History of the Eagles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History of the Eagles
Directed by	Alison Ellwood
Produced by	Alex Gibney
Starring	Glenn Frey Don Henley Bernie Leadon Randy Meisner Don Felder Joe Walsh Timothy B. Schmit
Music by	Eagles
Studio	Jigsaw Productions
Distributed by	Showtime
Release date(s)	January 19, 2013 (2013-01-19) (Sundance)
Running time	186 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

History of the Eagles is a 2013 two-part film about the famous American rock band, the Eagles. It tells the story of their career. Alison Ellwood directed it, and Alex Gibney helped produce it.

The film first showed at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013. It then aired on the TV channel Showtime in February. Later, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray. These versions included a third disc with eight songs from a 1977 concert. A concert tour with the same name happened from 2013 to 2015. The band played in North America, Europe, and Oceania.

The film won an award for "Outstanding Sound Mixing" at the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. This means the sound in the film was mixed really well. It was also nominated for "Outstanding Sound Editing." The special box set of the film also won a Bronze Prize at the 2013 Key Art Awards.

Making the Eagles Documentary

This film was made to be the official story of the Eagles band. The band's manager, Irving Azoff, thought of the idea in 2011. This was when the Eagles were celebrating their 40th anniversary.

Glenn Frey, one of the band members, chose Alex Gibney to produce the film. He picked Gibney after seeing his other award-winning documentaries. Gibney then asked Alison Ellwood to direct and help edit the film. Frey said the band gave some ideas, but the director and producer were mostly free to make the film as they wanted.

Part 1 of History of the Eagles first showed at the Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah. This was during the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2013. It was shown at other places that week too. The first part aired on Showtime on February 15, 2013. The second part was shown the very next night.

What the Film Covers

The documentary is split into two main parts. The first part is about two hours long. It covers the band's early days up to their breakup. The second part is about one hour long. It talks about what happened after the breakup.

The film uses old videos of the band. It also has new interviews with all the band members. Other people who were part of the band's history or knew them well are also interviewed. These include famous musicians like Kenny Rogers, Bob Seger, and Linda Ronstadt. The DVD version also has a third disc with songs from a 1977 concert.

Part 1: The Early Years

The first part of the film shows how the band started. It talks about the early lives of the band members. It explains how the band was formed. It also covers how they made their albums and became very successful. The film then shows the disagreements between band members. It ends with the band breaking up in 1980.

Part 2: After the Breakup

The second part of the film starts after the band's breakup. It briefly talks about what each band member did on their own. Then, it shows how the band got back together in 1994. It covers their tours in the 1990s and the 2000s.

The film explains that Glenn Frey did not want to reunite at first. But he changed his mind when they joined Travis Tritt. They made a music video for Tritt's cover of "Take It Easy." The film also shows their successful tours. It also talks about the disagreements with Don Felder and when he left the band. The film ends with the band members thinking about their actions and careers. Other people who knew them also share their thoughts.

Reactions to the Documentary

Don Felder, who was in the band and interviewed for the film, said it was not complete. He felt it praised Don Henley and Glenn Frey too much. He thought it did not give enough credit to others who helped the band. He also felt it did not fully show the disagreements between band members.

Felder said: "I thought it was okay, but it wasn't really accurate. A lot was left out." He added that he had moved past his own disagreements with the band. But he was surprised by how angry Frey and Henley still seemed towards him. He said: "Most of it was about Don and Glenn. But they controlled it, so they could do what they wanted."

However, Don Henley said that Felder had continued to cause problems for them. Henley did agree that the film played down his own disagreements with Frey. He said: "We have had our differences, we still do, but we’re a lot like brothers. We fight but we’re still family." Henley felt the film showed that bands need leaders. He believed a band cannot work if everyone is completely equal.

Henley repeated something Frey said in the film: "In a band, you need leaders. Everyone can't be on equal footing. It's like a football team. Someone has to be the quarterback. If people play their positions well, everything works out. The whole team is stronger than just its individual players."

The documentary received good reviews overall. On Metacritic, a website that collects reviews, it scored 74 out of 100. This score was based on four different critics' reviews.

Awards and Sales

The film has received several awards for its sales in different countries. These awards are called "certifications."