Gargandi snilld (2005)

Director:

Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon

Writer:

Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon (writer)

Release Date:

6 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

A documentary about the bustling Icelandic musical scene. This documentary covers some of Iceland's most talented and well-known musicians. |

Plot Keywords:

Iceland | Musician | Icelandic | Band | Youth

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson	...	Himself
Barði Jóhannsson	...	Himself
Walter Durkacz	...	Himself (as Walter N. Durkacz)
Úlfur Eldjárn	...	Himself
Hörður Bragason	...	Himself
Arnar Geir Ómarsson	...	Himself
Sighvatur Ómar Kristinsson	...	Himself
Eivör Pálsdóttir	...	Herself (as Eivør Pálsdóttir)
Damon Albarn	...	Himself
Jóhann Jóhannsson	...	Himself
Dagur Kári	...	Himself (as Dagur Kári Pétursson)
Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason	...	Himself
Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir	...	Herself
Gunnar Örn Tynes	...	Himself
Björk	...	Herself (as Björk Guðmundsdóttir)

Also Known As:

Screaming Masterpiece (International: English title)

Runtime:

Iceland:87 min

Country:

Iceland | Denmark | Netherlands

Language:

Icelandic | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company:

Palomar Pictures

Movie Connections:

Features Rokk í Reykjavík (1982)

Soundtrack:

Brostnar borgir

even if Bjork bjores you,

...do see this movie! I am not a fan of several of the musical genres covered in this film but nonetheless found myself writing down album and performer names during the film to buy later.

Its format of interviews interspersed with concert tapes or filmed performances cuts a wide swath across the Icelandic music scene. Folk, Norse, Punk, Rock and Rap are all covered.

The musical heritage is described as a "combination of patriotism and adolescence", the result of living half-way between Europe and the United States and being descended from Vikings who stopped in Scotland for slaves and for Irish women "for DNA enrichment and poetry".

It's hard not to like a movie that includes the Foo Fighters calling upon a garage band from a town of 400 to open for them and hard not to like a country that has an official "Head Pagan".

A last note: "Odin's Raven Magic", based on a 900-year-old excerpt of the Edda was a major highlight for me, performed by Sigur Ros, Hilmar Orn Hilmarssen, the London Sinfonietta and a pair of xylophones made of great big hunks of sandstone! Just like in Hustle and Flow, it's hard not to leave the theater singing!