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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not what anyone wanted, and yet of it's own., August 8, 2005
Claudia Heuermann's "A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: Twelve Stories About John Zorn" is not quite what it seems. Expectations ran high, a documentary about John Zorn, the man who rarely grants interviews and when he does, seems to say everything and not say anything at all, whose music jumps genre to genre in a matter of seconds, captivates some, horrifies others, and has a strange sway over its fan.
What Heuermann did though was quite a bit different-- she told the story about her trying to make the movie, about her relationship with Zorn, from the moment she first discovered him (a friend playing her Naked City's "Torture Garden") to her meeting him for the first time, travelling to New York and deciding to make a movie about Zorn. It's really a piece abuot self-discovery, about learning to be one's "own parent".
Along the way, we get snippets of interviews with Zorn, brilliant statements, footage of rehearsals, recording sessions, remastering of "The Big Gundown" and live performances from Naked City, Painkiller, Masada, Bar Kokhba, Emergency, and "Rituals". We also get a brief explanation of game pieces and a picture of a frustrated artist who can't stop looking, who views music as problem solving, and who does it not for listeners, but for himself and the musicians.
This is the second time I've watched this-- the first time was when it first came out, and I was still in the process of discovering Zorn's work through a chance encounter at an independent movie theater (Naked City was the house music before the show, and somehow I knew who it was). Three months and a dozen or so Zorn CDs later and this came out to guide my way, to help put the pieces together.
A year after that and my Zorn collection is bordering on obscene and the piece still holds weight. It still is entertaining, and yeah, its not a lot of revelatory stuff, but it's a worthwhile viewing. Truth to be told, in many ways, the piece gave validity to my own view on my choice of career and my great passions. And I keep thinking that maybe when my coworkers ask why I'm making the four hour trip to New York City yet again to see some obscure musician who they've never heard of (and who if they did hear, they'd probably dislike), maybe in those situations I should let them borrow this and certainly Heuermann's experience isn't really that much different from mine. Isn't that powerful enough to merit a recommendation to someone else?
If you're just learning about Zorn, get this, it's critical. If you're already initiated, you probably already have it. It's got its flaw, but invariably, it's a deeply personal expression, how could it not? Either way, it's a fun film to watch. Recommended.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pick up the pieces and move on..., October 4, 2004
...I gotta say, I came into this one with high hopes. Zorn, one of the most relentlessly documented musicians of our time, really deserves a great documentary film: something to explore his methods, collaborations, and underlying philosophies. This ain't it. The film-maker insists on inserting herself and her own ho-hum Euro-art-student self-discovery tale into the mix, which adds nothing. What emerges is exceedingly frustrating: there's tons of great footage, and much insight from Mr. Zorn, yet these great moments are dangled like the proverbial carrot. Just when you think you're getting an extended performance or interview, it cuts to the film-maker deciding how best she should edit, or rattling off another numbingly bland tale of her "friendship" with Zorn. It's a tremendous shame, as she actually has years worth of interesting footage...ever wonder why the great documentarians prefer to manifest themselves in the editting and narrative of a documentary, rather than as a physical presence??? This tipid tome is the answer. I gave it two more stars than it deserves because Zorn is brilliant, and you catch fleeting glimpses of that genius behind the film-maker's amateurish construction...so, to all you folks who think you can make a good Zorn documentary, GO FOR IT. It definitely hasn't been done yet.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting In Spite Of Itself, June 6, 2004
If you like John Zorn and, like me, are also really into several of his usual cohorts (John Medeski, Marc Ribot, Chris Speed, Arto Lindsay, etc.), this "John Zorn documentary" is interesting enough just to see the momentary clips of rehearsal and performance footage, and Zorn's outlook on music composition, performance, recording, sound, etc. But the documentary is almost as much about the filmmaker as it is Zorn... which is where it falls way short. While the affect Zorn has had on filmmaker's life and work is mildly interesting, it's more than a little distracting that she felt it necessary to include herself in so much of it, especially when the film is ostensibly supposed to be about Zorn. My opinion is she could have done herself a much better turn and had a much better product if she would have concentrated more on Zorn rehearsal/performance footage, and kept herself more in the background. The way it is, the film seems much more amateurish than it could have been. I would really love to see a Zorn (or Ribot... or Medeski) DVD with musician interviews, rehearsal, studio and performance footage only. This "Zorn documentary" just wets the appetite. 3 1/2 stars (would/could have been 5).
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