
The long-awaited doco finally made it to town as part of the Film Festival, and I did not let the opportunity pass. And surprisingly, a sizeable crowd showed up - I was expecting to be the only one there at 6 on a weeknight. Guess there are a few people in this town with taste after all...
So anyway the general thrust of the film is that The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White get together in a kitted-out warehouse to share their views on music and their love for the guitar. To be honest I was surprised how little of this "summit meeting" made the film, as the bulk of the running time is made up of footage and reminiscences of the three separately as they tell of their formative years, influences and roads to the top. Most enjoyable scenes for me were the jam sessions which contrasted the three guitarists' styles - White's crazy abandon, Page's effortless swagger and The Edge's more cautious, precise approach. Quick snippets of The Edge's crazy mad effects setup were amazing, as was the opening scene of White building a bogan lapsteel/slide thingy out of firewood, a bit of wire and a Coke bottle. Inspiring stuff.
My only moan was that the sound was rather ho-hum, loud enough but just seemed to be in boring old stereo which was a bummer as I made a special effort to see it in the DTS theatre. Oh well, that's a small complaint.
Great entertainment and well worth a purchase when it comes to DVD. Recommenemended.