courtesy La Biennale di
Venezia
Venice Lido: 72nd Film Festival – Amy Berg
– Janis – Documentary. Janis Joplin
was one of the world’s most influential rock icons and a goddess of sound, but
there was actually far more to her than that. She inspired a generation,
breaking new ground for the female rock singers who followed. Through turbulent
love affairs and addiction, one constant remained: she was committed to her
music above all until her heartbreaking death at the age of 27. Janis serves as
the narrator for her own life story through letters she wrote to her family,
friends and lovers. Chan Marshall (Cat Power) lends her raspy southern voice to
the film reading Janis’ achingly intimate letters. Amy Berg strips away Janis’
rock and roll persona to reveal the gentle, trusting, sensitive, but powerful
woman behind the legend.
Photograph ASAC
courtesy
La Biennale di Venezia
#Venezia72
- Red Carpet - Italian Rock Star Gianna Nannini and director
Amy Berg
Director’s
Statement. “Janis Joplin was—and still is— a force majeure in music, a rock and
roll pioneer beloved by millions nearly 40 years after her death. Her impact
was worldwide, yet her material was intensely personal. The music and lyrics
Janis created were often inspired by bits and pieces of people she knew and met
along her journey. Songs were always about more than just Janis. She is still a
vessel for our collective pain - the raw, eloquent voice through which our
suffering gets duly acknowledged and nakedly expressed. She lifts us up while
caressing and accepting the pain that lives in each and every one of us. This
explains why her live performances were so electric. When Janis got on stage
and let it all go, the joy and the pain she released was absolutely
intoxicating. Our film explores more than just the tortured magic of Janis’
music and the depths of her pain and suffering. We’ve also created a cinematic
celebration of her exuberant spirit and the impact she has left on the world
after all these years. Her lust for life can be seen in the hundreds of iconic
photos that catch Janis overcome with laughter, her image so powerful you can
almost hear the famous Janis cackle. She had an unyielding power to throw her
pain aside and be in the moment at level 10. Her message, she once told a
reporter, was simple: “Get off your butt and feel things!”.
Above.
Amy Berg receives a standing ovation for
her documentary.
#Venezia72
Amy Berg - Janis - documentary
Contessanally - superb - 8/10
Pin It
