ARTSETC.
Rock-Doc Film Fest comes to Madison
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Wednesday, April 24, 2002
“Graceful Swans of Never: The Smashing Pumpkins”
Bart Lipton’s treasure “Graceful Swans of Never: The Smashing Pumpkins” excels at every level a band documentary can. First and foremost, Lipton was given the access required to fully capture the enigmatic Pumpkins. The film is narrated primarily by, guess who, Billy Corgan — long believed to be the controlling entity of the four who technically split in 2000, but were really finished with the release of the underrated jewel Adore in 1998.
Miraculously, the 50-minute picture does not shy away from presenting the band’s diverse catalog. Music videos from Siamese Dream and Gish are complemented well with bursts of never-before-aired performance footage, including the band’s earliest shows. During the second half behind-the-scenes tour footage is narrated by Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha and Corgan to offer viewers a candid glimpse into the exhausting touring regimen Corgan demanded. The conclusion is obvious after the band members’ one-on-one interviews — after the death of touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, which led to the booting of Chamberlin, the band was never the same. Arguably dead in the water.
The film begins with Billy walking with the film crew around Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, pointing out the band’s early performance space, the corner in which the lead singer bumped into an argumentative bass player named D’Arcy Wretzky, and the club that gave the band’s its first gig — the venerable Cabaret Metro. It is unfortunate that Wretzky goes much unmentioned over the course of the film. It’s just “D’Arcy being D’Arcy,” as many canted about her stubbornness and voluntary absence.
The film is not just for Pumpkins diehards. Any fan of on-the-scene documentary filmmaking will appreciate Lipton’s accomplishment. And if you like the band? That’s just an added bonus.
?Matthew Rodbard
“Rockers”
A highlight of Sound Unseen Roadtrip will surely be the 35 mm print of the 1978 reggae classic, “Rockers.” The film follows the trials and travails of Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, a young drummer trying to break into Jamaica’s music industry. “Rockers” explores the community and social atmosphere of Kingston, a Jamaican ghetto, through the eyes of Leroy. Stirring and powerful music underscores the entire movie giving “Rockers” some poignant and unforgettable moments. In one emotive scene, Leroy and his friend sit on the shore of the ocean singing along with the pounding rhythm of the waves. Another scene finds Leroy perched on the bank of the river watching his grandmother performing baptisms. A huge group of white-clad women play drums and sing rousing songs while performing the sacrament. These scenes illustrate the film’s theme that music is everywhere, even in the most trying moments. The scenery and sound are so lush that it is nearly impossible not to be drawn in to the atmosphere of the movie. The characters are deep, real and well-written. They flow in and out of Leroy’s life like his fortunes and misfortunes do. The power of community is reenforced repeatedly as Leroy’s friends, family and neighbors constantly make sacrifices to help him without ever questioning him. Leroy is forced to deal with the challenges of class prejudice when he pursues the young daughter of a wealthy club owner. He makes many enemies while rallying citizens and musicians together to challenge the Jamaican music-mafia. But through sheer love of creating music and the support of his friends, Leroy is able to overcome his constant obstacles such as theft and violence. Written and directed by Theodoros Bafaloukos, “Rockers” looks as good as it sounds.
?Kate MacDonald
“Westway to the World”
Move over, Ken Burns, there’s a new documentarian in town.
Trying to capture the raucous and riotous mood of a punk band ain’t easy, but Don Letts’ attempt is admirable as it sheds light on the dark, beer-stained club floor, loud, genius world of The Clash.
Using raw performance footage, news clips and the members of the band, Letts provides a no-nonsense take on the punk band’s journey to music legend status. The clips are phenomenal in their quality and rate high on the “Oh-my-God-that’s-actually-documented?!?” meter. And in keeping with the punk “f— authority” motif, the film forgoes the traditional voice-of-God narration of other watered-down cable music informants.
Instead, viewers are left to hear The Clash through performances and the words of the band members themselves as they explain the meaning behind songs such as “London Calling,” “White Riot” and “Stay Free.” These accounts are then supported by live footage of the band playing the songs everywhere, from small no-name pubs in the beginning to Shey Stadium at the height of popularity.
But the film, for all its untamed subject matter, plays a little flat. Punk music was the rebellion of everything stagnant and mundane at the time. It’s a little disheartening to see Joe Strummer just kind of sitting there.
Still, though, it’s interesting to see a band that has influenced so many musical acts comment on its own inspirations and struggles.
“Westway to the World” is not for the faint-of-fandom. Serious Clash fans will wallow in the performances and band member comments. They will truly appreciate the lack of pan-fan tactics, for the film speaks directly to them. Other, less experienced music connoisseurs can stay home and turn on VH1.
?Anna Roberts
“Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme”
Finding its roots in the verbal intercourse of southern preachers and the civil-rights leaders of the 1960s, not to mention the ancient chants and dialects of African expression, the freestyle embodies all the visceral techniques and spontaneous nature of live hip-hop. An art found in street ciphers, urban parks and the basements of rap griots, it has been difficult to translate it to wax; subsequently, it falls on the deaf ears of the average hip-hop consumer.
Now brought to the big screen in an impressive fashion, ?Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme? tells the story of the underground culture that has laid the way for radio and compact-disc rhyming as the world knows it. ?Freestyle? offers a coherent history of rhyming off the top of the head, often misunderstood by those outside the hip-hop community, and follows some of the art?s finest though their trials and tribulations as artists.
With a break down of the legendary Supernatural vs. Craig G. battle at the New Music Seminar in the late ?90s, as well as the face off between Supernatural and JUICE a few years back, the documentary is complete with excellent footage of some of the world?s greatest. Impromptu ciphers are caught on tape in parking lots, parks and alleys, and world-famous rappers such as Black Thought, Wordsworth and Mos Def are found performing some of their best work for the camera. Highlights include images of the deceased Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. rhyming together at a kitchen table before their beef, not to mention a priceless tape of B.I.G. rhyming on a Brooklyn corner at age 17 while tearing up the whole neighborhood. ?Colin Finan
