Sonic Boom ad
Advertisement

Guitar documentary starring Jimmy Page to compete at Berlin Film Festival

Friday, January 30, 2009

A new guitar documentary starring Jimmy Page is now among films set to compete in the Berlin Film Festival next month. "It Might Get Loud" has been selected for the competition at the festival, which begins Feb. 5 and spans 11 days. Variety's Ed Meza reports:

"The main section will unspool 26 films. Among those, 18 will contend for the Golden and Silver Bears, while eight will screen out of competition."
Tickets to the film's only two screenings at the Berlin Festival, scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11, are to become available Feb. 2. There will also be two screenings in Berlin affiliated with the European Film Market, on Feb. 7 and 11.

As previously reported by LedZeppelinNews.com, "It Might Get Loud" documents the first meeting of three generations of guitarists, including Page with Jack White and The Edge.

Following the film's screening at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this month, Blake Wood writes for the Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph that "It Might Get Loud" was his "personal favorite" among the documentaries:
"Though Sundance is known for its politically, socially and environmentally conscious work, my personal favorite was 'It Might Get Loud,' by Davis Guggenheim ('An Inconvenient Truth'). The creative spirits of three master electric guitarists, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), the Edge (U2) and Jack White (White Stripes) radiate, as they wax eloquent about inspirations and jamming together in this elegant film."
It was previously announced that the film would be slated for international distribution in theaters beginning around August, through Sony Pictures Classic. The Nashua Telegraph article inaccurately mentions a DVD release of the film around that time, while a press agent for the film confirms that a theatrical release is planned for August instead.

In the movie, the three guitarists jam at an arranged "summit," performing U2's "I Will Follow," White's "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," the Band's "The Weight" and Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying." The sight of the three of them playing that Zeppelin song left an impression on Guggenheim, who says in a Q&A:
"What I love about this movie, and what makes it so unique, is how the scale will change from Edge alone in his studio late night - to the three of them jamming on a Led Zeppelin track together with the volume full blast and the cameras capturing every angle."



The film also contains the first new music from Page aired publicly since 1999: a pair of instrumentals called "Embryo No. 1" and "Embryo No. 2." Viewers also watch as Page turns tour guide at Headley Grange and recounts what it was like to record Zep's fourth album there, and how they mic'ed up John Bonham's drums.

The movie made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, with a screening attended by all three guitarists. White attended the film's U.S. debut at Sundance.

0 comments:

Led Zeppelin Reunion


Photo courtesy of Simon Keeping

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin regrouped in 2007, with Jason Bonham on drums, to perform a year-end tribute to Ahmet Ertegun. Their widely praised concert was witnessed in person by fewer than 20,000 people. It is likely never to be repeated, and there are no announced plans to release the concert for home viewing. However, clicking the image above will bring up multi-cam footage of the entire Led Zeppelin performance as it happened on Dec. 10, 2007, at the O2 arena in London.

Many posts on LedZeppelinNews.com have centered on the possibility of a full-scale Led Zeppelin reunion, noting particularly the inaccuracies reported by the popular press.

Page


Jimmy Page stars with fellow guitarists Jack White and The Edge in this guitar documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"), which had widespread theatrical showings beginning in August.

LedZeppelinNews.com provided a review of "It Might Get Loud" at that time.

"It Might Get Loud" will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on Dec. 22 in the United States. Click here to pre-order on DVD or Blu-Ray. Prior to this, "It Might Get Loud" will be available on iTunes for two weeks beginning Dec. 8.

- What else should I know about "It Might Get Loud"?

- What else is Jimmy Page up to?

Plant


Just prior to the Led Zeppelin reunion concert in 2007, Robert Plant released the album Raising Sand with Alison Krauss. Their partnership has been the subject of much critical and commercial success, including victories at the Grammy awards two years in a row.

A follow-up to that album has been in pre-production, but Krauss's current priorities are new recordings and eventual touring with her signature band, Union Station. Progress on the second Plant/Krauss album is anticipated following the completion of the Union Station tour.

More recently, Plant entered the studio with famed U2 producer Daniel Lanois for some recording sessions, the nature of which has not been disclosed.

Following the breakup of Led Zeppelin, Plant went on to a rewarding career as a solo artist. He released six albums of his own between 1982 and 1993, two collaborative albums with Jimmy Page between 1994 and 1998, and two more solo albums since that time. Yet until Raising Sand, his biggest commercial success came in releasing an EP of classic cover material under the name The Honeydrippers.

- What else is Robert Plant up to?

Jones


John Paul Jones is now in one of the hottest and hardest rock bands, Them Crooked Vultures. The frontman, handling lead guitar and vocals, is Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters is on drums. As for Jones, he offers not only bass and keyboard but also mandolin, keytar, lap steel and whatever else is needed.

One album was released in November, and another is forthcoming. A tour of North America completed in November, and the band now heads to Europe in December and Australia in January.

- What's the latest on Them Crooked Vultures, the group featuring John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme?

- What else is John Paul Jones up to?

Jason Bonham


Jason Bonham, son of the late John "Bonzo" Bonham, does not take lightly the responsibility of carrying on his father's legacy. Having made a head start at drumming while he was a child, Jason is now passing on the same lessons to a third generation of Bonham drummers.

John Bonham's death in 1980 left such an impact on the surviving members of Led Zeppelin that they knew immediately they could not continue as they were. Yet Jason Bonham's familiarity with the band made him a shoe-in to join his father's bandmates on the few occasions reunion concerts have taken place.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of Bonham's most successful album release to date, the Platinum-certified disc The Disregard of Timekeeping released by his band, Bonham. To mark the milestone, he recently toured with a new band and played under the banner of "An Evening with Jason Bonham."

In the past, Bonham has also toured and/or recorded with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Foreigner, UFO, Paul Rodgers, Joe Bonamassa, Virginia Wolf, Airrace, Healing Sixes and Motherland. He also acted in the movie Rock Star and appeared on the reality TV show "SuperGroup."

- What's the latest on Jason Bonham?

Who Else

Archives