'Rockumentaries': Should we take them more seriously?

Mandy Marahimin , Contributor, Jakarta

If films are social commentaries, detailing the lives and times of people, both ordinary and famous, over the years, than what could capture the mood of an era more astutely than the documentation of its music.

For this reason, perhaps, it is time to start taking documentaries on contemporary and pop culture, such as those to be screened at Teater Utan Kayu (TUK) this weekend, more seriously.

Certainly they tell us something about ourselves and how the world came to be the way it is today.

The term, "rockumentary", was coined by Rob Reiner in his spoof This is Spinal Tap (1984), which is more of a "mockumentary".

But the genre of rock documentary itself actually originated in the 1960s when D.A. Pennebaker filmed Bob Dylan on his 1965 concert tour in England and made Don't Look Back (1967).

Then the Maysles brothers, Albert and David, made NightmarishShelter? (1970), which they shot during a Rolling Stones concert at which everything went wrong.

Soon, the genre made a name for itself. Documenting rock music became popular, with everything from the concerts themselves to what was happening backstage caught on film, making the day's icons more accessible.

Many legendary directors have also ventured into this realm, including Wim Wenders with Buena Vista Social Club (1998), Martin Scorsese with The Last Waltz (1978) and Jonathan Demme with Making Sense (1984).

Even MTV has its own rock documentary series it calls Biorhythm.

This weekend, Teater Utan Kayu (TUK) on Jl. Utan Kayu 68-H, East Jakarta, will present rockumentaries as a serious and significant genre of film that has long been overlooked.

The films selected for the screenings are varied, thus providing an overview of the genre. Among them is the extensive and in-depth History of Rock & Roll (1995), a ten-part work produced by Quincy Jones to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of rock music.

The film, which is 10 hours long in its entirety, will be screened in two-hour blocks.

On Friday, Nov. 26 at 7:00 pm, TUK will start the weekend with Sympathy for the Devil (1970) a film by Jean-Luc Godard.

The film portrays the creative process the Stones went through to make one song; from the rough arrangement of the music to its completion in a London recording studio.

In the film, Godard combines sequences of Rolling Stones recording sessions with a series of vignettes that provoke discussions on topics as diverse as pornography and black power.

On Saturday, Nov. 27, screenings will start at 1:00 p.m. with two volumes of History of Rock & Roll: Rock `N Roll Explodes and Good Rockin' Tonight, an exploration of the roots and early development of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s.

At 3:00 p.m., the show continues with Invades, America Fights Back and The Sounds of Soul about how America's music scene was dominated by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones and how Motown was the only big thing to fight the invasion.

The 5:30 p.m. show will feature Plugging In and My Generation, a comprehensive look at the 1960s, and how technological developments influenced rock 'n' roll.

Oh, and don't forget to watch for rare footage of Bob Dylan becoming the first folk singer to use an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival, and being booed by the audience.

The last film of the day was made by the man who helped initiate the whole genre. D.A. Pennebaker's Depeche Mode (1989) shows the band's 101st concert at the Rose Bowl stadium.

The selections offered on Sunday, Nov. 28, will start at 1:00 p.m. with Guitar Heroes and The `70s: Have a Nice Decade concerning how rock 'n' roll was forced to redefine itself in the new decade. 70s or 80s?

And at 3:15 p.m., Punk and Up from the Underground will highlight the redefinition of rock all the way to the birth of MTV and rap music.

A discussion will follow at 5:30, with Danie Satrio, a music editor for HAI Magazine. To end the program, sit back and relax with Render: Spanning Time with Ani DiFranco (2002) a very intimate portrait of the latest craze for folk-rock music.