Celia the Queen
Granville 7 Theatre 1
Friday, October 3 2008 7:15pm
Celia Cruz was one of the greatest singers of Salsa music. As one of the many talented musicians who left Cuba after the Revolution, she faced an uncertain future in exile. She went on to have a great life in the United States, and helped spread Cuban music around the world.
She was bigger than life on and off stage. Vivacious, with a broad smile, and vibrant deep voice, she was the personification of the great Cuban singing star. A larger than life star needs larger than life accessories, so her flamboyant costumes, shoes, and wigs became her trademark.
She led a very public life, and was surprisingly accessible. There is extensive footage of her in concert, behind the scenes, and in media interviews. But somehow she managed to keep enough private to remain happily married to musician Pedro Knight for almost four decades.
Cruz recorded extensively and collaborated with many Latin musicians. She and Knight toured the world with several salsa groups, most notably the Fania All-Stars.
The film interviews an eclectic mix of fans. Inspired by Cruz's electric persona and outlandish costumes, a Cuban émigré becomes a female impersonator of her. A Cuban-American artist paints a whole series of her image in Warhol-like abstract form. "Two Cuban-American boys in London" who just phoned her up while she was in London, starting a friendship that would later result in a coffee table book about her.
Cruz was greatly admired by musicians inside and outside the Cuban music scene. Among her professional devotees interviewed are Talking Heads front man David Byrne, hip hop star Wyclef Jean, Latin singer Gloria Estefan, and producer and composer Quincy Jones.
The salsa influence even reaches the Far East. A segment in Tokyo, Japan visits a Latin dance studio, a Latin record store, and a Latin music night club. The Japanese salsa fans are as devoted to Cruz as her American fans.
She performed and recorded up until the end at age 78 when she passed away in 2003. Her's was virtually a state funeral. The streets of New York City were lined with thousands of fans cheering her as the procession made its way to St. Patrick's Cathedral.
This film is a loving tribute to the Queen of Salsa. ¡Azúcar!
Saturday, October 04, 2008
VIFF Review: Ice People
Ice People
Pacific Cinematheque
Thursday, October 3 2008 1:30pm
The first light of the austral spring sun lights the horizon in Antarctica, signalling the end of the dark winter. For the scientists living and working at McMurdo Station it is time again to venture back into the field. This documentary is a look into the life of geologists working in the coldest, driest, most remote place on Earth.
Visually the landscape of Antarctica is spectacular. The region the geologists is exploring looks remarkably like the U.S. southwest desert. With massive buttes rising out of the vast brick coloured plain, and surrounded by distant mountains, you could almost believe you were in Arizona if it wasn't for the -20C temperature and dusting of snow. Leaf fossils reveal the history of the region. What is now polar desert was once a temperate forest and lake.
The most noticeable difference with this film from most other science documentaries is how quiet it is. There is a complete lack of narration, and barely a music soundtrack. It's a very natural soundscape with only the sound of the wind, the crunch of footsteps, the scraping of shovels, and the laboured breathing of the scientists. Using only the available sound is effective in communicating the feeling of isolation and smallness in this vast land.
The downside of no narration or soundtrack is that it makes the film dull and sometimes puzzling. Interviews and footage of the geologists as they work and live out of tents in the field reveals something of their scientific work and life down under but still leaves so much unexplained and unexplored. A circumspect and ultimately unsatisfying film which could have been much more interesting with more post production.
Pacific Cinematheque
Thursday, October 3 2008 1:30pm
The first light of the austral spring sun lights the horizon in Antarctica, signalling the end of the dark winter. For the scientists living and working at McMurdo Station it is time again to venture back into the field. This documentary is a look into the life of geologists working in the coldest, driest, most remote place on Earth.
Visually the landscape of Antarctica is spectacular. The region the geologists is exploring looks remarkably like the U.S. southwest desert. With massive buttes rising out of the vast brick coloured plain, and surrounded by distant mountains, you could almost believe you were in Arizona if it wasn't for the -20C temperature and dusting of snow. Leaf fossils reveal the history of the region. What is now polar desert was once a temperate forest and lake.
The most noticeable difference with this film from most other science documentaries is how quiet it is. There is a complete lack of narration, and barely a music soundtrack. It's a very natural soundscape with only the sound of the wind, the crunch of footsteps, the scraping of shovels, and the laboured breathing of the scientists. Using only the available sound is effective in communicating the feeling of isolation and smallness in this vast land.
The downside of no narration or soundtrack is that it makes the film dull and sometimes puzzling. Interviews and footage of the geologists as they work and live out of tents in the field reveals something of their scientific work and life down under but still leaves so much unexplained and unexplored. A circumspect and ultimately unsatisfying film which could have been much more interesting with more post production.
VIFF Review: Bird's Nest
Bird's Nest: Herzog and De Meuron in China
Granville 7 Theatre 1
Thursday, October 2 2008 7:15pm
The most iconic image of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the remarkable National Stadium. The international competition to design the stadium was won by Swiss star architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. But winning the competition was only the beginning of a monumental task. This documentary is a fascinating look behind the scenes on a high visibility project, and what technical, financial, political, and cultural problems must be overcome.
Without the aid of knowledgeable collaborators Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, and former Swiss ambassador to China and Chinese art patron Dr. Uli Sigg, Herzog and de Meuron's design concepts may have crashed into a cultural faux pas. A rival's losing design of a green glassed dome has a shape reminiscent of a green shelled tortoise. Apparently this has a cultural connotation of a cuckolded man.
The various Chinese officials involved with the project all have their own agendas which are not necessarily beneficial to the successful completion of the stadium. A surprising development is the reduction in budget after construction is underway. This causes the original retractable roof to be abandoned, and the stadium to be left open.
Herzog and de Meuron have a very humanistic philosophy to architecture. Starting without preconceived notions, they learn as much as possible about local conditions including site, purpose and cultural values. They try to create not a monument but an anti-monument. Despite its impressive scale they try to incorporate elements to make the stadium human scaled. It is their hope that it will become a sort of public sculptural space after the Olympics much as the Eiffel Tower became a public sculpture one could visit. Whether this happens is out of their hands.
The stadium is not their only project in China. Their town plan design for a new neighbourhood of the small city of Jinhua has run into a bureacratic wall and is stalled in the planning stage. For ordinary Chinese like Fang—a young man living in the nearby village of Yiwu and contemplating a move to Jinhua—this represents a speed bump in the exodus to the city. From the village and the hutong to the city and the high rise, architects like Herzog and de Meuron have an influential role in the transformation of China.
Granville 7 Theatre 1
Thursday, October 2 2008 7:15pm
The most iconic image of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the remarkable National Stadium. The international competition to design the stadium was won by Swiss star architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. But winning the competition was only the beginning of a monumental task. This documentary is a fascinating look behind the scenes on a high visibility project, and what technical, financial, political, and cultural problems must be overcome.
Without the aid of knowledgeable collaborators Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, and former Swiss ambassador to China and Chinese art patron Dr. Uli Sigg, Herzog and de Meuron's design concepts may have crashed into a cultural faux pas. A rival's losing design of a green glassed dome has a shape reminiscent of a green shelled tortoise. Apparently this has a cultural connotation of a cuckolded man.
The various Chinese officials involved with the project all have their own agendas which are not necessarily beneficial to the successful completion of the stadium. A surprising development is the reduction in budget after construction is underway. This causes the original retractable roof to be abandoned, and the stadium to be left open.
Herzog and de Meuron have a very humanistic philosophy to architecture. Starting without preconceived notions, they learn as much as possible about local conditions including site, purpose and cultural values. They try to create not a monument but an anti-monument. Despite its impressive scale they try to incorporate elements to make the stadium human scaled. It is their hope that it will become a sort of public sculptural space after the Olympics much as the Eiffel Tower became a public sculpture one could visit. Whether this happens is out of their hands.
The stadium is not their only project in China. Their town plan design for a new neighbourhood of the small city of Jinhua has run into a bureacratic wall and is stalled in the planning stage. For ordinary Chinese like Fang—a young man living in the nearby village of Yiwu and contemplating a move to Jinhua—this represents a speed bump in the exodus to the city. From the village and the hutong to the city and the high rise, architects like Herzog and de Meuron have an influential role in the transformation of China.
Friday, October 03, 2008
VIFF Review: Faubourg Tremé
Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
Granville 7 Theatre 5
Thursday, October 2 2008 3:00pm
This is an inspiring and enlightening documentary about the little known history of this New Orleans neighbourhood. Told from the viewpoint of New Orleans journalist Lolis Eric Elie, this film uncovers the spirit and strength of its residents past and present.
Now known as the Sixth Ward, Tremé was established as a faubourg (suburb) of New Orleans in the 18th century. It became the gathering place for freed slaves and thrived as a racially mixed community.
A century before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s there was an altogether too brief flowering of democracy and equality in New Orleans. During the Reconstruction after the American Civil War, free blacks based in Tremé established a period of equal rights for all New Orleanians. Schools and public transit were desegregated, blacks were given the vote, and blacks were elected to city office. But once the Federal troops left New Orleans, the strong Southern racist forces were ready to swoop in and undo the progress. The shocking image of a lynched black man with a sign hung around his neck reading "THIS NIGGER VOTED" tells you what they were up against.
With no other voice to express themselves, the creativity and yearning for freedom of a people would find expression in a new musical form—jazz. New Orleans became the birthplace of the great American music and many of its pioneering practitioners.
With a new appreciation of the history and people of Tremé, the footage of the devastation of hurricane Katrina is all the more gut-wrenching. What the forces of man could not destroy the forces of nature could very well doom Tremé. Elie is fortunate that his home suffered minor damage and was not flooded but most of his neighbours are not so lucky. Many of the documentary's participants are scattered across the country and their return is doubtful.
If you don't get an opportunity to see this film at the festival, be on the look out for broadcast of Faubourg Tremé on a PBS television station.
Granville 7 Theatre 5
Thursday, October 2 2008 3:00pm
This is an inspiring and enlightening documentary about the little known history of this New Orleans neighbourhood. Told from the viewpoint of New Orleans journalist Lolis Eric Elie, this film uncovers the spirit and strength of its residents past and present.
Now known as the Sixth Ward, Tremé was established as a faubourg (suburb) of New Orleans in the 18th century. It became the gathering place for freed slaves and thrived as a racially mixed community.
A century before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s there was an altogether too brief flowering of democracy and equality in New Orleans. During the Reconstruction after the American Civil War, free blacks based in Tremé established a period of equal rights for all New Orleanians. Schools and public transit were desegregated, blacks were given the vote, and blacks were elected to city office. But once the Federal troops left New Orleans, the strong Southern racist forces were ready to swoop in and undo the progress. The shocking image of a lynched black man with a sign hung around his neck reading "THIS NIGGER VOTED" tells you what they were up against.
With no other voice to express themselves, the creativity and yearning for freedom of a people would find expression in a new musical form—jazz. New Orleans became the birthplace of the great American music and many of its pioneering practitioners.
With a new appreciation of the history and people of Tremé, the footage of the devastation of hurricane Katrina is all the more gut-wrenching. What the forces of man could not destroy the forces of nature could very well doom Tremé. Elie is fortunate that his home suffered minor damage and was not flooded but most of his neighbours are not so lucky. Many of the documentary's participants are scattered across the country and their return is doubtful.
If you don't get an opportunity to see this film at the festival, be on the look out for broadcast of Faubourg Tremé on a PBS television station.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
VIFF Review: Café de los Maestros
Café de los Maestros
Granville 7 Theatre 7
Wednesday, October 1 2008 10:00am
Outside of Argentina, tango is mostly associated with dance. But it is more than just dance music. There are vocals as well, and compositions and arrangements for groups ranging from duos to orchestras. This film explores the musical side of tango and the maestros who developed it.
The maestros are gathered together in the studio for a recording of the best of tango. All of these musicians are now in their 70s to 80s. For many of them this is a reunion with colleagues they have not played with in many years.
Several musicians are featured, interviewed, and shown with historical footage of their performances. Virginia Luque is a tango singer and actress with a bigger than life personality. Tango diva would be a more appropriate title as she still looks, acts, and dresses glamorously.
The accordion-like bandoneón is the instrument in tango that contributes hugely and distinctively to its sound. And so it is featured prominently along with its practitioners. The studio orchestra features no less than four bandonéon players.
A side trip to Montevideo, Uruguay reveals that tango is not strictly a Buenos Aires phenomenon. The candombe music of Uruguay which has its origins in the music of African slaves is also an influence on tango. Jazz has also had its influence on tango as one of the pianist maestro's love of Bill Evans is obviously evident in his composition.
The film culminates in a gala concert at the grand Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The maestros dust off their old tuxedos and gowns to perform to an appreciative full house.
This film was probably made for Argentine audiences as there is little background explanation of tango and only the most basic of biographical information on the maestros. Regardless, the music speaks for itself. This is a fine tribute to the surviving stars of the golden age of tango.
Granville 7 Theatre 7
Wednesday, October 1 2008 10:00am
Outside of Argentina, tango is mostly associated with dance. But it is more than just dance music. There are vocals as well, and compositions and arrangements for groups ranging from duos to orchestras. This film explores the musical side of tango and the maestros who developed it.
The maestros are gathered together in the studio for a recording of the best of tango. All of these musicians are now in their 70s to 80s. For many of them this is a reunion with colleagues they have not played with in many years.
Several musicians are featured, interviewed, and shown with historical footage of their performances. Virginia Luque is a tango singer and actress with a bigger than life personality. Tango diva would be a more appropriate title as she still looks, acts, and dresses glamorously.
The accordion-like bandoneón is the instrument in tango that contributes hugely and distinctively to its sound. And so it is featured prominently along with its practitioners. The studio orchestra features no less than four bandonéon players.
A side trip to Montevideo, Uruguay reveals that tango is not strictly a Buenos Aires phenomenon. The candombe music of Uruguay which has its origins in the music of African slaves is also an influence on tango. Jazz has also had its influence on tango as one of the pianist maestro's love of Bill Evans is obviously evident in his composition.
The film culminates in a gala concert at the grand Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The maestros dust off their old tuxedos and gowns to perform to an appreciative full house.
This film was probably made for Argentine audiences as there is little background explanation of tango and only the most basic of biographical information on the maestros. Regardless, the music speaks for itself. This is a fine tribute to the surviving stars of the golden age of tango.
VIFF Review: Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gorée
Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gorée
Granville 7 Theatre 7
Monday, September 29 2008 9:30pm
Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour has an idea to explore the descendants of African music. From playing with musicians around the world, he hears the similarities in his native Senegalese music with the blues, jazz, Cuban, and Brazilian music. He is interested in how his native Senegalese music would be interpreted by the African music diaspora.
Youssou N'Dour assembles an international cast of musicians to record his new project. With his blind Swiss pianist friend Moncef Genoud, he travels to Atlanta, Georgia and recruits a black gospel vocal group the Harmony Harmoneers.
In New Orleans he rendezvous with his spiritual big brother, drummer Idris Muhammad. We get a little taste of the New Orleans jazz scene as N'Dour jams with his prospective rhythm section at the Snug Harbor jazz club.
It's then on to a New York recording studio where he signs on a French harmonic player, and a young female African-American singer. From there it's off to Luxembourg to round out the band with a guitarist, and a trumpeter.
They finally assemble in a recording studio in N'Dour's home town of Dakar, Senegal. For most of the musicians this is their first visit to Africa so it is important for them to explore and be inspired by Africa. They visit Gorée which was the main port for the slave trade. It is a very poignant experience for the African-American musicians whose ancestors passed through this port. Seeing and hearing the Harmony Harmoneers singing a cappella in the confines of the slave ship passage is a particularly moving moment.
The musical moments are the best part of the film, as the film seems to meander through the various side topics it tries to touch on.
Granville 7 Theatre 7
Monday, September 29 2008 9:30pm
Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour has an idea to explore the descendants of African music. From playing with musicians around the world, he hears the similarities in his native Senegalese music with the blues, jazz, Cuban, and Brazilian music. He is interested in how his native Senegalese music would be interpreted by the African music diaspora.
Youssou N'Dour assembles an international cast of musicians to record his new project. With his blind Swiss pianist friend Moncef Genoud, he travels to Atlanta, Georgia and recruits a black gospel vocal group the Harmony Harmoneers.
In New Orleans he rendezvous with his spiritual big brother, drummer Idris Muhammad. We get a little taste of the New Orleans jazz scene as N'Dour jams with his prospective rhythm section at the Snug Harbor jazz club.
It's then on to a New York recording studio where he signs on a French harmonic player, and a young female African-American singer. From there it's off to Luxembourg to round out the band with a guitarist, and a trumpeter.
They finally assemble in a recording studio in N'Dour's home town of Dakar, Senegal. For most of the musicians this is their first visit to Africa so it is important for them to explore and be inspired by Africa. They visit Gorée which was the main port for the slave trade. It is a very poignant experience for the African-American musicians whose ancestors passed through this port. Seeing and hearing the Harmony Harmoneers singing a cappella in the confines of the slave ship passage is a particularly moving moment.
The musical moments are the best part of the film, as the film seems to meander through the various side topics it tries to touch on.
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