Rattle & Hum will be 22 years old this week....

[Maxwellhouse]

where do you think the movie lies in the pantheon of rockumentaries? Think of it this way. Performance film has been around for some time. People think that The Beatles Hard Day's Night is the quintessential rockumentary but to me, it has too much narrative of boorish banter. Yes, they are cute and all but they went on to make similar performance films.

I'm thinking of Stop Making Sense or Give Me Shelter would give Rattle and Hum a run for it's money. Both of which follow bands through performance. Stop Making Sense has no narrative except for the show itself. Rattle and Hum has all those great qualities that build to the crescendo at the end of Streets and Pride. I am curious what other think about this film relative to other road films.

 

[BVS]

The performances were great, but the "rockumentary" part really lacked.

 

[corianderstem]

Agreed with BVS, although at the time, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. The album and movie are what clicked me over into hardcore U2 fan. I was 15 when it came out.

I don't think A Hard Day's Night counts as a rockumentary. If it's got a plot, no matter how similiar it's supposed to be to actual experiences, there's no "-umentary" about it.

And "boorish banter"? Man. Thumbs very far down on that comment.

But anyway, I can't really compare it to other concert films, I don't think. Where is the line between "Rockumentary" and just a plain old concert film? It's been aaaagest since I've seen Stop Making Sense, but isn't that just a straight-forward concert film? Is there anything other than the concert in it?

Oh, I ramble. To sum up: I cannot answer your question, and I disagree with your opinion of A Hard Day's Night.

 

[cobl04]

The performances were great, but the "rockumentary" part really lacked.

yep. the performances are terrific, but most of the rest of it is actually pretty boring.

and i think it would rate very low on the scale of concert films... outside of uber U2 fans it's generally derided.

 

[Mirror Ball Man]

It's more of a collection of they're best live performances in America following the album then a rockumentary.
But, ya know. It's a musical journey.

 

[MikeyJB]

Its great in terms of nostalgia, but I'm always staggered that they thought it would be wise to film themselves all po-faced at Gracelands when Spinal Tap had already been there 3-4 years previously I can almost imagine U2 planning the film and thinking 'yeh we should do the Spinal Tap thing and go and visit Elvis' grave'.

 

[nothing_left]

I can't agree with you.
Rattle and hum maybe isn't well done movie, maybe they weren't good actors or whatever.
It has that kind of magic which makes me want to watch it over and over again. They're just adorable with all those skills which they don't have, I don't care. Sunday Bloody Sunday or Graceland still makes me almost cry and feel better.

 

[Maxwellhouse]

I agree with all of you. The spurned conversation is what is needed about this movie. It captures the band as they truly conquer America. I like the comparison to Spinal Tap and bringing in Graceland but it is the live performances that makes the movie. I have read that this was to be an art house road film but when Paramount picked it up that all changed.

Yes, Give me Shelter is more of a rockumentary. I use the word too lightly. Road film or concert film is better. Maybe performance film. I will say that Stop Making Sense is a better film without the banter. It is an insight to the Talking Heads at the top of their game.

As for The Beatles, everyone is compared to them and yet music has changed so much on a variety of levels. What they created, in their time, is relevant to their time in history. They were revolutionary and things they did will never be done again but I have heard that Hard Day's Night is the rock film everyone gets compared to because it is the Beatles. I believe Gimme Shelter is far better.

 

[corianderstem]

It does get lumped in with other "rock and roll" films, sure, but you can't compare it to films that are concert footage maybe interspersed with backstage stuff. A Hard Day's Night is something completely different.

Comparable or not, it's beautifully filmed, and chock full of hilarious lines and Beatles songs. How can you go wrong?

It's kind of hard to classify - a musical? A comedy musical masquerading as a faux-but-not-really documentary of what life was like for the Beatles in 1964? I dunno. But anyway.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

This is what made me a huge fan (I guess I am one).... remembered myself watching it over and over when I was 12 and thinking that this came from an other world and I still think that way. To me it's the best era with Zoo TV. Sunday bloody Sunday alone is worth watching the whole thing. I dont think the movie itself is that great, but the performances and passion in there are unreal. Love it!
WTH, 22 years.... oh noooo

 

[cobl04]

It does get lumped in with other "rock and roll" films, sure, but you can't compare it to films that are concert footage maybe interspersed with backstage stuff. A Hard Day's Night is something completely different.

Comparable or not, it's beautifully filmed, and chock full of hilarious lines and Beatles songs. How can you go wrong?

It's kind of hard to classify - a musical? A comedy musical masquerading as a faux-but-not-really documentary of what life was like for the Beatles in 1964? I dunno. But anyway.

i watched Help on youtube one day. it's one of the most fucked up, ludicrously hilarious things i've ever seen.

 

[corianderstem]

Help is insane and slapsticky, and completely awesome. I think they were also sky-high throughout the entire filming, which explains a lot.

 

[gareth brown]

I agree with MikeyJB, it's incredibly difficult to take all the wandering around Graceland seriously when if you've seen Spinal Tap. I mean the bit where Larry gets to sit on Elvis' bike is pretty cool and a nice example of special treatment for rockstars (what happened to the woman who let him? ) but a LOT of the footage just following them around and even the damn interview footage at the point depot is ridiculously tedious and very easy to skip when you just want to see what are some of U2's best ever peformances. Bad, Streets and Sunday Bloody Sunday especially.

When they're rehearsing with BB King or recording at Sun Studios, THAT is good stuff. The deleted sequence of Bono and The Edge going over 'She's Gonna Blow Your House Down' and stuff I found really interesting and, cut down to just a minute or two, would have been a great example of a band working on new music in downtime on tour. Instead the documentary footage left in means the film is split into two very different halves. A fantastic concert movie and, at times, an incredibly dull road movie.

A concert movie made up of songs from many dates across the tour may not have worked depending on what you enjoy from a movie about a band, but the final result is really half baked, a lot like the album some might argue if they're feeling uncharitable although I personally think a couple of their best ever songs are on there, All I Want Is You and God Part II to name two

Its obvious what it tries to do in showing them onstage and off but when the offstage stuff is that boring at the worst of times it makes you wonder why they bothered leaving a lot of it in. I still enjoy the film a lot whenever I watch it though. I just have to admit it's not all that well made.

 

[Maxwellhouse]

I totally agree. I do not think the film makes knew how to run with documentary side of the film. What is captured live is excellent and very well done. I think that there is a push too hard to get the band to self reflect. I am hoping the deluxe box edition will have more live tunes from both shows plus the full version of the San Francisco impromptu show with out the cut in of Bono spray painting the art work. That does not exist on the boot of the show.

I hope they get the deluxe version right. Even an interview of Adam Gussow, the guy blowin the blues harp on the Harlem street scene, would be great. I am actually interviewing him in the coming weeks for a podcast. We will see what he says.

 

[corianderstem]

Has there been any chatter about a remaster of R&H? Or are we just assuming they'll be doing one because they're doing the others?

I don't think them going right to AB next means R&H is off the table, I was just wondering if there'd been any actual rumors about it.

 

[Galeongirl]

I think R&H gets skipped. Well it's not really a complete album, it's half studio half live. Kinda strange to remaster it. And I don't recall ever hearing any rumours about it, confirmed or unconfirmed.

 

[MikeyJB]

I think they took on the project of a movie at the wrong time. The time that would have been perfect and would undoutedly have shown them in a great, loose, wild light had a similar road film been made would have been Zoo TV.

 

[joerags]

I remember all the hype when it came out. I was so excited about it. I saw it in the theaters, too. I can never get tired of that movie.

 

[Maxwellhouse]

I am hoping there is a remaster of the DVD with all of the outtakes. It would be better than remastering the album. However, I am sure they may wait until the 25th anniversary which will land during their next vacation from the road.

 

[corianderstem]

I tried to sit through all 4 discs of the outtakes last month. I ended up fast-forwarding through a lot.

 

[Maxwellhouse]

Just uploaded a blog about it on my site below.

 

[the tourist]

I think R&H gets skipped. Well it's not really a complete album, it's half studio half live. Kinda strange to remaster it. And I don't recall ever hearing any rumours about it, confirmed or unconfirmed.

It would be asinine for them to remaster Wide Awake In America (via The Unforgettable Fire) along with every other 80s album release (including Under A Blood Red Sky) and simply skip Rattle & Hum.

 

[Galeongirl]

Well WWIA had a dvd release to go along with it.. R&H is already out on dvd.

 

[corianderstem]

To be fair, that DVD could stand an upgrade with bonus features or something. It's pretty bare-bones as is. "Already on DVD" has never seemed to stop other movies from getting multiple releases on DVD!

 

[U2girl]

Has there been any chatter about a remaster of R&H? Or are we just assuming they'll be doing one because they're doing the others?

I don't think them going right to AB next means R&H is off the table, I was just wondering if there'd been any actual rumors about it.

Not specifically R&H but McGuiness said they'd remaster the back catalogue (presumably everything, or at least up until the 00's albums ?).