Thursday, April 2, 2009
Moving Pictures Scott Walker: 30 Century Man Shows This Weekend at The Belcourt
Posted by Adam Gold on Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Director Stephen Kijak's 30 Century Man is a demystifying and engrossing portrait of cult legend Scott Walker that traces the dark imagery found in the tales of death, melancholy and kinky sex that has informed his work, from his teen idol days as a member of The Walker Brothers to his time as a '70s balladeer and, ultimately, to his hauntingly bent avant-garde work of the last 25 years. Kijak gets unprecedented access to an enigmatic figure who, having spent the better part of the last 30 years in seclusion, has maintained a career shrouded in mystery. The film includes extensive interviews with Walker himself--who for the first time in decades allowed himself to be filmed in the studio. Like those of other revered cult singers, Walker's tale is one of self-sabotage through self-imposed exile.
The film is a naked and honest portrayal of a pathological man who craved neither the spotlight of pop-stardom nor the critical validation of a thousand talking heads. His work has deeply compelled artists the likes of David Bowie (the film's executive producer), Brian Eno, Sting, Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Marr, Blur's David Albarn and the chaps in Radiohead, all of whom are shown telling anecdotes of their experience with the man's music while listening to their favorite selections from his catalog. Where many music documentaries achieve little more than serving as rock-star homilies, 30 Century Man is exceptionally humble in its appreciation the subject--a testament to the mammoth influence that Scott Walker has had on 20th century music, despite his relative obscurity in the mainstream consciousness.
The film shows at the Belcourt Friday - Thursday, April 3-9. Here is the schedule:
Fri, 4/3 @ 7:00
Sat, 4/4 @ 12:00, 4:00, 8:00
Sun, 4/5 @ 6:00, 8:00, 10:00
Mon, 4/6 @ 9:55
Tue-Thu, 4/7-9 @ 9:00
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