I saw this film on its theatrical release, way back in '88/89, as a part of a run of late night movies on jazz themes, screened at the Cambridge Arts Cinema, as it was then known. I was completely enthralled and enchanted. Some films are intensely and self-consciously didactic, or analytical, or escapist, romantic, challenging, soothing or whatever... This film seems to be a wonderfully un-self-conscious mixture of biography, homage, celebration, voyeurism and more besides, all delivered with a dream like whimsy, and an artistic eye for bleak, melancholy beauty. The music is fabulous, both old and new, the performance footage revealing and entertaining, and the panoply of talking heads have a lot of interesting things to say.
I saw this film on its theatrical release, way back in '88/89, as a part of a run of late night movies on jazz themes, screened at the Cambridge Arts Cinema, as it was then known. I was completely enthralled and enchanted. Some films are intensely and self-consciously didactic, or analytical, or escapist, romantic, challenging, soothing or whatever... This film seems to be a wonderfully un-self-conscious mixture of biography, homage, celebration, voyeurism and more besides, all delivered with a dream like whimsy, and an artistic eye for bleak, melancholy beauty. The music is fabulous, both old and new, the performance footage revealing and entertaining, and the panoply of talking heads have a lot of interesting things to say.
This film is amazing. It's like hanging out with Bruce Weber and going through his photos with him.
Not a lot of plot, but great to look at, and interesting to listen to as well. If you want some insight into what makes this great photographer tick, this is worth your time.
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Although the previous reviewer has this release well-covered there are a few aspects of the collection that are worth mentioning in more detail. As a true 'Pethead' since the mid-1980s I have followed their single releases and accompanying videos with interest. The early releases were raw but somehow compelling and always managed to make the images fit the music perfectly. As the band became massive the videos became more sophisticated and were often little vignettes; far superior to the self-aggrandising and often pompous offerings of their chart rivals. Actors and directors of the calibre of Derek Jarman, Ian McKellan and Joss Ackland regularly appeared in or made the videos and Heart in particular is a superb mini-film that provides so much more than ... Read More:
>>More Details
Although the previous reviewer has this release well-covered there are a few aspects of the collection that are worth mentioning in more detail. As a true 'Pethead' since the mid-1980s I have followed their single releases and accompanying videos with interest. The early releases were raw but somehow compelling and always managed to make the images fit the music perfectly. As the band became massive the videos became more sophisticated and were often little vignettes; far superior to the self-aggrandising and often pompous offerings of their chart rivals. Actors and directors of the calibre of Derek Jarman, Ian McKellan and Joss Ackland regularly appeared in or made the videos and Heart in particular is a superb mini-film that provides so much more than ... Read More:
>>More Details
Although the previous reviewer has this release well-covered there are a few aspects of the collection that are worth mentioning in more detail. As a true 'Pethead' since the mid-1980s I have followed their single releases and accompanying videos with interest. The early releases were raw but somehow compelling and always managed to make the images fit the music perfectly. As the band became massive the videos became more sophisticated and were often little vignettes; far superior to the self-aggrandising and often pompous offerings of their chart rivals. Actors and directors of the calibre of Derek Jarman, Ian McKellan and Joss Ackland regularly appeared in or made the videos and Heart in particular is a superb mini-film that provides so much more than ... Read More:
>>More Details