Credited cast: | |||
James Murphy | ... | Self | |
Chuck Klosterman | ... | Self | |
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Keith Wood | ... | Self |
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Nancy Whang | ... | Self |
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Pat Mahoney | ... | Self |
Al Doyle | ... | Self | |
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Tyler Pope | ... | Self |
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Gavin Russom | ... | Self |
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Phil Mossman | ... | Self |
David Scott Stone | ... | Self | |
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Matt Thornley | ... | Self |
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Gunnar Bjerk | ... | Self |
Petunia | ... | Self | |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Keith Anderson | ... | Self |
Aziz Ansari | ... | Self |
On April 2nd 2011, LCD Soundsystem played its final show at Madison Square Garden. LCD frontman James Murphy had made the conscious decision to disband one of the most celebrated and influential bands of its generation at the peak of its popularity, ensuring that the band would go out on top with the biggest and most ambitious concert of its career. The instantly sold out, near four-hour extravaganza did just that, moving the thousands in attendance to tears of joy and grief, with New York magazine calling the event "a marvel of pure craft" and TIME magazine lamenting "we may never dance again." Documenting this once in a life time performance and an intimate portrait of James Murphy as he navigates the lead-up to the show, the day after, and the personal and professional ramifications of his decision. Written by Pulse Films
This is a documentary about James Murphy and the final concert of the LCD Soundsystem in Madison Square Garden just before the band's temporary break up. The concert excerpts are some of the best I have ever seen and heard. The camera work is particularly great - sometimes unusual perspectives are taken, not just filming the stage frontally with an occasional glance at the individual musicians. No, some cameras had been positioned in the middle of the audience or the audience was even filmed from above, plus all musicians - not just Murphy - get quite a bunch of screentime. The editing is great, too - constantly changing between the different camera perspectives, but not too hectic either. Likewise the sound mixing: the audience is always audible, but when it matters, the music is mixed into the foreground. All these qualities result in the effect that only occurs in very few concert films: you really have the feeling of being there. I had been given goose bumps quite a few times. The only thing I didn't like about it was that on the one hand you get into a party mood, but on the other - due to the many interruptions - it is slowed down again and again. Between the live footage montages of interviews, Murphy home videos, backstage and afterparty footage, etc. are shown - a concept I can relate to, but I would have appreciated if the filmmakers sometimes would have let the music speak for itself longer. It was particularly annoying when the band played "Losing My Edge": during the instrumental passages the music was mixed into the background while those snippets were played in parallel. It took away a lot of the power of the music and this was a shame. Nevertheless: a very likeable and recommendable music documentary.