This film is included on a DVD entitled "The Short Stack: Volume 1" and is a compilation of six short films.
Of all the films in this very lackluster DVD, this is probably one of the very best and showed a lot of promise for the film makers. It's a mockumentary about a fictional early rock n' roll singer named "Paul Decca" (like Paul Anka and Decca Records combined). However, be forewarned that the film is very low-key and may not appeal to someone wanting a less subtle film.
Decca, it seems, was once a very big star thanks to some early hits. However, he was also a very odd man and always included numbers in this titles. Originally, 17 was quite popular and this is a takeoff on the common practice of talking about 16 year-olds in songs during this era (such as "Only 16" by Sam Cooke and "16 Candles" by the Crests). However, his career began to fade when he experimented with lower numbers. In fact, the lower the numbers, the more his songs sounded like they were written for pedophiles. And, because Decca was a freak, he never seemed to realize this was killing his career or this was why practically everyone was now hostile towards him.
As I said, this is a film that probably won't appeal to everyone. In fact, if you don't know much about music circa 1960, then it probably has even less appeal. However, I liked it quite a bit and it made me want to see more from the people that made this film. Well made, clever and kooky--this one is worth a look.
Of all the films in this very lackluster DVD, this is probably one of the very best and showed a lot of promise for the film makers. It's a mockumentary about a fictional early rock n' roll singer named "Paul Decca" (like Paul Anka and Decca Records combined). However, be forewarned that the film is very low-key and may not appeal to someone wanting a less subtle film.
Decca, it seems, was once a very big star thanks to some early hits. However, he was also a very odd man and always included numbers in this titles. Originally, 17 was quite popular and this is a takeoff on the common practice of talking about 16 year-olds in songs during this era (such as "Only 16" by Sam Cooke and "16 Candles" by the Crests). However, his career began to fade when he experimented with lower numbers. In fact, the lower the numbers, the more his songs sounded like they were written for pedophiles. And, because Decca was a freak, he never seemed to realize this was killing his career or this was why practically everyone was now hostile towards him.
As I said, this is a film that probably won't appeal to everyone. In fact, if you don't know much about music circa 1960, then it probably has even less appeal. However, I liked it quite a bit and it made me want to see more from the people that made this film. Well made, clever and kooky--this one is worth a look.
