Formed in 1979 in Wichita, Kansas, the so-called "blister pop" band the Embarrassment played major U.S. cities and garnered praise from the likes of Allen Ginsberg, John Cale and Jonathan Demme, but their refusal to compromise their vision made success elusive. Through archival interviews and concert footage, this documentary draws a portrait of the oft-overlooked post-punk legends.
The culture of Japan is incredible, from bloom festivals to ultra-modern cities. But there are also more than 130 mammals and 600 bird species dwelling in Japan’s 6852 islands. This island chain is long enough to span climate zones, providing a huge range of habitat.
Documenting the recording process for Paul's 1997 album Flaming Pie, In The World Tonight is a fascinating insight into how a studio album is constructed, following Paul around his home studio and Abbey Road as he creates what would go on to be his first studio album in four years. In many ways there are two Paul McCartneys, the legend and the man. In The World Tonight reveals the man behind the public face, intimately capturing him at work, at ease and as candid as ever.
Vita Dolce
Join legendary punk icon Billy Idol as he makes history by playing the first ever live concert in front of the world famous Hoover Dam.
Siblings Aru, age 3, and Kino, age 1, have 3 parents: father Fumino, who is transgender; mother Honoyo, Fumino's partner who gave birth to the children; and father Gon, a close gay friend who donated his sperm. The 3 are now raising their children together, struggling repeatedly to find their own way of being a family. This program covers their first 3 years of parenting. And it asks an important question: What does it take to be a family?
Le Baron et l'Empereur : Japon, la voie de la guerre
An unflinching and deeply personal journey into the life and work of guitarist Eric Clapton told through his own words and songs.
"It Is What It Is" is the story behind the band The Breathing Light. Recorded over various periods in it's short period of 5 years, it gives viewers insight into the personalities and ideals that make up the band.
Dizzy Gillespie is one of the major figures of the 20th Century's music scene. Everything was once said or written about this genius musician, founder of the Bebop. Whereas his public life is known from most, many ignore about the modest side of his character and the story of his long and deep friendship with a man rather unknown from the general public, the Swiss engineer Jacques Muyal. Through previously unrevealed archives as well as musical extracts, this documentary explores the story of the friendship between a genius trumpeter and a man crazy about Jazz.
How the Japanese process American pop culture and make it their own -- a mind-bending odyssey through cultural mixing.
In 1968, musician Irmin Schmidt and friends founded the avant-garde band "Can", which achieved worldwide fame. Schmidt also made a name for himself as a composer for films by Wim Wenders. In this documentary, the charismatic sound tinkerer looks back on his life and career.
This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.
A radio DJ in pursuit of an exclusive interview follows ABBA during their mega-successful tour of Australia.
For centuries the Japanese warred among themselves and their neighbors, creating a colorful, rich and sometimes brutal legacy. Intriguing to outsiders for centuries, modern Japan is no less so In the 21st century. Focuses on Tokyo and its environs, with attention to scenery, shopping and shrines.
This first documentary about the pop group ABBA was made around the time of the release of their fourth album 'Arrival'. It contains unique archive footage filmed at the secret location where they made the record, concert footage, specially made promotional videos, photos from the group members' private collection and interviews in Swedish with each of them: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Stig was also interviewed briefly and was shown playing and singing part of Tivedshambo on acoustic guitar.
Estrela da Manhã
A look back at the violent conflict between the two leading figures of musical modernity, Arnold Schönberg and Igor Stravinsky, in the first decades of the 20th century. Although Arnold Schönberg and Igor Stravinsky both had a decisive influence on the fourth art, their creations remained diametrically opposed. While the Austrian developed the dodecaphonic method, placing the twelve notes of the chromatic scale at the heart of the composition technique to the detriment of tonality, his Russian rival based his practice on stylistic eclecticism. Their supporters formed two opposing camps, and the two composers - one the father of the Second Viennese School, the other of Neoclassicism - became, in the wake of their successes, the figureheads of a conflict that marked the history of music by its duration and intensity.
In 1983, film student Rich Murray was handed $20,000 in a brown paper bag by a mobster. The money was for directing his first music video for a virtually unknown Philly rocker named Alan Mann. Mann's song "Christmas on the Block" became a Philly radio staple and Murray's music video, against the odds, became the first indie video to play on MTV. This experience, tainted by Mann's tragic passing, remained with Murray through the years. With "Fear of Heights," Murray travels back to that time to answer some nagging questions and to illuminate the dark, mysterious life and music of Alan Mann.
In the late '90s, French musician Matthieu Chedid prepares to launch his solo career. Filmed by his sister Émilie, this intimate documentary captures the behind-the-scenes creation of -M-—from his debut album "Le Baptême" to the mainstream success of "Je dis aime". The film reveals how a reserved guitarist crafted his colorful, eccentric alter ego to become a major figure on the French rock scene.