Sun Ra - The Magic Sun

Sun Ra - The Magic Sun
by Phill Niblock

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DVD details

Actor: Danny Davis, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, Sun Ra
Director: Phill Niblock
Cinematographer: Phill Niblock
Editor: Phill Niblock
Producer: Phill Niblock
Producer: Robert Asen
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 17 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Mvd Visual

DVD Reviews of Sun Ra - The Magic Sun

DVD Review: Beware of faulty dvds in this edition
Summary: 1 Stars

My copy of the DVD seemed to be missing 3 of the "astonishing features" :-( It had the main film The Magic Sun which is wonderful and the 5.1 surround mix is great but it only had the photo montage and one "astonsishing extra". My copy had 5 short apocryphal clips of some IMHO very bad rock music clips, these were not complete and looked like they got stuck on by mistake in the copy run I received. Make sure you get the real thing. I have told Caiman about this who said tell Amazon so Amazon is advised and Atavistic. Perhaps they will reply here and enlighten us all.

DVD Review: "The Space Age calls for Space Wares...that is, Far Out in a Cool manner," - Sun Ra
Summary: 5 Stars

Now, wait a second -- this feature is far better than you are being led to believe by the official Amazon &/or prior reviews...there IS a 16 minute film at the start, which could be summed up as a series of "close-ups in the dark" of the movement of hands playing instruments, eyes blinking, abstract moments interacting...but that is not all by any stretch.

The real gem here is the additional Ra footage that has a dense homemade witchcrafty appeal with Ra's whispered vocals, tape clicking, and general 'space-armchair-philosophizing' that is the true forte of this eccentric original in music history. Even though many stills are used to visually move Ra's musings forward, it never feels cheap artistically. The style works for the material.

Any Sun Ra archivist who can do without the features "Ra Speaks", "Eternal Ltd", "My Children" and "Truth is Bad" on this DVD is missing an arm and leg in this most unusual artist's body of work. MORE SILENCES than Ra enthusiasts will be used to in such an 'official' production, the focus of the disc really hones in on the entity that is the Man, more than the band.

"The Ancient Egyptians were the first to speak of Solar Boats, thousands of years ago..." Ra tells us. "We sail the galaxies through the medium of sound and take our audiences with us, whether they want to go or not!"

Make no mistake, "THE MAGIC SUN" is the part B appendix to the "Space Is The Place" Sun Ra classic. Do not miss the ride.

DVD Review: Out there a few minutes
Summary: 5 Stars

It's hard to think of anything you could order now that would give you a more concentrated dose of Sun Ra than this disc. The music represents the height of the Arkestra's studio power. It's great to hear Shadowlands with such clarity. The film, short as it is, is only watchable with frequent distractions, but Niblock's optical effects are as intense as the best 60's light show. Ra's recitations, with accompanying photos, are no less mind bending.

Both film and photos are well wrought to burnish the cosmic image that Ra sought to project. All the awe without the tinsel. For the music alone, this is going to be a frequent flier on my powerbook.

Description of Sun Ra - The Magic Sun

"Featuring rare & exclusive SUN RA footage, photos & audio" A film by PHILL NIBLOCK featuring SUN RA & HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA. Composer, photographer and filmmaker Phill Niblock's classic of experimental underground filmmaking with a sensational soundtrack b

Sun Ra was no ordinary musician. His "free" approach to jazz was more Thelonious Monk or Ornette Coleman than Glenn Miller or Benny Goodman. His sartorial style was more George Clinton than Miles Davis. Just as Space is the Place, his best known cinematic effort, was no ordinary feature film, Magic Sun is no ordinary performance film. Phill Niblock's 16-minute vision of the late keyboard player/bandleader and 12-piece Arkestra, including John Gilmore and Marshall Allen, is painted in expressionistic shades of black and white--heavy on the black. The pieces are "Celestial Fantasy," "Shadow World," and "Strange Strings." The effect is strange, otherworldly, and disorienting. Magic Sun is accompanied by a 15-minute collection of stills and recitations from the same New York-based period (1963-1967). For the uninitiated, it may not be the best place start, but for the faithful, this previously obscure document is sure to be of great interest. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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