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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Reviews    Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  ›  Jimi: All Is By My Side Moderators: Nixon
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  Author    Jimi: All Is By My Side  (currently 800 views)
rendevous
Posted: March 8th, 2016, 9:32pm Report to Moderator
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I saw this the other night on dvd.

Naturally, I'm somewhat of a Hendrix fan. In my eyes he was, and indeed still is, utterly astonishing. I'd never seen a film biography of him, so I was looking forward to this.

I was going to get it a while ago, but then I heard the film makers hadn't secured the rights to Hendrix's music, as his estate refused to give permission. Apparently they won't give rights unless they are allowed full participation in production. Control freaks methinks perhaps. Or downright sensible? We shall see.

You would imagine any sane filmmaker would at this point give up and move on. Oh no, these filmmakers ploughed on and made their film about Jimi Hendrix, without any of his music.

At first I thought no, forget it. Then I thought hang on, I've gotta see it, it's gotta have a lot going for it, or at least something special happening. How the hell do you make a film about such a famous musician without using his music?

Hmmm. The answer is 'with huge difficulty'.

The guy playing Hendrix was fine, he was apparently knocking 40 at the time, 13 years older than Hendrix ever got, but he looked and acted the part near enough. Often I found myself thinking he was spot on.

Guitar wise he was miming. He wasn't even used to playing guitar left handed, but he did a pretty good job at it.

The vast majority of the time you'd swear he was really playing, so I've no real complaints there. He had the moves and attitude nailed.

The film's main problem was lack of story. It starts off well enough. Hendrix's story before he became famous is interesting. But it's not really film worthy, even to a fan like me. So they made stuff up. Jimi hitting a woman hard with a phone. Which he didn't actually do. Doh! No wonder the estate said fuck off.

And the actual start is a disaster. One which is unfathomably repeated later in the film.

It's a fairly well known recreated black and white clip of Hendrix on the Lulu show. I think this particular episode became notorious at the time as it was live and it overran, a serious thing at the time as it screwed up the programming for the rest of the night. Jimi got carried away with himself and kept going. There was a bit more to it than that, if memory serves, but that'll do for the purpose here.

Anyway, the film is different from the clip as the actress playing Lulu mentions Queen when namechecking bands who are Hendrix's competition at the time. I recall it led to a Hendrix BBC ban. Always good for business back then.

At first I thought I misheard. So like the nerd I am I rewound and checked. I didn't. What's the problem, I hear you cry. Queen were a massive rock band who could indeed have been Hendrix rivals.

The problem is Queen didn't form until 1970. Hendrix died in 1971. Queen didn't even put anything out until 1973, long after his death and even then it didn't make them competition to anyone, as few noticed.

Ooh, those dates are close, aren't they? Maybe I'm mistaken and the filmmakers aren't so wrong. No, the clip is infamous (in certain circles) and from a TV show made and shown in 1969.

It wasn't until 1974 and their second album that Queen started having hits - a full three years after Hendrix's demise. And five after the clip is set.

So, what's the big deal? The Lulu thing is the opening scene of the film. It's the opening dialogue. They use the clip to top and tail and the movie. If they got this wrong, and it's not open to debate or interpretation, then how much do they care?

With any film of budget more than pocket money there's a long way to go before anyone gets anywhere near a camera. Then it's another long haul before the film gets anywhere near a cinema. How on earth did no one involved notice?

It's like saying the Beatles formed in Birmingham in the 1950s. Or the Rolling Stones are in fact all Welsh. The Who were French and Black Sabbath were German. Queen  were Inuit and also time travellers.

At a stretch the filmmakers could claim it's not actually the famous Lulu show episode, but something else that was later. It doesn't matter. Hendrix was dead long before Queen shifted any singles so this film's opening gambit is plain daft.

At a stretch I suppose you could think Jimi had given Lulu some really good drugs and blew her mind. Excuse me while I kiss the sky.

The other thing that's really annoying is that when a famous new character appears, such as Brian Epstein or Keith Richards, the film has to put up a subtitle stating their name. God forbid they use dialogue or the scene to introduce them. I suppose at least they spelled their names right.

Luckily for the filmmakers Hendrix was fond of playing covers, so that's what they used for the music performances. That and a load of stuff which is probably legally okay, but suspiciously similar to some Hendrix tunes. So much so you're dying to hear the real thing as the film continues

In the end it all meanders along. At the end it just stops, when Hendrix and his Experience get off a plane on their way to a festival.

It's all a shame as some of it's good and I wanted to like it. But it's like someone's girlfriend who is nice enough most of the time. But when nobody's looking she sets fires and smashes windows.

Can you make a good film about a famous musician without using his music? After seeing this I doubt it.

R


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rendevous  -  March 8th, 2016, 10:43pm
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stevie
Posted: March 9th, 2016, 4:04pm Report to Moderator
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You could do one about the Beatles for sure and no one would even really notice as their persona and image is pretty much as well known as their music lol.

i recall watching the trailer for this ages ago RV and thought it seemed ok. Jimi actually died in 1970, you maybe be thinking of Morrison who died in 1971. The flat Jimi died in was once rented by Ringo and Paul and Linda always maintained they could possibly have helped Jimi on the night of his death as they had seen him earlier and thought he was struggling.

Jimi's sister controls all his estate and stuff now. Not sure if she's genuinely protecting his legacy ( in much the same way as Apple kept strict control of the Beatles stuff for years) or she's feeding off her brother. Its still puzzling how the writers could make so many factual errors but then sometimes the real story of the Sixties is a blur lol. His story would be best told as a mini series a la 'Vinyl'.

I like a few of Jimi's songs - Castles Made Of Sand my fave - and totally recognise his legacy. A number of his songs haven't aged well due to the sound production but I love his story. The Beatles had a fair bit to do with him coming to England and playing the clubs. He blew them all away playing sgt Pepper opening song at a gig 2 days after the album was released.

RV, maybe one day we could write the definitive screenplay about JH? Years back i started writing one about the Beatles roadie Mal Evans but haven't gotten back to it.

Heaps of untold stories about the sixties still out there in the ether lol



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rendevous
Posted: March 9th, 2016, 8:15pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from stevie
Jimi actually died in 1970, you maybe be thinking of Morrison who died in 1971.


Smartarse.

I hate it when I'm wrong. One of the few characteristics I share with the Fonz. My hair is better. And I don't stick my thumbs up. Or hang around with teenagers. Moving on...

Thankfully this erm, minor error only strengthens my argument regarding the Jimi film.

I wasn't thinking of Morrison. Well, kind of. I'd always heard that big Jim, Hendrix and Janis Joplin all died in 1971. I think this is because they all died almost within a year of each other. Hendrix first, then Morrison in July followed by Joplin in October. All of them 27, which is probably another reason they are grouped together and the 1971 thing.

If I was any good I'd have checked. Thankfully Stevie is around to cover my perfectly formed arse, then give it a swift kick when it slips. Erm, swiftly moving on again...


Quoted from stevie
The flat Jimi died in was once rented by Ringo and Paul and Linda always maintained they could possibly have helped Jimi on the night of his death as they had seen him earlier and thought he was struggling.


That's sad. I've never heard that before.


Quoted from stevie
  Jimi's sister controls all his estate and stuff now. Not sure if she's genuinely protecting his legacy ( in much the same way as Apple kept strict control of the Beatles stuff for years) or she's feeding off her brother. Its still puzzling how the writers could make so many factual errors but then sometimes the real story of the Sixties is a blur lol. His story would be best told as a mini series a la 'Vinyl'.


Perhaps. I think what annoyed me the most was that in many ways it was nearly there. I guess I was hoping for something amazing. Hendrix deserves it.

They used to graffiti 'Clapton is God' on walls in London, as many were stunned by Slowhand's guitar skills. Then they saw Jimi. Even Clapton said about Hendrix to his manager 'You never told me he was that fucking good.'


Quoted from stevie
I like a few of Jimi's songs - Castles Made Of Sand my fave - and totally recognise his legacy. A number of his songs haven't aged well due to the sound production but I love his story. The Beatles had a fair bit to do with him coming to England and playing the clubs. He blew them all away playing sgt Pepper opening song at a gig 2 days after the album was released.


Quite. Balls bigger than my head to play that before them. Most wouldn't have even dreamed of attempting it. They did that bit well in the movie.


Quoted from stevie
RV, maybe one day we could write the definitive screenplay about JH? Years back i started writing one about the Beatles roadie Mal Evans but haven't gotten back to it.


Maybe. We'd have to get it past the sister though. Doesn't sound easy. Jimi, apart from being guitar god and hugely influential, was also quite a drug taker and womaniser. I doubt she'd approve of something truthful and reasonably accurate.


Quoted from stevie
Heaps of untold stories about the sixties still out there in the ether lol


Indeed. Just gotta catch them. Hope all's good for you and yours.

R



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stevie
Posted: March 9th, 2016, 8:34pm Report to Moderator
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Sorry to be a flog RV but Janis died in 1970 too lol.

I read a bio of Jimi years ago. It was pretty detailed but the only prob was the author wasn't really neutral about his opinion of Jimi and it was very worshipy and hard to take at times.  



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rendevous
Posted: March 9th, 2016, 8:44pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from stevie
Sorry to be a flog RV but Janis died in 1970 too lol.


Yes and you'll be joining them if you don't start behaving. My poor cheeks.

R


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