by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent
So Martin Scorsese appears as “Self” in this documentary film, ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND. Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are also behind this coming-to-life of The Band’s homespun journey from backing Bob Dylan and touring with Ronnie Hawkins, to alternative fame in the 1970’s.
A knotted-bedsheet musical escape from the slick pop music hell-o of today, directed by Daniel Roher and based on Robertson’s 2014 book “Testimony,” it speaks to a different temperature in the American soul. A time when music was protest just by singing along.
Remember when half-baked tinny piano occupied a genuine corner of our emotional landscape? Turns out music is a lifeline in these troubled times… oh wait, is that cliché? Haven’t we always said that to ourselves ever since War, Disease & Pestilence were invented? (To hell with the Coronavirus, that is.)
Lascaux Cave’s prehistoric wall drawings in France were probably set to music too, who knows? Robbie Robertson and The Band, along with Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and their pals, can re-make their long-gone musical magic for you today from Magnolia Pictures at home, as they stream in all their glory right now.
Shut Up & Play, As the Musicians Say
Here’s How Amazon Bills ONCE WERE BROTHERS…
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie alongside the four other men who would become his brothers in music, together making their mark on music history. Once Were Brothers blends rare archival footage, photography, iconic songs and interviews with Robertson’s friends and collaborators including Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and more.
Visit their virtual man cave to check out this film.
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