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The club cinematheque
Танцпол · 29.09.2008
By Анна Лекс
Dance culture has already taken on such a global character and captured so many minds that people have involuntarily begun to date and keep a historical chronicle of everything happening around this cultural phenomenon. Even today we can assemble a small library of literature about clubs, dance music and clubbers. In Europe theatrical activity is actively developing: recently a play based on Irvine Welsh's book "Ecstasy" premiered. In many major capitals the boundaries between club and gallery spaces have long since been erased; visual art is being synthesized with the art of nightlife… Undoubtedly, in all this whirlpool of creative self-expression, cinema has taken a far-from-last place.
We've put together a top list of foreign films telling of the culture of nightlife, music and dance. In Russia, as of today, films of this kind aren't made, with the exception of the semi-amateur video story about Kazantip 2007 and the "intellectual" TV series "Klub" on MTV (if I'm wrong — correct me). Presented below are both feature and documentary films. Some of them are more reminiscent of trite romantic musicals, some lay claim to the title of serious documentary studies…
Fast Forward
Director: Sidney Poitier
1985, USA
Eight young dancers from Ohio decided to head to New York to take part in the city's main talent contest. But, having arrived in the crazy megalopolis, they had to postpone their performance and get to know the city better. From the reviews of those who saw it: "This is a stunning film. Despite the intricate plotline, by the end of the film you'll definitely be singing along with the characters. Not to mention the dancing and choreography — they're so exciting that you'll hardly be able to resist the screen!"
Modulations
Director: Iara Lee
1998, USA
This documentary beautifully depicts the evolution of all of electronica. The film gathers the best avant-garde music of that time: the innovative synthesizer Kraftwerk, electro-funk from Afrika Bambaataa, drum'n'bass from Roni Size, as well as one of the best jungle composers, Photek, and many, many others. It's an epic film about electronic music, backed up by shows and interviews with competent people.
54
Director: Mark Christopher
1998, USA
In 1979 a handsome young man from a small town in New Jersey crossed the river into New York, and his life changed forever. He entered a world bathing in luxury, desire and decadence — a nightclub that turned out to be nothing less than the center of the Universe: Studio 54. Several of Hollywood's "hottest" young stars appeared in the picture, including Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Breckin Meyer, Neve Campbell and Mike Myers. From the reviews of those who saw it: "This is a stunning film. There's friendship and love, and sex, and all of it, performed by Ryan, looks flawless. It's his best role in his entire acting career."
The Last Days of Disco
Director: Whit Stillman
1998, USA
Three girlfriends rent an apartment in Manhattan, dreaming of a brilliant career and, like all girls, of great love. Convinced that real life happens at night, they immerse themselves in club New York in order to arrange both their career and their personal life. The early eighties, the era of disco, big hairdos and glittering balls on the dance floors, on its last breath. It's this time that director Whit Stillman took as his basis. The soundtrack features classic disco tunes from Diana Ross, The O'Jays and other musicians.
Human Traffic
Director: Justin Kerrigan
1999, UK, Ireland
"Let those hear me who slog away every day, look at the dreary faces around them and think that this damned week will never end… Rejoice, ye who suffer, for your hour has struck! Holy Friday has come, and on its evening paradise will fling open its doors for you! On this day the majestic and beautiful weekend will triumphantly crush the grey and dreary weekdays" — that's the anthem of the film "Human Traffic." A specimen of modern youth cinema about the life of the "ecstasy generation," continuing the tradition of such films as "Trainspotting" and "The Acid House." Five friends endure the grey and dreary weekdays only for the sake of the weekend. And here it comes: now they have 48 hours to completely break away from the outside world.
Go!
Director: Doug Liman
1999, USA
In the film "GO!" Doug Liman weaves together three incredible stories: in the morning the charming cashier Ronna meets a strange couple, in the afternoon leaves her friend as collateral, and in the evening ends up in a roadside ditch with no signs of life. Simon starts the day in the trunk of a car, continues it in a burning hotel room with two women, and ends it with a no-rules race through the streets of Las Vegas. The sweet couple Zack and Adam help the police for a whole day, getting in everyone else's way, for which in the end they earn the honour of dining with a half-witted officer of the law. Meanwhile the same unpredictable finale awaits such different stories… From the reviews: "Go! is an example of what a youth film should be — capable of blowing your mind and showering you with adrenaline. Take a bit of crime, excellent humour, disco abandon, young freaky actors, killer dialogues, absurd situations and reckless chases in the neon light of the night city, mix it all up under Doug Liman's direction and set it to an incredibly driving sound of an energetic nature. What you get out is ecstasy — a mind-blowing carousel that knocks you off your feet."
Groove
Director: Greg Harrison
2000, USA
The film "Groove" tells of the underground rave scene of San Francisco. All the action takes place over a single night. The clubbers are all sent the same e-mail saying that a big party is planned at an abandoned warehouse. Running through the film as a leitmotif is the story of a certain David, who reluctantly becomes a raver… The film is broken into separate segments with DJ performances and stories from their real lives (Forest Green, WishFM, Polywog). John Digweed appears in the film, and a special soundtrack was recorded by the duo Bedrock as well.
High Fidelity
Director: Stephen Frears
2000, USA
Based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Rob, a disc jockey and the owner of a little vinyl shop, is dumped by his girlfriend Laura. He recalls his life and the girls he dated, starting from childhood. They all dumped him. He tries to understand why, involuntarily analyzing them and himself. Each girl (there were five) is devoted a short cinematic novella, all of them tied together by a common plot. The most attention is given to Laura, who is unhappy that Rob is spinning his wheels, not moving forward in his life, has no goal and isn't realizing himself…
Pump Up the Volume — The History of House Music
Director: Channel 4
2001, England
This three-part documentary about the history of house music, from its origins in the underground clubs of America to the discos on Ibiza, was made in 2001 by the English TV channel Channel 4. Much attention is given to the club culture of England with acid house music and the first raves. The film examines all the main electronic sub-genres in music, and also features interviews with well-known top DJs (Marshall Jefferson, Paul Oakenfold, DJ Pierre, Steve Silk Hurley, Jamie Principle, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Tony Wilson, Carl Cox, Byron Stingily, Mark Moore, Joe Smooth, Adamski, Terry Farley and Orbital, Armand Van Helden, Little Louie Vega, Daniele Davoli, Shaun Ryder, Goldie, Mr.C, Joey Beltram and many others).
Scratch
Director: Doug Pray
2001, USA
The film tells of the world of disc jockeys, the creators of the hip-hop, breakdance and rap styles. From the very beginning of these styles' emergence, DJs used special sound effects that aided the perception of the new music — music that has today taken over the whole world… From the reviews of those who saw it: "Very good quality, a vivid film. Hip-hop is a way of life — that's the main idea. In this film there's graffiti, and breakdance, and DJing. Super, I recommend it to everyone interested in this subject"; "To everyone who's into music, including DJing, I strongly recommend watching this film! The video is just unreally driving and interesting! What the musicians (there's no other way to call them!) do with turntables and records is unimaginable. They can play you every note thanks to scratching."
24 Hour Party People
Director: Michael Winterbottom
2002, UK, France, Netherlands
1976. Manchester: Cambridge graduate Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) is the main representative of the cult group "The Sex Pistols" on TV. Inspired by this turning point in music history, he and his friends found a new record label, "Factory Records," where the first albums of "Joy Division" (which later became "New Order") and "The Happy Mondays" are created. All of them became original artists of their time. The film — of larger-than-life characters — is a chronicle of the birth of one of the most famous clubs in the world, the Hacienda, a Mecca for clubbers, just as famous as "Studio 54." A sophisticated portrayal of the music and dance culture of Manchester from the late '70s to the early '90s, this comedy documents the vibration that made Madchester a cult place in the world… From the reviews: "The music in the film is absolutely stunning. And, of course, Sean Harris. He plays the brilliant Ian Curtis — poet, singer, epileptic and suicide… He plays it so that it really moves you, gets you to the bone. The other actors are very good: especially the Irishman Steve Coogan in the role of Tony Wilson, and Andy Serkis."
Synergy - Visions of Vibe
Director: Valerian Bennett
2002, Germany, USA, Japan, UK
This documentary tells of the rave culture in Southern California — the first place in America where this underground movement was born. Rooted in the rituals of ancient tribes, this culture took on a global character, uniting electronic music, psychedelic imagination and mass dancing… The film "Synergy: A Sense of Rhythm" (unofficial translation) tells about raves at abandoned warehouses, on mountain peaks, in deserts and other unusual places. The main protagonists of the film are entirely different people: well-known DJs, clubbers, music critics, political figures and keepers of law and order.
Party Monster
Director: Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato
2003, USA, Netherlands
Party Monster is a tragicomedy based on real events, telling of the rise and fall of the notorious New York club-party organizer Michael Alig. Michael Alig is a real person, who really did manage, in the shortest of times, to turn from a simple waiter into a living legend of the New York club movement. At the end of the eighties he was imprisoned for murder and will be released in 2009. The role of the "King of the Club Kids" was played by Macaulay Culkin, who became a movie star in childhood. The film is based on the novel by James St. James "Disco Bloodbath." There really did exist in New York at the time a group of teenagers who called themselves clubboyz. They dressed up in multicoloured clothes and threw parties in the most unusual places: the subway, supermarkets, buses, diners…
Hey DJ
Director: Migel Delgado and Jon Jacobs
2003, USA
The film "Hey DJ" tells of the crazy life of DJs from Miami to Ibiza. The main character, Dj Hound Dog, achieves fame very quickly and begins to lead a completely disorderly lifestyle. From the reviews of those who saw it: "This is a stunning dance film. And I'm talking not only about cool electronic music, but also about the participation in the film of such stars of the club scene as Carl Cox, Judge Jules, Bob Sinclar, Junior Jack and many others. Having watched this film, I got a clear picture of the real life of DJs."
Put the Needle on the Record
Director: Jason Rem
2004, USA
"Put the Needle on the Record" — that's exactly the name of a documentary film devoted to such phenomena as club culture, electronic music and DJing. "Put the Needle on the Record" (unofficial translation) was made by the Hollywood company "REM Entertainment." Fairly serious people worked on it. The film took part in many prestigious film festivals and was taken very seriously by critics. The film's creators are confident that they managed to make a film that will be comprehensible to everyone — both the die-hard electronic-music fan and the ordinary layman who understands nothing of musical styles and DJ "gadgets." Most likely even a connoisseur in these areas will discover something new for himself, since many musicians and DJs took part in the film's shooting: BT, Deep Dish, The Crystal Method, D:Fuse, Danny Tenaglia, Dieselboy, Dirty Vegas, Junior Sanchez, Mark Farina, Paul Oakenfold, Timo Maas.
Melbourne Shuffler
Director: Stephen Coles and David Knispel
2005, Australia
The documentary "Melbourne Shuffler" tells of the dance style of the same name, which was born in the late 1980s in Australia, on the underground scene of the city of Melbourne. The basic foundation of the Shuffle consists of a combination of three movements (steps). The movement combination itself is customarily called "shuffling" (which, translated from English, means mixing up). The Shuffle is one of several dances that arose in the acid house era. In that same era other analogous dance styles were also born — jacking and step. However, the acid house genre became more varied and split into two different sub-styles with one philosophy: back-step and shuffling. The Shuffle continued to develop in the nightclubs of Melbourne and other rave scenes over the course of many years.
The UnUsual Suspects: Once Upon a Time in House Music
Director: Chip Eberhart
2005, USA
This documentary tells of the history of house music in a global format. Built on interviews with well-known musicians and DJs, the film covers a long period (several generations) of the formation of this direction, which is popular today. Comments from the owners of the clubs Warehouse and The Loft, from the musicians Jesse Saunders, Robert Owens, Joe Smooth, Frankie Knuckles, Julius The Mad Thinker, Steve Silk Hurley, Loleatta Holloway, Larry Heard (aka Mr. Fingers), Carl Bias (Master C&J), Jere McCallister only reinforce the authority of this documentary, which tells of how music from the dance floors turned into a lifestyle.
It's All Gone Pete Tong
Director: Michael Dowse
2006, USA
A mockumentary comedy based on the tragic life of the legendary Frankie Wilde. The viewer is taken through Frankie's life — first the laurels of one of the world's best DJs, then the struggle with a hearing defect, and finally the mysterious disappearance from the scene. A genius in his own right, who broke through to the top of the DJ charts, he leads the sweet life of a superstar with a gorgeous wife at a luxurious villa on Ibiza. And it's here that tragedy overtakes him. Having a congenital hearing defect, he starts to go deaf, and in order to finish out the season on Ibiza, he has only one ear left. How will he stand at the turntables? Despite the title, Pete Tong himself appears in the frame for only a second. And the presence of his name is explained by linguistic nuances. The expression "It's all gone Pete Tong" matches in its rhythm the widely-used phrase "It's all gone wrong," which in fact reflects the essence of the film.
Rolling
Director: Billy Samoa Saleebey
2007, USA
In the film's plot, the paths of a medical student, a teenager who has run away from home, a lawyer, a club queen, a high-school basketball player, a dealer and a schoolteacher converge on the underground club scene of Los Angeles. They're all consumed by one passion, but they tell of it in different ways. The idea of the film is to reflect all sides of the youth "ecstasy" culture, laying bare the fragile balance of relationships and social responsibility.
Berlin Calling
Director: Hannes Stöhr
2008, Germany
In the plot, a fashionable and in-demand disc jockey, reaching the peak of his career, begins to slip imperceptibly into an abyss of vices and personal defeats: his problems begin one after another, his career goes to ruin and, in the end, he winds up in a drug-rehab clinic. The film's director was Hannes Stöhr, who had earlier made the film "One Day in Europe," in which an Englishwoman robbed in Moscow drank vodka and communicated with the capital's policemen. For the lead role in the project "Berlin Calling" he invited the well-known Berlin musician and DJ Paul Kalkbrenner. Also appearing in the film were representatives of the German club scene Sascha Funke, DJ Housemeister and others. A soundtrack was recorded especially for the film by Paul Kalkbrenner, which will soon see the light on the label Bpitch Control.