U2: Rattle and Hum (1988)

Director:

Phil Joanou

Release Date:

4 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

A documentary of Irish rock group U2's Fall 1987 tour of North America.

Plot Keywords:

U2 | Black & White To Color | Concert Film | Star Spangled Banner | Number In Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Bono	...	Himself
The Edge	...	Himself
Adam Clayton	...	Himself
Larry Mullen Jr.	...	Himself
B.B. King	...	Himself
Phil Joanou	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dennis Bell	...	Himself
Adam Gussow	...	Himself
Jack Hale	...	Himself
Jim Horn	...	Himself
Wayne Jackson	...	Himself (as The Memphis Horns)
Andrew Love	...	Himself (as The Memphis Horns)
Sterling Magee	...	Himself
Joseph M. Miskulin	...	Himself
Gayl Murphy	...	Herself (as Press Conference Interviewer)
George Pendergrass	...	Himself (as New Voices of Freedom)
Stacey Sheppard	...	Herself (as Graceland Tour Guide)
Dorothy Terrell	...	Herself (as New Voices of Freedom)

Also Known As:

Rattle and Hum

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Africa:A | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Finland:S | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Many of the songs performed in Rattle And Hum are altered from their original release, most notably "With Or Without You", which contains a whole new verse to end the song, "Exit", which includes the chorus from Van Morrison's "Gloria", and "Bad", which adds verses from the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and "Sympathy For The Devil".

Quotes:

Bono: Am I bugging you? I don't mean to bug ya.

Movie Connections:

Featured in It Might Get Loud (2008)

Soundtrack:

Angel of Harlem

See the DVD

I knew little about U2 in the 80s. I was still a pre-teen, and I was probably listening to what my parents put on like Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, John Denver, Janis Joplin, and Willie Nelson. However, little by little, I grew to be a fan of theirs, probably especially after I first heard the song "Bad" on the radio as my parents drove me to college for my first year.

I bought the DVD of this on a total whim and was greatly rewarded. The opening sequence with "Helter Skelter" establishes a somewhat otherworldly yet gritty intensity for the b&w sequences. I agree that the film doesn't do a good job of getting at the personalities of the singers, and besides these guys are so used to the camera that they'd be able to manipulate the coverage anyway.

What Phil Joanou does get wonderfully is the passion for the music in these guys and how they inspire others: those moments when they stop and listen to the Harlem blues man singing "Freedom for My People" or the Gospel choir that takes flight with "Haven't Found what I'm Looking For" are something pure with a hint of magic. This is also well-played in the GORGEOUS transition to color in the Super Bowl-size stadium for "Streets Have No Name." You'd think Jesus himself was about to come on stage.

My only qualm: the music and lyrics themselves have enough social meaning of their own. Bono really doesn't need to interject much more on stage. Their performance of Bullet the Blue Sky gets at the social points with greater force, "Pelting the women and children/Pelting the women and children," than Bono's well-intentioned commentary. I give it four stars though because it hits all the right notes. PHIL, WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN YEARS?