The
documentary was technically well constructed and there were lots of
very good pictures and even some video from the recording sessions.
Still, I wonder if the availability of visual material affected the
way the documentary was balanced. To me, It seemed like the focus was
very strongly on a more general view of the circumstances around Big
Star such as the Memphis music scene and record companies in the early
1970s. A fan like me would have liked to hear more stories about the
music itself, making of it and the personalities behind it. At times it felt like
Big Star played a supporting role in the film.
Many
important people appear in the film, and the material as a whole is
impressive. I particularly enjoyed hearing about Alex Chilton's career after Big Star. Also some thoughts and feelings behind the creation of
Chilton and Chris Bell's music were depicted nicely. However, I
occasionally found the narrative and rhythm of the documentary diffuse making it
difficult to determine the cause and effect of things.
There
is always the question of what kinds of issues a music documentary
should cover and which audience it is aimed at. Perhaps this
particular documentary was mostly intended for those without much
prior experience of Big Star. In that case a more general view of the
background and surroundings of the main topic may be quite
justifiable. In any case, different people are interested in different things and
it is difficult to serve everybody.
