Driving Me Crazy (1988)

Director:

Nick Broomfield

Stars:

André Heller, Graciela Daniele, Mercedes Ellington

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
André Heller	...	Himself (as Andre Heller)
Graciela Daniele	...	Herself - Choreographer
Mercedes Ellington	...	Herself - Choreographer
George Faison	...	Himself - Choreographer
Clent Bowers	...	Himself - Singer
Victor Cook	...	Himself - Singer
Carolyn Dennis	...	Herself - Singer (as Carol Dennis)
Granoldo Frazier	...	Himself - Singer (as Grenaldo Frazier)
Marion Ramsey	...	Herself - Singer
Clare Janice Bathe	...	Herself - Singer (as Claire Bathe)
Gerard Alexander	...	Himself - Dancer
Jennifer Bell	...	Herself - Dancer
Lathaniel Cooper	...	Himself - Dancer
Harold Cromer	...	Himself - Dancer
Randy Davis	...	Himself - Dancer

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

independent film

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

UK West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 1990 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tele München Fernseh Produktionsgesellschaft (TMG), VCL Communications, Virgin Vision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Rum and Coca Cola"
(uncredited)
Written by Paul Baron, Morey Amsterdam and Jeri Sullavan

User Reviews

Murphy's Law showbiz documentary

The idea made sense at first: hire veteran documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield to follow the progress of impresario Andre Heller's all singing, all dancing, all black stage extravaganza 'Body and Soul'. The movie would be, in its producer's own words, "a real life Fame" and a document of the creative process, the first step of which was a budget reduction for the film crew from 1.3 million to a miserly 300,000 dollars. With little money and even less time for preparation, the documentary took on a life all its own, becoming a candid backstage portrait of compromise and confrontation, with the film and stage teams clashing head on (sometimes literally; at one rehearsal the camera even collides with choreographer Mercedes Ellington, granddaughter of the Duke). When the musical finally premiered in Munich it was called "the biggest show to come out of Germany since World War Two", an assessment the battle-weary Broomfield would no doubt endorse. His finished film includes only two minutes from the final stage production but nevertheless works as an instructive show biz primer (in ways his producers never dreamed of), charting all the anger, frustration and absurdity on both sides of the camera.