THE DEVILS (Thursday September 10): I literally wrote the book (https://ecwpress.com/products/raising-hell) about this controversial 1971 Ken Russell film. Banned and censored in its initial release, the story of 17th-century priest accused of witchcraft by a sexually repressed nun has hasn’t been seen in its original form for decades. Until now. The new 4k restoration, which debuted in Cannes this year, is breathtaking. Provocative, it’s a thing of terrible beauty that demands a reaction. It’s a testament to Russell’s vision that 55 years after it was originally released in theatres, it will likely be the most transgressive movie at this year’s festival.
BEING HEUMANN (Friday September 11): “Being Heumann” tells the undeniably important story of a disabled activist named Judy Heumann, and the powerful story of how she spearheaded the 1977 Section 504 sit-in, which resulted in the federal government of the United States giving more rights and privileges to disabled people. The filmmaking could have used a bit more grit and a little less made-for-television style, but the story is undeniably affecting.
I PLAY ROCKY (Saturday September 12): An inspirational story about an inspirational movie, “I play Rocky” is an audience friendly look at Sylvester Stallone‘s early life and journey to get his script for Rocky produced, with the stipulation that he play the title character. An entertaining underdog tale, it features the great casting of Anthony Ippolito in the lead, and Tracey lets as a skeptical studio executive. It captures the spirit of the 1976 original film, even if it leans into sentimentality and exposition. It’s not a reinvention of the original story or movie or biopic, it’s simply a crowd-pleasing reminder of a true underdog phenomenon.
DARLENE LOVE: I KNOW WHERE I’VE BEEN (Monday September 14): You might not know the name, but you certainty know Darlene Love’s voice. From background vocal work on everything from Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash” and “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra to Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” and “Rockin’ Robin” by Bobby Day, for decades she decorated and elevated hundreds of pop songs with her remarkable voice. “If you want proof of God, just listen to Darlene Love,” record producer Lou Adler says in the documentary, “Darlene Love: I Know Where I’ve Been.” The film details her strict Christian upbringing upbring in Los Angeles—no “devil’s music” allowed in the house—to her fraught work with volatile super-producer Phil Spector, who stole her vocal identity, using her voice, but not her name on dozens of hit singles and subsequent career ups and downs. With loads of archival footage, new interviews with Paul Schaffer, Steve Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, David Letterman, Marc Shaiman and Cher, and stunning new performances, recorded live at NYC’s Power Station recording studio, it’s a celebration of Love’s life, career and the voice that launched a thousand hit songs.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM (Monday September 14): “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is a historical document that feels as alive and rich as it did the day it was shot. It documents a remarkable August 1972 gathering of artists, poets, painters, musicians and scholars who gathered at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in New York City to reflect on the cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement of the 1920s and 30s known as the Harlem Renaissance. Shot verité-style, the documentary isn’t just a record of an extraordinary event, it’s also a tribute to the legacy of change ushered in by the people who assembled that afternoon. The fifty-four-year-old footage of their reminiscences, disagreements and conversation is so intimate it feels as though you, as a viewer, are eavesdropping on history in real time.
NEIL PEART: NO ONE’S DISCIPLE (Wednesday, September 16): Neil Peart, the man who inspired a million air paradiddles is celebrated in a documentary that pays tribute to the music he made with Rush, but also the influence he on a generation or two of drummers. Set mostly in a rehearsal hall as bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson dust off a series of Rush classics with guest drummers Danny Carey of Tool, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Gavin Harrison of King Crimson and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers tackling the intricate and demanding drum parts created by Peart, a feat Lee describes as “running a marathon while doing math equations.” There isn’t much in the way of new information, but the obvious joy Lee and Lifeson derive revisiting songs they hadn’t played in a decade is contagious, as is the respect shown the drummer and lyricist known as The Professor by his friends and peers. It’s a tribute to their late bandmate but also a rediscovery of their music. Lee says the surviving members of Rush “put the music in a box,” but making this film made them realize they have “50 years and a body of music that is still alive.”
