I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco
by Sam Jones
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DVD details
Actor: Glenn Kotche, Jay Bennett, Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy BachDirector: Sam Jones
Brand: Music Video Dist
Producer: Albert Berger
Producer: Barbara Winton
Producer: Charlie Winton
Producer: Gary Hustwit
Producer: John Vanco
Producer: Kristy Wilson-Kessler
Producer: Noah Cowan
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-01
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Plexifilm
DVD Reviews of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco
DVD Review: A beautifully photographed documentary about a seminal rock band
Summary: 5 Stars
For some reason that I can't understand, for over three years I've known about this documentary, knew it was highly regarded, and loved the ablum YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT, and yet did not see this until recently. Now that I've seen it, I'm more perplexed than ever as to why I didn't. For one thing, it is a Chicago film, where I live, and might be a neighborhood film (I think their loft is a few blocks from where I live).
There are three things that make this a marvelous film. First, it is great to look at. Photographer Sam Jones made his film debut making this, and it is obvious throughout that it was made by someone with a great eye. He frames his subjects with care, and he also shows great sensitivity in filming the city. Forget all those feature films shot in Chicago: this is what Chicago really looks like, from the early shots along Lake Shore Drive to the ending shot with the guys walking along the lake beside Adler Planetarium (though the latter is not shown), this is the real Chicago. The second reason the documentary shines is the sound. The band sounds great every time you hear them, whether just jerking around or rehearsing or performing on stage or recording in their loft. You can hear why they are a great band from beginning to end. Some documentaries manage to botch the live sound, but in performances here the band is sharp and compelling. The third reason it is a great film is the story, which certainly couldn't have been anticipated at the outset. Jeff Tweedy had been critics' darling from his days as co-leader of Uncle Tupelo (the other co-leader, Jay Farrer, formed Son Volt while Tweedy formed Wilco), and there was a sense that their upcoming album was going to break new ground. The result was an album that was sparer and more minimalistic than previous efforts. Heavily rhythmic, yet allowing silences and spaces where other performers would succumb to the temptation to fill everything with sounds, the songs on the album often seem to contain the minimum amount of embellishment to achieve the desired effect. Although the album would go on to tremendous critical acclaim (it would named the #1 album of 2002 in the prestigious Village Voice Pazz and Jop Poll, which is more impressive than any Grammy award since it is a poll conducted with literally hundreds of top music critics), the record label was underwhelmed, and fired Wilco after the band refused to rerecord parts to make it more commercial. The irony is that after the underground buzz built about the album, they managed to resell the album for a different Time-Warner subsidiary for three times the amount Warners-Reprise originally spent in having it made.
Apart from the immense entertainment value of the film the documentary raises anew an issue that continually arises these days when downloading and file sharing are restructing the entire industry: What is the point of record companies? They obviously are not crucial in maintaining the artistic integrity of the music nor are they key in developing talent. Nor do they make the individual bands much money. I heard another Chicago musician, Billy Corgan, on local NPR state that even his Smashing Pumpkins made very little money off album sales. It is the rare band that doesn't make the vast bulk of its income from live performances. Essentially, record companies continue to provide only two services: PR and record distribution. My own belief is that record companies are entities that have largely become irrelevant. Their demise would necessitate some new arrangement of how music is distributed and promoted--i.e., if a great new band records killer music, how will I hear about it--but I think there is a very good chance that in a couple of decades that record companies as we have known them will have largely ceased to exist. And good riddance.
I'm sure most people who are serious fans of contemporary music have already seen this. But if there are a few unfortunates such as I was myself until recently, this truly is on the short list of must-see rock documentaries. If you haven't seen it, see it now.
Description of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco
I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART - DVD MovieThis splendid documentary captures the band Wilco's struggles (both with their record company and within the band itself) while recording their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is completely engrossing, whether or not you are familiar with the band. As they work on the album, there's some tension between singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy and bandmate Jay Bennett, but overall the band members are happy and enjoying exploring their music. But when they turn in the finished songs, their record label drops them, leaving them adrift with the album that promises to be a huge artistic leap. For fans of Wilco, this gorgeously photographed movie will be a thrilling look at the life of the band and Tweedy's creative process; but even novices will be drawn into the contrasts between art and commerce brought out by the conflict. --Bret Fetzer
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