It Might Get Loud

I woke up early this morning to get into the waiting line for It Might Get Loud. Because the bus to the theater didn't run until 8, Alec and I had to take the bus to a resort a mile a way and walk. Since we were the 9 and 10 people in line we barely made it (15 were admitted) It was at a brand new temple and was the first screening ever shown there. One of the Sundance programmers that spoke before the screening joked, "We are at a temple, its about to become a temple of rock."

It Might Get Loud Review

In this film, three of the most prolific guitarists of their times, Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page, are brought together to talk about rock. Although this is the premise of the documentary very little footage of the actual meeting are shown. Instead, the movie is driven by the juxtaposition of interviews and footage of each of the individual artist. The director, Davis Guggeheim (who also directed An Inconvenient Truth) chose the perfect three artists for the movie because they are so distinct from each other not only in their music but in their philosophies.

Jack White is the most open of all the artists in the movie because he was able to genuinely express his approach. To Jack, music is a struggle, "You have to pick a fight with the guitar," he says. His view was artistically expressed in a scene where Jack is talking about the history of the blues and on the screen footage of Jack playing "Blue Viens" in concert so hard his hands are bleeding all over the guitar is contrasted with pictures of historical blues musicians. This modern day blues artist adresses everything from his past to his influences throughout the movie.

The Edge, in stark contradiction to Jack White's minimalistic style and plastic Airline guitar, is shown through out the movie playing with effects modules and techonologic pedals to produce his U2 stadium rock style. He explains in the movie how it is possible to completley change the sound of the guitar just by utilizing these innovations. He also talked about U2's past and how they started off by playing after school in their elementary school and their early struggles.

To Jimmy Page, rock is sex. "The curves of the guitar are like a woman's," he says at one point and later on when talking about Stairway to Heaven, "it just builds and builds like an orgasm." It was obvious throughout the movie that Jimmy Page was not accostumed to interviews becuase it seemed that he struggled with being open. But, this prolific Led Zeppelin guitarist was a key dynamic in the movie because he was able to address his developement as an artist in the dawn of rock.

These three artists were able to capture the history and the essence of rock and ultimately the film is not just about music, but ultimately it is a statement about culture and how music is statement the times and the experiences of each artist.

Director Q and A

After the film, Davis Guggenhiem and the editor and producer of the movie came out for a question and answer session. The director said that when the artists were going to meet, no one really knew what was going to happen. There was no real plan and for the first few hours of their two day gathering, it was very quiet and difficult for each of them to open up. The reason that they picked the three artists was because they decided to pick a few artists that they loved and that the selection was "intuitive rather than scientific". Guggenheim also said that most music documentaries frustrate him because they are always either "encyclopedic" or they only talk about drugs and sex and they are never about music. He finally commented on the style that he discovered during An Inconvenient Truth. He found that the most effect interviews were done with the least amount of equipment and the best were done with only a recorder. So, what he did on this film and An Inconvenient Truth is play the audio over footage.

My Rating 9/10 Bottom Line: I was absolutely blown away by this film and I had goosebumps throughout.