The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010)

Takes us into the studio with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the recording of their fourth album.

Director:

Thom Zimny

Stars:

Mike Appel, Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mike Appel	...	Himself - Manager 1972-1977
Roy Bittan	...	Himself - E Street Band
Clarence Clemons	...	Himself - E Street Band
Obie Dziedzic	...	Herself (archive footage)
The E Street Band	...	Themselves
Danny Federici	...	Himself - E Street Band
Jimmy Iovine	...	Himself - Recording Engineer
Jon Landau	...	Himself - Manager-Producer
Nils Lofgren	...	Himself - E Street Band
Thom Panunzio	...	Himself - Recording Engineer
Chuck Plotkin	...	Himself - Mixer
Patti Scialfa	...	Herself - E Street Band
Toby Scott	...	Himself
Patti Smith	...	Herself
Bruce Springsteen	...	Himself

Storyline

Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town," released in 1978, was three years in the making, 10 songs chosen from 70 written and rehearsed during that period. Using archival footage from the studio and contemporary interviews with Springsteen, the E Street Band, and those who were in the control room, the film presents a portrait of an artist driving himself to capture working-class life with a rough and raw sound that felt more like a live performance than a studio recording.

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Plot Keywords:

bruce springsteen | archival footage | working class | guitar | eleven word title | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thrill Hill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Bad News Bears (1976)

User Reviews

When He Was Really The Boss

This is a documentary about the making of the follow up to "Born To Run". "Darkness" was a good record, but it was somewhat of a letdown after a three year drought, which was primarily due to management/legal issues. There are great songs on "Darkness", but there are very forgettable songs also. Also, this was the record where Springsteen began to write about things beyond New Jersey/New York. This record is more about America's heartland. The documentary captures studio patter and new interviews, including the late Danny Federici. If you are a big Springsteen fan, you will give this a nine. However, unlike the recent excellent Rush-Beyond The Lighted Stage and Anvil documentaries, this is a myopic film, just about that record. To be fair, I loved Springsteen's music then, but have since felt like he has lost his creative muse. Also, this documentary will not give you full on versions of the songs, so if you haven't heard the record more than a few times, you'll have to acquaint yourself with it or it will be more or less not interesting. The interviews are okay, nothing revelatory. Springsteen is not a good interview, he seems almost monosyllabic at times. A much better documentary is "No Direction Home", the Bob Dylan documentary about his early years, as Dylan himself is fascinatingly reflective in it. I gave it a 7 for nostalgic reasons. If you don't like Springsteen don't watch this. Fairly well done, but it could have been much more interesting.