It Might Get Loud (2008, Director: Davis Guggenheim): There has never been a proper documentary film made about the guitar. Director Davis Guggenheim thought it would be interesting to examine the unique guitar sound of three guitar legends — Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. To watch the film with all three musicians in the audience was an incredible experience. To have the The Edge and Jimmy Page sit two rows directly in front of me was surreal.
Okay, fanboy comments aside, this was an interesting film from beginning to end. Jack White starts off the film by making a simple guitar with a Coke bottle, some wire and a few pieces of wood. Awesome!
I’m not a huge fan of Jack White but Guggenheim’s film gave me a new appreciation for White’s talent. I’m a big fan of the Edge and love the music of Jimmy Page so to find out how each musician developed their unique sound is a fascinating history lesson.
The production values of this film are quite slick. Guggenheim uses some incredible archival footage to show us where these three musicians got their start.
Each guitarist was interviewed separately and I found these segments to be the strongest and most interesting parts of the film.
Guggenheim ends the film by bringing all three musicians to Los Angeles so they can play together and discuss their musical style. It makes for an interesting jam session but it turns out to be the weakest part of the film in my opinion. I found out that Page can’t really sing but I enjoyed watching them play each other’s music and have a good time.
(7/10)
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