Performance
see all genres ›One of the biggest attractions from cinema's earliest days was its ability to record great live performances and, with the arrival of sound, that extended to live musical ones, too.
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Genres / Music / Performance
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Black Wax
BLACK WAX is a musical-political entertainment film produced and directed by Robert Mugge in 1982. It was the first American film to be fully funded by Britain's then-brand-new Channel 4 Television and also likely the first film to use Steadicam from first frame to last. BLACK WAX centers on the...Watch Movie
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Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life
An invaluable introduction to a largely unknown creative talent (outside of Poland), KOMEDA: A SOUNDTRACK FOR LIFE introduces viewers to Krzysztof Komeda, a Polish jazz musician best-known for his score for Roman Polanski’s ROSEMARY'S BABY. Komeda, who died prematurely in 1969...Watch Movie
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Until the Light Takes Us
UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US tells the story of black metal. Part music scene and part cultural uprising, black metal rose to worldwide notoriety in the mid-nineties when a rash of suicides, murders, and church burnings accompanied the explosive artistic growth and output of a...Watch Movie
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The Bolero
One of the most honored films of its time and winner of an Academy Award®, THE BOLERO captures the essence of an orchestra as Zubin Mehta conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a stellar performance of Ravel's classic. Viewers gain insights into the music, the workings of a great orchestra, and...Watch Movie
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Cure for Pain
Like his namesake, the mythical creature of European folklore whose sprinklings of magical powder graced children with sweet dreams, independent rock icon Mark Sandman dwelled in a nocturnal shadowland and brought otherworldly visions and no small measure of comfort to his devoted fans. As the...Watch Movie
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Giuseppe Makes a Movie
While the rest of America slept, DIY filmmaker/musician Giuseppe Andrews (a one-time teen actor in INDEPENDENCE DAY and DETROIT ROCK CITY) has made over thirty experimental features with titles like DOILY'S SUMMER OF FREAK OCCURRENCES, TRAILER TOWN and UTOPIA BLUES. Set in...Watch Movie
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Brothers Hypnotic
At 6:00 a.m. sharp, the children of jazz musician Phil Cohran began band rehearsal. A family of twenty-four living on Chicago's South Side, the "brothers" of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble were brought up by their father and three mothers on a strict diet of jazz, funk and Black...Watch Movie
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X: The Unheard Music
The iconic L.A. band X changed the face of punk music with their vibrant, original style. We see the band at its peak in this legendary film, which took five years to make. As vital today as the day it was released twenty-five years ago, X: THE UNHEARD MUSIC, preserved by the...Watch Movie
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Strange Powers
Stephin Merritt is known as "the Cole Porter of his generation" for his memorable melodies, lovelorn lyrics and wry musical stylings. Shot over 10 years, STRANGE POWERS explores his friendship with longtime bandmate/manager, Claudia Gonson. Through his recording/songwriting process, the film...Watch Movie
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9 Full Moons
A powerful, brooding love story about the seemingly implausible relationship of two radically different personalities somehow always meant for each other, set against the hipster music scene of East Los Angeles. Frankie is an emotional train wreck, careening around the local music establishments,...Watch Movie
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Alan Vega: Just a Million Dreams
This intimate portrait will reveal uncommon stories of groundbreaking visual artist and pioneer of minimalist electronic rock, Alan Vega, vocalist and composer for 1970s and 80s punk/post punk duo Suicide. Alan plays with the camera and enjoys the friendship of filmmaker...Watch Movie
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The Kingdom of Zydeco
Attempting to name a new "king of zydeco" in the mid 1990s, THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO looks at the Black Creole music scene of Southwest Louisiana. The music's original self-proclaimed "king" was the great Clifton Chenier who did more than anyone to develop zydeco's musical form...Watch Movie
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Made of Stone
In 2012, a resurrection no one thought possible took place when legendary band, the Stone Roses reformed after sixteen years. With unprecedented access to previously unseen archival footage, MADE OF STONE is a revealing journey through the life of one of the most revered and influential bands in...Watch Movie
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Glastonbury Fayre
In the summer of 1971 the Glastonbury legend was born when the organizers decided to try and create a festival that would be a forerunner for an "alternative and utopian society." The festival encompassed Midsummer's Day, and in true medieval tradition, the area of Worthy...Watch Movie
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The Last Rumba of Papa Montero
A fascinating film on the rhythmic dance genre known as Rumba, LA ULTIMA RUMBA DE PAPA MONTERO dances around the life of Papa Montero, one of the famous rumberos of Cuba, assassinated during carnival. A discovery of Cuban traditions and every day life told through beautiful...Watch Movie
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Apocalypse
This strikingly shot concert documentary follows enigmatic Drag City singer/songwriter Bill Callahan on a two-week tour from California to New York. For the past twenty-five years, under both the Smog moniker and under his own name, Callahan has cultivated a legacy as both a pioneer in the lo-fi...Watch Movie
