Jonathan Demme's third and final Neil Young concert film is again, quite distinct from the previous two. The tour is in support of "Le Noise", kind of a loud singer/songwriter album with Young playing long, confessional songs accompanied only by himself on electric guitar. Correspondingly, this tour is just Young alone on stage playing either acoustic or electric guitar, or occasionally piano, and playing a mix of old favourites and material from the new album.
Demme films Young playing at Massey Hall in Toronto, and they use the opportunity to also film Young in Omemee, Ontario, the small town where he grew up. The film blends Demme's, by now, signature approach to filming concerts with the loose, hand held kind of documentary he likes to shoot, although there isn't much of the latter. The "Neil visits his hometown" stuff seems a bit undercooked, though you do get to meet his brother Bob, who looks just like a slightly older, fatter Neil.
Demme's an old pro at this kind of film, and he just delivers with only one bad choice. The idea of cutting to a camera literally on Young's mic and showing extreme close-ups of him singing is ... no.
Demme films Young playing at Massey Hall in Toronto, and they use the opportunity to also film Young in Omemee, Ontario, the small town where he grew up. The film blends Demme's, by now, signature approach to filming concerts with the loose, hand held kind of documentary he likes to shoot, although there isn't much of the latter. The "Neil visits his hometown" stuff seems a bit undercooked, though you do get to meet his brother Bob, who looks just like a slightly older, fatter Neil.
Demme's an old pro at this kind of film, and he just delivers with only one bad choice. The idea of cutting to a camera literally on Young's mic and showing extreme close-ups of him singing is ... no.