Fallen Angel: Gram Parsons (2004)

On September 19, 1973, the musician and heir to a million-dollar fortune died under the influence of drugs and alcohol near his favourite place - the Joshua Tree National Monument in the ... See full summary »

Director:

Gandulf Hennig

Writers:

Sid Griffin, Gandulf Hennig

Stars:

Peter Buck, Gretchen Parsons Carpenter, Elvis Costello

Cast

Credited cast:
Peter Buck	...	Himself
Gretchen Parsons Carpenter	...	Herself
Elvis Costello	...	Himself
Pamela Des Barres	...	Herself
Emmylou Harris	...	Herself
Chris Hillman	...	Himself
Phil Kaufman	...	Himself
Bernie Leadon
John Nuese	...	Himself
Becky Parsons Gottsegen	...	Herself
Diane Parsons	...	Herself
Gram Parsons	...	Himself (archive footage)
Keith Richards	...	Himself
Dwight Yoakam	...	Himself

Storyline

On September 19, 1973, the musician and heir to a million-dollar fortune died under the influence of drugs and alcohol near his favourite place - the Joshua Tree National Monument in the Californian desert. As the founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers, a member of the hit-making, legendary Byrds, an important influence on the Rolling Stones and the man who catapulted Emmylou Harris to fame, Gram Parsons made music history in only a few years. The film was made on location by director and musician Gandulf Hennig and American music journalist, musician and biographer Sid Griffin. Friends, contemporaries and devotees of Gram Parsons talk about the importance of his work and the bizarre circumstances of his early death. Rare footage of his performances shows why Gram Parsons has become a legend. Interviewees include Gram's wife Gretchen, his sister and his daughter, Keith Richards, Emmylou Harris, Chris Hillman and "Road Manager" Phil Kaufman.

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Taglines:

Feature length documentary on the musician and million-dollar-heir Gram Parsons, his exceptional life, his bizarre death, and his deep impact on music history.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Country:

Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2004 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Music Entertainment, Spothouse GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

Grotesquely insensitive and disrespectful documentary about Gram Parsons

This is a slipshod documentary that is about as original and involving as an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. The production values are very poor, with much of the video footage shot erratically out the window of a moving car, and the editing is a clumsy, uninspired pastiche of quick pans and tilts across black and white still photos jarringly inter-cut with a relentless onslaught of meaningless talking heads (do we really need to hear from the girlfriend of Parson's manager or the best friend of Parson's dead stepfather?). We hear very little of Parson's music, most of which plays in the background under the interviews, and no one except Emmylou Harris manages to truly elucidate Parson's gifts as a singer and songwriter. Technically, the film is embarrassing, but it is even worse in its shameful final minutes, when it juxtaposes the bizarre circumstances of Parson's burial with the heartfelt grief of those who loved Parsons, and manipulates the audience into laughter when what we should be feeling is sadness. Fallen Angel is disrespectful of Gram Parsons' groundbreaking music, banal in its storytelling, and grotesquely insensitive to the people who knew and loved him.