Mayo's Sound + Vision festival celebrates musical maestros on film
After a hiatus of five years, Sound+Vision, in association with access>CINEMA, returns to Ballina Arts Centre this weekend with a programme of films which celebrate music.
The theme for 2021 is ‘Genius’ and the programme will explore how the idea of genius has made such memorable contributions to the history of music.
The celebration kicks off with the film In Bed With Madonna (also known as Truth or Dare) at 2 p.m. today (Saturday).
This was, and remains, riveting as a study in community as well as a solo portrait. Combining colour scenes of Madonna’s onstage act with grainy black and white glimpses of her offstage one, the film attempts to do more than just a replicate the Blonde Ambition experience.
The film documents the freewheeling circus of Madonna’s backstage life, surrounded by her self-described 'family' of assistants, adjuncts and back-up dancers, with their own spiralling dramas and conflicts.
Following at 6 p.m. today is the screening of The Devil and Daniel Johnston, which takes viewers on a journey into a creative genius' struggle with life. Daniel Johnston recorded his entire life on cassette tape and his early life on film. Later he appeared on MTV and in venues in Austin, TX, on film and video.
These provide the filmmaker, Jeff Feuerzeig, with a wide array of media for telling this story. He chronicles the life of a manic-depressive musician and artist using a blend of home movies, Johnston's own audiotapes, vintage performances and current footage.
Johnston has recorded more than 10 full-length albums and amassed a prolific portfolio of sketches, and has among his supporters Matt Groening, David Bowie, Sonic Youth, Beck and Tom Waits.
To end off the theme of genius for Saturday is the showing at 8.30 p.m. of Crock of Gold, which looks at the life of Irish singer-songwriter and Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan.
Filmmaker Julien Temple dives deep into the life of the tortured MacGowan, who famously combined traditional Irish music with the visceral energy of punk rock.
Crock of Gold features unseen archival footage from the band and MacGowan's family, as well as animation from legendary illustrator Ralph Steadman.
Psychologial drama
The celebration of genius continues tomorrow (Sunday) at 2 p.m. with the film Shine. This 1996 Australian biographical psychological drama is based on the life of David Helfgott, a pianist who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions.
The film stars Geoffrey Rush who, in 1997, was awarded the award for best actor at the 69th Academy Awards for his performance in the lead role.
The success of Amy and the music of its soundtrack led to a second posthumous nomination for Amy Winehouse at the 2016 BRIT Awards. The film starts at 6 p.m. sharp tomorrow and covers British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse's life and her struggle with substance abuse, both before and after her career blossomed, and which eventually caused her death.
Commenting on the documentary, David Joseph, CEO of Universal Music UK, said: “It's a very complicated and tender movie. It tackles lots of things about family and media, fame, addiction, but most importantly, it captures the very heart of what she was about, which is an amazing person and a true musical genius.”
Amy premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, being shown in the Midnight Screenings section, and subsequently received critical acclaim, garnering 33 nominations and winning a total of 30 awards at various ceremonies, including the 58th Grammy Awards and the 88th Academy Awards.
To end the celebration of music in film is Love and Mercy at 8.30 p.m. tomorrow. Bill Pohlad’s moving biopic of Brian Wilson, one of popular music’s greatest talents, recounts in parallel narratives the recording of The Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds and the circumstances in the 1980s through which, with the help of eventual wife Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), he escaped the domination of the rapist Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti).
Sensitive in its depiction of the effects of fame and critical expectation on Wilson’s mental health, and the subsequent years tragically lost to Landy’s masquerade of assistance, Paul Dano and John Cusack, who alternate the lead role in the different time periods, create an impressively cohesive portrayal of a man who, despite being so immensely gifted, was heartbreakingly vulnerable to criticism and exploitation (and not just by Landy). The scenes of Wilson in the studio with the Wrecking Crew are an absolute joy, and it’s unlikely that any film this year will have a better soundtrack.
All tickets cost €5. For bookings, see ballinaartscentre.com.