Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story |  | Director: Robert Mandel
Actors: Nick Bagnall, Karl Geary, Adam MacDonald, Esteban Powell, Orlando Seale
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $8.27
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Seller: moviemars
Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 31605
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: PARD874844D
ISBN: 1415708355
UPC: 097368748446
EAN: 9781415708354
ASIN: B0006Q93CE
Theatrical Release Date: July 18, 2001
Release Date: January 25, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 25-JAN-2005
Media Type: DVD
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 36
 Hysteria The Def Leppard Story October 8, 2009
Sherry Day (Columbia, SC)
Great movie! Def Leppard is the greatest rock band in the world and I enjoyed being able to see their story in a movie.
Great story, well done! June 2, 2009
Andrea L. Hana
This is a great film that documents the story of how Def Leppard became a band and soared to their tremendous world fame. It is a Brittish film that was previously only available on a VCD and not available in the US. We were elated that we were finally able to find it on DVD and available here. Great film for any Def Leppard fan or anyone interested in the band!
BEING RELATED TO RICHARD ALLEN......... May 30, 2009
Shirley Baker (iota, LA USA)
I need to tell you that this movie is definatly 100% accurate in portraying the history of the rise of Def Leppard to the top of the chart's! The story-line is an in-depth look at the high's and low's of THE greatest band in the history of rock and roll. The way they pull no punches and stay true to facts says alot about not only the writer's but also the band itself!! How many other band's have we seen such a personal look into the things that made them who they are today?? NONE! Most celeb's deny the ugly truth about everything from drinking to botox!!LOL. I highly reccommend this movie to everyone who has ever jammed to a Def Leppard song or those who have never heard the guys play---it will make you an instant fan!!!!
(rick is my brother-in-law, was married to my husband's sister Stacy and prefer's to be called either Richard or "THUNDERGOD"
IIf you are a Def Lepard fan, this is a MUST! April 6, 2009
Darryl Makepeace (San Diego, CA)
I originally bought this for a loved one who wishes to wait to watch it until I am able to watch it with her, so for the review, I found clips and articles about it. From what I have found thus far, this is a really good story on the band and it's members. Now, I just need to get to her to watch the entire DVD!
 A Story Like No Other April 2, 2009
Eric B. Gordon (Indianapolis, IN (USA))
Talk about a truly unusual saga! This is a re-enactment of the Def Leppard adventure, a saga that carries multiple turns of events typical among rock musicians and bands, yet made instantly distinctive by one crucial element, the story of drummer Rick Allen.
Hysteria starts off with a dramatic re-creation the automobile accident on December 31, 1984 near the British province of Sheffield in which Rick lost his left arm. He's in his Corvette with his girlfriend Miirium, tearing up the Motorway towards Sheffield, the recent Def Leppard hit "Rock of Ages" blaring on the stereo. Rick starts racing a British vehicle. Going around a swift turn, the Corvette crashes through the left-hand barrier and rolls over several times. . . As the title sequence runs, we, the viewers are taken back to 1977 in Sheffield, itself. It's a typical workday, and Joe Elliot (performed by Orlando Seale) is working on a pencil-drawn poster while he waits for the steam whistle. When it blows, he leaves; the name he's been penciling in is Deaf Leopard. After a rough day at his factory job, Joe is unfortunate to leave just late enough to miss the bus home. But, he hooks up with guitarist Pete Willis (Nick Bagnall), whose band called Atomic Mass just lost its singer and lead guitarist. Joe meets Pete's drummer Tony Kenning (Bret Watson) and bassist Rick Savage (Adam MacDonald), also known as "Sav" and auditions as a guitarist; the three of them say they prefer his singing. When he suggests the new name of Deaf Leopard, Tony suggests changing the spelling to make it "rock harder." Pete rounds out the group with a friend named Steve Clark (Karl Geary) as the lead player.
Nine months later, they're rehearsing at the local spoon factory, playing an early original song called "Getcha Rocks Off," but Joe is dissatisfied with the output. Tony's girlfriend enters the room and jealously coaxes Tony away from the rehearsal. They get their first gig at a local school dance (at Steve's be-urging). The gig is a triumph, except they only receive 8 quid per man, and Steve's hypercritical father refuses to compliment his son on the job he's done. After the gig, the Def Leppard members are planning to cut a demonstration tape funded by Joe's parents, when Tony's girlfriend gives him an ultimatum, the band or his relationship, and he quits. They replace him with fifteen-year-old Rick Allen (Tat Whalley) who demonstrates an uncanny knack behind the kit. They record the demo, including an early version of "Ridin' Into the Sun," and the gigs and attendance improve by leaps and bounds. Backstage after a show one night, Joe spots promoter Peter Mensch (Dean McDermott) and recruits him as the band's manager.
Def Leppard release their first album and embark on their first American tour. The audiences are ecstatic, and the single "Hello America" becomes a minor hit, but the band spawns less-than-positive reviews. Upon their return to Britain, they get a call from legendary producer Mutt Lange (Anthony Michael Hall). The production of their second album, High 'n' Dry proves tedious and painstaking to the young musicians who aren't used to Mutt's meticulous standards. But, they're delighted with the results, especially what will be their first significant hit, "Bringing On the Heartbreak." On tour one night, Pete walks offstage in the middle of "Heartbreak" and helps himself to booze. Backstage after the show, the lads fight it out, and the other four decide to kick Pete out. Afterwards, Joe and Sav are at a pub in Sheffield and hear a sizzling guitar solo in the background, performed by Pete's eventual replacement, Phil Collen (Esteban Powell).
In the studio once again with Mutt Lange, Steve and Phil find they blend well, despite their sonic differences and Steve's internal doubts. The third record, Pyromania is finished, and the reviews, in an about-face to the early ones, are decidedly positive; all the same, Steve is still plagued by his father's negative influince, which also fuels his own drinking problem. The album goes on to spawn three gold singles. The band tour for sixteen months after Pyromania's release and the success of the video for "Photograph." Rick comes off the tour frustrated and desperate for a break. Here is the instance of the gut-wrenching accident that would claim Rick's arm and, almost his life.
In hospital after the accident, doctors have re-attached Rick's arm, but he's far from in the clear. Not wanting to dismiss him, the rest of Def Leppard talk about what they can do while they wait for him to resurface. They're optimistic, even though his condition is critical. In the interim, Steve and Phil, who call themselves "The Terror Twins" frequent pubs and get drunk together (Steve is still trying to drink his father out of his head). Peter Mensch persuades them to double-date two American models he knows. The date is a success, and Steve begins a relationship with his match, Lorelei Shellist (Amber Valletta). Meanwhile, Rick is now in worse shape physically, and the doctors set him to have his arm permanently removed. He dreams about being able to drum again, but at least, he's going to make a full recovery. Afterwards, Phil gets into trouble by driving his car clear up to the front of his house and buying a fifteen thousand quid watch; he resolves to quit drinking and tries coaxing Steve to do the same (unsuccessfully).
In the meantime, Rick has expressed an interest in being able to play more with his feet and getting a set-up that would allow him to do so. He reads a magazine article about how pilots can function with one arm, and his band mates present him with a new hybrid electronic kit with foot pedals at the left side. At home, he's trying to practice on his new set and ends up embarrassing himself in front of the others by playing for them before he's ready. Meanwhile, Steve's alcoholism worsens to the point when he ends up in the hospital just at the moment Mutt Lange turns up (after a leave of absence) to help them finish their fourth album. In hospital, Joe and Lorelei learn that Steve's blood alcohol level far surpassed that of Led Zepplin's John Bonham. In a rehabilitation home, Steve displays a complete lack of confidence in himself, claiming the other Def Leppard members "should've backed a better horse." Meanwhile, Rick is improving on his new kit, but he still makes the odd mistake. Lo and behold, Steve checks himself out of rehab, Joe dispatches Rick to find him, and he's discovered back at the pub.
The film culminates with a sellout stadium concert, in which the band triumphantly takes the stage to perform "Pour Some Sugar On Me," which had taken them years to perfect. They don't miss a note or a beat, and the audience is applauding thunderously. Before the closing credits role, it's revealed in captions how Rick returned to Def Leppard as a full-fledged drummer and Steve lost his life as a result of his drinking.
When I first saw this film on VH1 (catching it at the point when Mutt lange was producing High 'n' Dry), I immediately caught a few inaccuracies. For one thing, it's depicted that Rick Allen's severed arm remained re-attached for a matter of weeks after the car accident, not to mention that he was coherent throughout the whole tangled event. However, Rick himself has said in interviews that his arm was only attached for 24 hours before infections set in, and he was out of it the whole time. Not to mention, the incident with Steve's blood alcohol level exceeding that of John Bonham's took place after the events surrounding Rick's accident and the completion of the Hysteria record. But, I also recognize how much more effective it was for the plot line to draw out the details of Rick's medical issues and reposition the moment of Steve's drinking incident. The real Steve Clark suffered bouts of stage fright when offstage, but he always performed sober and focused. The film depicts his accelerated drinking as an aftereffect of the downtime after Rick's accident. And, it was great the way they managed to make Tat Walley look as though he only had one arm. In retrospect, I'm more than interested to know if Steve Clark's psyche was as damaged by his father, the way this plot depicted.
But, one thing I am kind of sore about is the title of the story, Hysteria. Nowhere in the film or the soundtrack is there any reference to the album title or the song of the same name. There may not have been room for it, but it would've been fitting. That's the real reason I give it four out of five stars.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 36
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