Joe Gross
94
Paperback
49 offers from $9.51
Fugazi
78
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18 offers from $5.80
Glen E. Friedman
56
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38 offers from $17.99
Scott Crawford
53
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Joe Gross
94
Paperback
49 offers from $9.51
Fugazi
75
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20 offers from $22.75

Product Description

This DVD features a collaboration between filmmaker Jem Cohen and the Washington D.C. band Fugazi, covering the 10 year period of 1987-1996. Far from a traditional documentary, this is a musical document; a portrait of musicians at work. The project mixes sync-sound, 16mm. Super-8 video and a wide range of archival formats, including concert footage, studio sessions practice, touring, interviews and portraits of audience emembers from around the country. Special DVD features include 3 extra live tracks and 2 short films by Jem Cohen.

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.55 x 7.48 inches; 2.89 Ounces
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 15 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ November 13, 2001
Actors ‏ : ‎ Fugazi
Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Dischord
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005R5G4
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #256,865 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #2,956 in American Alternative Rock
- #3,709 in Musicals (Movies & TV)
- #5,316 in Performing Arts (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
45 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		85%
4 star		9%
3 star		6%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Michael

How Special Of You, Jem

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2000

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I love this movie...and I hate this movie. Some of it, particularly the early concert material, thrills me more than just about any rock footage, ever. As a collector of punk/hardcore video (Pistols, Clash, Iggy Pop, Minor Threat, X, Circle Jerks, Big Black, Sonic Youth...) I don't give such praise lightly.
Fugazi are equally powerful in the interview segments, where they come off as more intelligent, passionate and witty than on their records. Everything this band is about is represented (in some form or other) in this film, and I'm stunned by Cohen's skill and concision in portraying them so vividly in just two hours. To watch it repeatedly is to fall in love with Fugazi.
Somehow these highlights only make my frustration with the film worse. Some stretches are infected with the dreaded "Rattle and Hum" disease: "casual" interviews more boring than disarming, a confusing chronology, and some unspeakably artsy b & w footage of blurry buildings, slow-motion jamming without live sound, and dazed concertgoers. This stuff would be forgivable from a freshman film-school angle if it didn't seem to necessitate butchering some great band performances.
Because Fugazi are basically about music, especially live music. And my main objection is that this movie, for all its wit and integrity, gives no sense of what Fugazi were like in concert. No song is shown from beginning to end; they are all interrupted, disemboweled, or shown at varying speeds with average studio jams dubbed over them. Think about it--a stage performance is a pure presentation of thought and emotion that needs no reinterpretation. Quite often you wonder at the arrogance of a film-maker who imposes his artistic vision over that of the band. Or, to be plain, you get bloody pissed when a great song is cut off or drowned out to suit the Auteur's self-indulgence.
So, people, if you want to live the genius of the live Fugazi, try to catch them while they're still around. For all its power this film makes me sad, both because a no-bs style would've been much more exciting, and because the Fugazi show I saw in 1988 had little of the dynamite contained in its best moments.

36 people found this helpful

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E. Bartoszak

A fitting documentary for a landmark band

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2004

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I'm not going to explain Fugazi to you, if you're reading this you probably already love them. So, on to the DVD. It's a documentary, by Jem Cohen, who collaborated with the band since 1987. You get plenty of live footage, studio stuff, outtakes, touring moments, and a mass of interviews that NAIL exactly what Fugazi is all about. Well, worth this Fugazi fan's money, and well worth yours too. I can't say that about many other bands.

10 people found this helpful

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K. Franz

Great DVD if you love Fugazi

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2009

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This is a must have DVD if you love Fugazi. Well worth the money. The live performances are awesome! Great band and great live shows.

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2015

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One of the greatest documentaries on an important band.

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City Sidd

A close, personal look at an amazing and important band

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2007

I must admit that I became a fan of Fugazi late in the band's career; perhaps a year or two before they released their last album "Argument." I actually listened to "13 Songs"--the first album I picked up--at least once a day for an entire year (and then some). And I was fortunate to see them in concert during their last national tour. It was perhaps for this reason that I wanted to know all about them, and immediately purchased Instrument when it was released on DVD.

Instrument is a terrific glimpse into the band's life on the road, in the studio, and of their personal lives. The interviews with the band are insightful, while the blurbs about the band (from various news clips) are entertaining as they try to categorize this band. I especially love the live performances shot on film (16mm) and the adoration shown by their fans. Vignettes featuring fans waiting to see Fugazi set to their music evokes memories of my youth and shows the diversity of Fugazi's non-mainstream audience. This is an excellent documentary from the annals of U.S. punk/hardcore history that I urge you to see.

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Amazon Customer

A self-determined device

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 1999

Since biographical documentaries tend to concentrate on event depiction along a chronological time-line it is hard to categorize this as such... which is perfectly suited to the subject since Fugazi has been just that [hard to categorize] from the moment they formed. For the last 12 years Fugazi has set the standard for what it means to be a self-determined body, existing completely and independently from the music industry. The fact that their music is utterly moving has not hurt them one bit either. Cohen's camera does not try to PORTRAY the band in any particular way. Had that been his approach, this project would have failed. Cohen does not attempt to tell us the story ABOUT the subject. His camera simply LISTENS TO the subject. The fact that he has a wonderful eye for placement and propriety doesn't harm him in the slightest. His assembly of image is not unlike Fugazi's approach to sound. Both are very authoritative with tension, space and overall dynamic... the composition can be loose because the composer can be counted on to make good on his obligations to the others involved... each segment is the model of its' type. Cohen achieved what not many people would have been able to do: represent Fugazi in a manner that complimented the band's philosophy, principles and personality. The beauty of this project is that the filmaker, in rendering a subject that has answered his questions in anthems, produces a psalm of his own.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

I, Roflbot

Essential for Fugazi fans

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2021

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This impressionistic film is more stream of consciousness than straightforward narrative. Random shots of fans are mixed in with grainy slo-mo of the band plus clips of conversation, jamming, and early rough versions of songs. However there are some mostly complete performances too, notably an epic rendition of 'Shut the Door' from Repeater that's actually better than the studio recording, plus we get to see the crowd transfixed in awe at the sheer intensity of it (and a great guitar duel between Guy and Ian). Like I said, this is filmic impressionism. If you're looking for a straightforward 'history of Fugazi' you'll be disappointed because this ain't it. What it is however is evocative and magnificent.

mat-a-tat-tat

Fans should buy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2017

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Fans should buy. Interviews and live clips. Top tunes.

Mr Anthony Morecroft

Good sale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2016

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Wanted this for a while, happy to have it