Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)

An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.

Directors:

Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen

Writers:

Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn,

Stars:

Sebastian Bach, Jack Black, Jimmy Chamberlin

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sebastian Bach	...	Himself
Jack Black	...	Himself
Jimmy Chamberlin	...	Himself
Les Claypool	...	Himself
Tim Commerford	...	Himself
Billy Corgan	...	Himself
Kirk Hammett	...	Himself
Taylor Hawkins	...	Himself
Geddy Lee	...	Himself
Alex Lifeson	...	Himself
Kim Mitchell	...	Himself
Kelly Paris	...	Himself
Vinnie Paul	...	Himself
Neil Peart	...	Himself
Mike Portnoy	...	Himself

Storyline

An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.

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Plot Keywords:

canadian | progressive rock | rush | year 1968 | rock 'n' roll | 

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Taglines:

Beyond the lighted stage

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rush: The Documentary

Filming Locations:

Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banger Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins), who was interviewed for this documentary, has admitted to stealing a riff from Rush's "By-Tor & The Snow Dog".

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Quotes

Jack Black: Rush is just one of those bands that has a deep reservoir of rocket sauce. A lot of bands - they've only got so much in the bottle. They use it up sometimes in one song. These guys were the real deal. Their bottle was so big and so filled to the brim, they were shaking it literally for decades. And still there was sauce coming out.

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Connections

Features Rush in Rio (2003)

User Reviews

Band-positive but comprehensive

This film does a good job of presenting and explaining what Rush is all about, and how the group has earned respect from fans, producers, DJs and other musicians (just not critics). Not quite hagiography, as it quotes some of the negative reviews and the band's own dissatisfaction with some of their albums or directions or even wardrobe choices.

Unlike the filmmakers' heavy metal survey films (Headbanger's Journey and Global Metal), in this film Dunn is never on screen and is only heard once or twice asking questions of interview subjects. The spotlight (or limelight) is clearly placed on the band - this is a straight-up documentary, without dwelling on a fan's relationship to a band or genre. As in previous films by this team, the interviews with a surprisingly wide variety of subjects provide much of the meat of this film, giving a broad perspective and keeping it from having too much of a narrow viewpoint. Of course at least half the interviews are with Rush members themselves. You get a real sense of the men behind the music, including their relationships to each other, family, other musicians, and fans.

A special aspect is some great earlier footage, even from family discussions while they were still in high school. There are also some powerful landscape shots while exploring Peart's response to deaths in his immediate family. And the examination of the song-writing process, including shots of original hand-written lyrics drafts, provides good value for viewers.

Overall, a well-made film that does justice to the topic. Not as poignant or story-arced as Anvil: the Story of Anvil, this film has a more successful subject and didn't need to become a real-life Spinal Tap to make a interesting watch.