Pat Hartley Movies
The rise of teen culture in 1950s Britain provides the backdrop for Julien Temple's unconventional rock musical Absolute Beginners. The film centers on Colin, an 18-year-old with a talent for photography and a fondness for the neon nightlife of British jazz clubs. He also is in love with Crepe Suzette, an impulsive, ambitious young beauty who abandons him after attracting the attention of a powerful fashion designer. Depressed and aimless, Colin turns for help to a flashy ad executive (David Bowie) who promises to make him a star photographer. The former lovers take parallel paths to success, capitalizing on the youth mania gripping the nation. The film's nostalgic yet gently satirical look at teen culture is tempered by a recognition of the era's social tension, particularly a disturbing rise in racism. Despite these serious undertones, however, the film tells its story with a colorful vibrancy reminiscent of both MTV and old Hollywood musicals, filled with such show-stopping numbers as a memorable sequence in which Bowie dances on a giant typewriter. Critical reception was mixed, with some hailing the film's spectacular cinematography and ambitious scope, while others found the mixture of tones and style too inconsistent. The film also drew lukewarm response at the box office, with the memorable soundtrack receiving more attention than the film itself. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eddie O'Connell, Patsy Kensit, (more)
Jimi Hendrix was one of the most prodigiously gifted electric guitarists in rock music history, leaving behind a remarkable body of work after his death in 1970. Jimi Hendrix combines live footage of Hendrix in concert with interviews with Hendrix's friends and contemporaries. Also known as A Film About Jimi Hendrix. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1971
- PG
In this exercise in cinematic psychedelia (it's a classic example of the sort of film that only seems to have found wide release in the late 1960s or early 1970s), a group of young people looking to expand their consciousness arrive at the Rainbow Bridge Occult Meditation Center in Hawaii. They get to know each other and exchange ideas about any number of profound subjects, but the real action starts about 40 minutes into the picture when Jimi Hendrix shows up to play a concert for the participants. This show turned out to be Hendrix's last live concert in the United States, and he and bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell perform "Foxy Lady," "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," "Purple Haze," "Get My Heart Back Together," and "Hear My Train A'Comin'." Rainbow Bridge also features an interview with Hendrix, in which he discusses music and philosophy.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
~ Mark Deming, Rovi
