STOP MAKING NOISE! - 1980s Music Documentaries from the FESTIVAL DEI POPOLI Archives
For the 2011 Estate Fiorentina, the Festival dei Popoli will reopen its prestigious archives and, with the aid of journalist and music specialist Guiseppe Vigna, reassemble a group of 1980s music documentaries that rocked the Festival’s “Schermo dei Suoni” section from 1980 to 1995.
These juiced-up sound bytes will stir rock and jazz lovers alike: films like "The Cure in Orange", which have not been seen since they were first screened at the Festival dei Popoli; films released before music videos were all the rage, like Amos Poe and Ivan Kràl’s endeavours on the New York scene; films that completely transformed the aesthetic of music videos and re-shaped the careers of directors, like Jonathan Demme’s film about the Talking Heads, "Stop Making Sense". Over a decade of music unfolds on the screen, capturing the lights and looks of the Eighties.
THURSDAY JULY 7, 9:15 pm
NIGHT LUNCH, by Amos Poe and Ivan Král (USA, 1975, 32’)
Completely shot in New York nightclubs, the film immortalized the live performances by New York’s (and the world’s) most fundamental rock stars. Cast: David Bowie, Wayne County, George Harrison, Elton John, Freddie Mercury, New York Dolls, Ramones, Patti Smith, Television.
THE BLANK GENERATION, by Amos Poe e Ivan Král (USA, 1976, 55’,)
The by now historic documentary about the nascent punk scene in New York City. This one and only proto-punk anthology includes such bands as The Ramones, Television, The Heartbreakers, The Talking Heads, the Patti Smith Group, Blondie and other epic bands of the time.
THURSDAY JULY 14, 9:15 pm
THE CURE IN ORANGE, by Tim Pope (UK, 1987, 113’)
Midway through the Eighties, Robert Smith, the lead singer of The Cure, was unsure whether he should stay on with the band or call it quits. In order to leave a trace of the band’s creative apex for future audiences, the band agreed to film their concert on August 9, 1986 at the old Roman ampitheater in Orange, France. It turned out to be a concert that made history.
THURSDAY JULY 21, 9:15 pm
STEP ACROSS THE BORDER, by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel (Germany/Switzerland, 1990, 90’)
Nicholas Humbert and Werner Penzel’s fascinating visual impromptu on the theories and music by Fred Frith filmed through the US, Europe and Japan. An hour and a half of (exquisitely shot) visual poetry that recounts a legend of the new music.
THURSDAY JULY 28, 9:15 pm
STOP MAKING SENSE, by Jonathan Demme (USA, 1984, 88’)
In December 1983 The Talking Heads played the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. Jonathan Demme film transformed the concert into a cinematic event (it’s the first music film to be shot live using digital film), and helped fuse the New York band’s songs with a progressive filmmaking style.
THURSDAY AUGUST 4, 9:15 pm
BRAND NEW DAY, by Amos Gitai (France, 1987, 93’)
On their world tour to promote the album “Revenge”, The Eurythmics made their final stop in Japan. Besides concert footage, the film finds Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart trying to capture the melodies and sounds of Japanese culture.
Le
Mura
te
Piazza delle Murate, Firenze
Free Entrance
Screening in original language with Italian subtitles. Audio through headphones.
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ALTRE NEWS
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