It’s not
so much a documentary, insofar as it dwells on a certain phenomenon or event,
presenting facts and subjective views, making the audience more well dispersed
in the subject, as it is a bunch of old and contemporary musicians recording of
music on ancient equipment. That’s really all there is to this film, and that
makes it pretty awesome. While some musicians, like Beck, really thrive in
environments such as this, others, like some generic rapper, probably should
stick to more modern ways of recording sounds.
It’s fun
to watch Jack White’s unending enthusiasm for the techniques, and to witness
Steve Martin not talk, not even sing, just sit there playing awesome banjo
while Edie Brickell does the vocalising.
With few
exceptions, the music is brilliant (where can I buy the soundtrack?) and the
2.5 hours feels much shorter.
Passed
the Bechdel test
4 violins of 6