Zappa
Remarkable portrait of Frank Zappa (1940-1993), musical innovator and social critic with a keen analytical worldview.
Although Zappa was definitely regarded as a rock star, his music defies categorization. Ruth Underwood, his former percussionist, aptly summarizes it: it’s not rock & roll, it’s not pop, it’s not jazz; it’s Zappa! This versatility is one of the main themes of this documentary. A large number of musicians and other colleagues he worked with testify to his dedication as a composer, musician, filmmaker and visual designer.
The film concentrates on documenting Zappa’s almost obsessively anti-establishment and counter-culture nature and the uncompromising way he judged himself and those around him, as well as society at large. It tries to unravel his complicated mind by means of excerpts from personal interviews spanning his entire career, but it also contains a lot of material recovered from his vast personal vault. For instance, fragments from films he made himself: rare footage from his youth spliced with disturbing images from horror films and films showing large industrial sites.
Although there are a few scenes showing his loving family – his wife Gail and their four children – his personal life largely remains in the background, just as it was in real life.
All in all, this is a compelling, extremely dense, patchwork portrait of a legendary, visionary artist who struggled with the tension between art and the confinements of the music industry all his life. (bw)