Arthur Russell doco

michael

Bring out the vacuum
Hi, could probably post this in Film but guess there're more readers here...

Anyone seen the doco 'Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell'? Did you find it interesting?

It's playing at a film festival soon and was wondering about checking it out.

Don't love Russell's stuff, but assume there'd be some interesting bits?
 

jonny mugwump

exotic pylon
i've heard really good things about this but i can't remember where.

I'm really excited about seeing this but have no idea where i'll catch it in the uk- i love his music so much but either ways, should be an interesting doc as he's such a strange and interesting character.
 

mms

sometimes
Hi, could probably post this in Film but guess there're more readers here...

Anyone seen the doco 'Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell'? Did you find it interesting?

It's playing at a film festival soon and was wondering about checking it out.

Don't love Russell's stuff, but assume there'd be some interesting bits?

yeah it's pretty good, lots on his parents and the downtown scene - not enough on disco - lots on background and lots on him having aids which was sad, his parents seem lovely.
 

michael

Bring out the vacuum
Cheers for the comments so far...

yeah it's pretty good, lots on his parents and the downtown scene - not enough on disco - lots on background and lots on him having aids which was sad, his parents seem lovely.

Pity about the disco bits being downplayed, that's really the side of him that I find more interesting. Haven't found much appeal in the beatless stuff I've heard.
 

mms

sometimes
Cheers for the comments so far...



Pity about the disco bits being downplayed, that's really the side of him that I find more interesting. Haven't found much appeal in the beatless stuff I've heard.

not sure if they're downplayed, its the music he made on his cassettes endlessly that are played up and his relationships, it's that contrast between relationships and his death and life in headphones and unfinished music...
 
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stelfox

Beast of Burden
I was lucky enough to go to the New York premiere of this. It's a great bit of film-making. Rather than being light on Russell's music, I think that it attempts to present an idea of Russell as man, not artist. There's actually plenty of information provided about his music, but there's also a lot about what it was like to really know Russell. The whole point of it was that he wasn't just a musician. He was his parents' son, his boyfriend's partner, a gentle, complicated, creative soul who people loved — he was also an extremely difficult character at times, too. As it's one of the most touching, bruising (and occasionally funny) documentaries I've seen in a long time, I'd strongly recommend anyone to go and see it, whether fans of Russell or not.
 
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stelfox

Beast of Burden
The director told me that it will show in London at the ICA at some point. I hope so, too, because I really want to write something about it.
 

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
goddamn i want to see this- its only showing in the UK seems to be in Edinburgh though.

Ideas anybody?

You could drop Raindance an email and ask them to pick it up for screening in London

http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/index.php?aid=2091

or write to the guys that made it, either say you're a film programmer or just ask for a preview copy to review for somewhere. Chances are the ICA will pick it up though, they usually do from Edinburgh stuff, it just takes a year for them to screen it.
 

jonny mugwump

exotic pylon
what a wonderful idea and how stupid of me- i actually COULD review it for somebody- what a dumb ass i am hahahaha

thanks mister sloane.
 

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
i actually COULD review it for somebody-

Film people - especially indies who are on a view to sell - can be quite weird (y'know, understandably, bootlegging n all) about sending out their stuff though, so if they don't come through with preview copies you could ask if you could set up a preview screening for reviewers and stuff in London, that might work, I've had all sorts of different responses over the years, it depends how touchy they are I think, god knows actually. I remember one lot who wouldn't send me a copy of their film - even though they wanted to screen it with me - and I was like 'How am I gonna know if I want to screen it if I haven't seen it?'. We reached precisely nowhere on that one...
 

U-Basstard

tragic mix
i think some friends of mine have organised a screening in Manchester for Oct 4th... will clarify this but it's an early heads up.
 

Grill

Member
it's a good doc. when i saw it in san francisco, the director spoke and explained that he had originally planned on making an experimental film using the music of arthur russell, but when he delved deeper, he found a great story there. the film is really focused on arthur's relationships and less focused on his place in the scene co to speak.... i think an interview with francois k would have been in order?
 

mms

sometimes
it's a good doc. when i saw it in san francisco, the director spoke and explained that he had originally planned on making an experimental film using the music of arthur russell, but when he delved deeper, he found a great story there. the film is really focused on arthur's relationships and less focused on his place in the scene co to speak.... i think an interview with francois k would have been in order?

well a friend did an arthur russell feature for wax poetics ( which i helped with a bit) and one of the things coming from Francois k and others was how much work they actually had to do to transform Arthur Russells work into the famous pieces they made and how he was quite disgusted by the outcomes in a few cases!
 
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