what (not) to doc

© Apple Corps

Director:
Ron Howard

Premiere:
London (September 2015)

About:
A look back at the heyday of Beatlemania.

Taking on an iconic band about which virtually everything already has been uncovered and dissected in countless books, articles, films, and television programs, Ron Howard inevitably will not please all viewers. As clearly signaled by its title, his film is limited in scope to a few short years, 1962-1966, which saw the Fab Four move beyond the UK and take America, and the rest of the world, by storm, until the chaotic nature of their live performances proved to be too much for the band. As an official Apple Corps project, Howard benefits by being able to use notoriously difficult to license music and footage, but also understandably avoids any real controversy with which die-hard Beatles fans – the primary, nostalgic audience here – are already very familiar anyway. What the film does, and does well, is serve as an engaging and enjoyable reminder of the scale of Beatlemania and its unprecedented impact on popular culture.

Coming to NYC theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 24, for a qualifying run before opening early next year:
THE FINAL YEAR

Director:
Greg Barker

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, London, IDFA

About:
An inside look at US foreign policy in the last year of the Obama administration.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
During 2016, filmmaker Greg Barker gained access to key members of outgoing US President Barack Obama’s administration – Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, confidant and speechwriter Ben Rhodes and others – for an unprecedented look at the shaping of US foreign policy. While TV shows from THE WEST WING to MADAM SECRETARY have invented dramas from this milieu, never has a documentary captured the real players so much in the moment. The globe-trotting journey makes stops on multiple continents. Rhodes, who’s described as sharing a “mind meld” with Obama, joins the President on historic visits to Saigon, Hiroshima, and Havana. Power seeks to put ordinary people at the heart of foreign policy in Nigeria and Cameroon. Kerry negotiates at the UN for a Syrian ceasefire and bears witness to global warming in Greenland. Every move they make stirs reactions from the media, Congress, and the public. While history books will be better equipped to explore political complexities, Barker’s film excels at showing us the humanity of these policy makers in times of breakthroughs, setbacks, and tragedies. This perspective would be remarkable in any year. But 2016 stands out since US foreign policy changed dramatically under a new administration. The contrast is clear in every minute of the film. As we gain distance from the Obama era, the film will serve as a vital document of that time.

Coming to Netflix tomorrow, Friday, November 24:
CUBA AND THE CAMERAMAN

Director:
Jon Alpert

Premiere:
Venice 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC

About:
Cuba since the Revolution, captured by an American filmmaker over four decades.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
With a career spanning several decades, Jon Alpert now delivers a film that draws upon footage he shot in Cuba for over 40 years. Starting in the 1970s, Alpert’s pioneering work as an independent video journalist won the attention of Fidel Castro, who granted him unique access. Alpert makes repeated visits to the country chronicling its changes, from Havana to the countryside, in this illuminating profile.

Photo: Ron Pownall

Director:
Lili Fini Zanuck

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Camden, IDFA

About:
An intimate, revealing musical odyssey on the life and career of the guitar legend, told by those who have known him best.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
Over a five-decade career, Eric Clapton has proven himself to be a guitar virtuoso, creating rock music deeply influenced by the blues. In Zanuck’s documentary, he reflects candidly on how his life experiences were channeled into music. The film traces his career through The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, and his solo years, telling the stories behind hits like “For Your Love,” “Layla,” and “Tears in Heaven.” Filmmaker Lili Fini Zanuck draws from an extensive archive of performances and home movies to construct the film. Accompanying the footage are illuminating audio interviews with Clapton and people who played central roles in his life, including his grandmother Rose Clapp, George Harrison, Ahmet Ertegun, Steve Winwood, and his former wife Pattie Boyd.

Coming to theatres this Friday, November 24:
BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY

Director:
Alexandra Dean

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Jerusalem, Vancouver, Woodstock, Adelaide

About:
The story of the glamorous Hollywood actress, focused on her groundbreaking work as an inventor.

The film screened as part of the Nantucket Film Festival, for which our program notes read:
Good looks made Hedy Lamarr a 1940s Hollywood siren, but her beautiful mind earned her a spot in technology history. During World War II, the Austrian Jewish émigrée developed a secret communications system that she hoped would help defeat the Nazis – one that would later serve as the basis for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Weaving in archival interviews with the glamorous actress, this film for lovers of history, Hollywood, and science reveals Lamarr’s under-acknowledged role as a pioneering inventor.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, November 22:
BRIMSTONE & GLORY

Director:
Viktor Jakovleski

Premiere:
True/False 2017

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Sheffield, Docaviv, AFI Docs, Dokufest, DocuWest, Ambulante, San Francisco, Sarasota, Montclair, Guanajuato, Fantastic Fest, Margaret Mead, Antenna Doc, Philadelphia

About:
An immersion into Tultepec, a Mexican city known for its pyrotechnic festival.

Over the past 150 years, Tultepec’s industry has concentrated on fireworks, and the small city creates the bulk of the country’s supply. The community holds an annual week-long celebration of San Juan de Dios, a patron saint said to have saved people from a fire without being burned. Local townsfolk aren’t always so blessed, with fireworks accidents frequently claiming body parts, if not lives. Jakovleski loosely profiling some residents, including an adolescent boy demonstrating the parallel reverence and fear engendered by the explosives, and some of the designers behind the traditional centerpiece displays of the festivities, the Castle of Fire and the Burning of the Bulls, but the true focus and joy of the film is providing a visceral experience of the event. The filmmaker’s camera takes the viewer through explosions of light and sound, making an indelible, spectacular impression.