Film Bites: Neil Young - Heart of Gold

Neither Neil Young nor Jonathan Demme need much of an introduction--from Crazy Horse to Hannibal Lecter, they've both been around for long enough, and with Young's "Year of the Horse" (directed by Jim Jarmusch) and Demme's "Stop Making Sense" (featuring the Talking Heads), they have both made some of the best concert movies ever. Now their first collaboration "Heart of Gold" is out in theaters. The film was shot at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium last August, where Young introduced his new album "Prairie Wind" and then proceeded with classic songs. On screen, the show is transformed into a strikingly confident and moving film.

There is no trace here of the 70 cuts/minute of the Beastie Boys' soon-to-be-released 60-plus camera "Awesome!" Demme's direction is all steady shots of Young and his band, which grows and contracts with each song: Emmylou Harris, Neil's wife Pegi, a slide guitar, a string quartet, a horn section, and a group of gospel singers come and go. Says Demme: "I honestly felt that if we went for this classic approach, with fixed cameras and extended takes, it might just feel fresh and avant-garde." Avant-garde isn't the word that springs to mind, but there is something reassuring in the steady simplicity of "Heart of Gold"--without frills, a master songwriter performs songs about fathers, daughters, friends, dogs, god, the wind, and his old guitar. There is a lovable straightforward courage and doggedness in it that speaks for itself. [posted by Jurgen]

More concert films: "Festival Express" - "Grateful Dawg" - "The Kids Are Alright" - "Some Kind of Monster" - "Plastic People of the Universe" - "Bittersweet Motel"