight away.
It’s heartbreaking to see his dancers, musicians and behind the scenes crew talk so highly (sometimes in tears) of Jackson while the documentary audiences know what happens at the end.
``This will be it,” Jackson tells the screaming crowd when he announced his concerts back in March.
``This is it and when I say this is it, it really means this is it.
``I’ll be performing the songs my fans want to hear. This is it. This is really it. This is the final curtain call.”
How right he was.
This Is It is a bittersweet ending to the tour that never was and offers insight to a man who apparently was so misunderstood.
