Live Forever (2003)

Director:

John Dower

Writer:

John Dower (writer)

Release Date:

7 March 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

Hilarous documentary about the Britpop music scene in the Nineties, featuring all the main bands of the scene exposing the truth behind the myths. |

Cast

Noel Gallagher	...	Himself
Liam Gallagher	...	Himself
Damon Albarn	...	Himself
Jarvis Cocker	...	Himself
Kevin Cummins	...	Himself
Toby Young	...	Himself
Ozwald Boateng	...	Himself
Damien Hirst	...	Himself
Robert del Naja	...	Himself (as 3D)
Jon Savage	...	Himself
Louise Wener	...	Herself
Peter Mandelson	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Blair	...	Himself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for language including drug references.

Runtime:

UK:82 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:MG6 | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Passion Pictures

Quotes:

Noel Gallagher: If we had sat and calculated we were going to make history, I'd have certainly wore a better outfit in that and I would have gotten out of bed a little earlier, and I might have tried to keep Liam off the sauce.

Soundtrack:

Common People

Extremely good snapshot of 'Britpop'

7.5/10

I thought that Live Forever was an excellent documentary capturing the phenomenon of the Britpop passage. It is worth noting that I think that even if you didn't get the whole Britpop experience it is still worth watching to try and understand exactly what the period of time tried to encapsulate. Dragging Britain from a period of being totally dormant, to generating great music and creating an aura of genuine invincibility.

Live Forever features the obvious candidates that are Oasis and Blur as the battle for number one captured a nation, whilst also giving an analysis of movie culture and the feel good factor that took over Britain during those 2/3 years. Massive Attack were also undoubtedly another factor in the way that Britain seemed to transcend itself to another plain, and although many will be put off by some of the language used it is worth remembering that the laddish behaviour of that period was a factor that boosted the industry and re-ignited interest in British pop/rock.

The documentary also takes perspectives from a political sense whilst also highlighting perhaps a more sinister undercurrent to Britpop and the way it was used by stragglers and then dumped once the period was over. Whatever your perspective, it made me feel alive and was more than happy to re-visit that golden few years where the music was on another level and the country was swept with the feel good factor. Nirvana was the catalyst for the whole period that saw the change, and I was more than happy to re-visit Cobain's angst ridden voice, Oasis' brilliance and the competition that was Blur.