monks documentary, german theatrical release
German theatrical release: October 4th
You can find dates and a list of theaters where the film will play at www.playloud.org/monkstheatricalrelease.html
Christian Cloos (commissioning editor for ZDF) writes: I really liked the film. Donna as a phone ghost, out of necessity, worked well, almost like it was an intentional way of raising questions of identity. Her death must have been a horror for you. The film offers great archive material and good interviewees (the sister was fantastic, as were all the others). It is very carefully researched, tightly narrated, intelligent and neatly edited – it’s a joy. It’s a continually surprising journey, both in its content and form, through the seventies and eighties. The use of the photos is brilliant. They become like exhibits about pop history, and when you introduce other material, we accept the poor technical quality as texture. It’s great how respectful you were, for example in how you introduced all the musicians involved in the single cover. It would be great if this were the start of an ongoing collaboration between you and Arte on more films about music and culture and you could make a
Comments
"Monks" makes terrific use of both primary source footage and stock material, it's warm, witty, idiosyncratic, and it situates its subjects in a definite context of time and place. And it raises fascinating issues of art/commerce/branding without ever being pedantic.
My mother, an Air Force brat, grew up in this world--as an American in Germany in the mid-60s. That time and place come through beautifully.
Absolutely superb film.
I will never, never never be
A TORQUAY.