Review: Anvil: The Story of Anvil
December 9th 2009 00:32
Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009, Gervasi)
Anvil: The Story of Anvil begins with numerous interviews with giants in the heavy metal industry, you think you know what you’re getting into. You’d be wrong. These interviews are the prequel. The rest of the documentary follows the trials and tribulations of lead singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Ludlow and drummer Robb Reiner of the obscure 80’s metal band, Anvil. Robb and Steve have been friends since they were 14. Lips works at a catering place now but he’s never given up Anvil. He talks about his day job in babble-speak, utterly disinterested in the words coming out of his mouth. For Lips, it's clear Anvil has always been there, more in the foreground rather than background. While Anvil would play some small gigs at home, they hadn’t been on tour in years.
Thus, the film begins with some hope: the band has been booked for a European tour. The excitement is palpable as we watch Lips interact with fans and musicians at festivals. Lips is very much a fan himself, completely star-struck upon meeting some staples in the heavy metal industry. Soon, the excitement ebbs away as their inexperienced manager fails to book reservations for trains them and they end up having to find their own way to gigs. One of these incidences results in the band getting stiffed for payment due to their tardiness. Lips returns home, his spirit crushed. Robb, on the other hand, already seemed tired with the rocky tour before returning home.
The thing that makes Anvil: The Story of Anvil so engaging is the passion and heartbreaking dedication of Lips and his tumultuous yet loyal relationship with Robb. Lips wears his heart on his sleeve. He cries, he’s honest, and he can’t last one day at telemarketing job because “he’s too polite”.
At one point, during a particularly bad fight, Lips states that Robb is the closest person he has. This would mean he places Robb above his family, wife, and children. Anvil: The Story of Anvil is sentimental and honest without relying too much on manipulation techniques. If tears well up in the eyes of the viewer it is merely due to the blatant frustration and sadness expression by Lips, not because the director is structuring the scenes in such a way.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil is the universal story of attempting to live the dream. Lips and Robb love their band and have an incredible passion of music. They simply want to flourish. They want a major tour and their new album signed to a major record label. They want the success they feel they deserved when they first busted onto the scene.
Why Anvil did not make it after their first album is a mystery. Their manager was the same person who managed Metallica and Anthrax. They are well-respected by musicians such as Slash and Lars Ulrich. They are credited as influencing acts such as Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Perhaps it was the mishandling of their independent label. Perhaps it was their inhabitance in Canada rather than the United States. The music of Anvil is rather good, and even more surprising, their most recent album (recorded by men in their fifties, mind you) sounds relevant to today’s metal scene.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil is a highly entertaining and surprisingly touching documentary that should not be missed, regardless of your taste in music. It is a story of passion, friendship, and love.
Notes: Anvil did not make the Documentary shortlist for the Oscars. Although I've only seen one other documentary this year (Food, Inc.) there is not a doubt in my mind that Anvil should have been included in the Oscar shortlist. In fact, I would have chose it above Food Inc. any day. While Food Inc. was very informative, I found it lacking greatly in the technical aspect. If we're talking about structure rather than content, Food Inc. was rather mediocre. Anvil was pleasing on all levels . It's sad when great documentary's get passed up just because they don't have a major message or are not trying to save the world.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil begins with numerous interviews with giants in the heavy metal industry, you think you know what you’re getting into. You’d be wrong. These interviews are the prequel. The rest of the documentary follows the trials and tribulations of lead singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Ludlow and drummer Robb Reiner of the obscure 80’s metal band, Anvil. Robb and Steve have been friends since they were 14. Lips works at a catering place now but he’s never given up Anvil. He talks about his day job in babble-speak, utterly disinterested in the words coming out of his mouth. For Lips, it's clear Anvil has always been there, more in the foreground rather than background. While Anvil would play some small gigs at home, they hadn’t been on tour in years.
Thus, the film begins with some hope: the band has been booked for a European tour. The excitement is palpable as we watch Lips interact with fans and musicians at festivals. Lips is very much a fan himself, completely star-struck upon meeting some staples in the heavy metal industry. Soon, the excitement ebbs away as their inexperienced manager fails to book reservations for trains them and they end up having to find their own way to gigs. One of these incidences results in the band getting stiffed for payment due to their tardiness. Lips returns home, his spirit crushed. Robb, on the other hand, already seemed tired with the rocky tour before returning home.
The thing that makes Anvil: The Story of Anvil so engaging is the passion and heartbreaking dedication of Lips and his tumultuous yet loyal relationship with Robb. Lips wears his heart on his sleeve. He cries, he’s honest, and he can’t last one day at telemarketing job because “he’s too polite”.
At one point, during a particularly bad fight, Lips states that Robb is the closest person he has. This would mean he places Robb above his family, wife, and children. Anvil: The Story of Anvil is sentimental and honest without relying too much on manipulation techniques. If tears well up in the eyes of the viewer it is merely due to the blatant frustration and sadness expression by Lips, not because the director is structuring the scenes in such a way.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil is the universal story of attempting to live the dream. Lips and Robb love their band and have an incredible passion of music. They simply want to flourish. They want a major tour and their new album signed to a major record label. They want the success they feel they deserved when they first busted onto the scene.
Why Anvil did not make it after their first album is a mystery. Their manager was the same person who managed Metallica and Anthrax. They are well-respected by musicians such as Slash and Lars Ulrich. They are credited as influencing acts such as Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Perhaps it was the mishandling of their independent label. Perhaps it was their inhabitance in Canada rather than the United States. The music of Anvil is rather good, and even more surprising, their most recent album (recorded by men in their fifties, mind you) sounds relevant to today’s metal scene.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil is a highly entertaining and surprisingly touching documentary that should not be missed, regardless of your taste in music. It is a story of passion, friendship, and love.
Notes: Anvil did not make the Documentary shortlist for the Oscars. Although I've only seen one other documentary this year (Food, Inc.) there is not a doubt in my mind that Anvil should have been included in the Oscar shortlist. In fact, I would have chose it above Food Inc. any day. While Food Inc. was very informative, I found it lacking greatly in the technical aspect. If we're talking about structure rather than content, Food Inc. was rather mediocre. Anvil was pleasing on all levels . It's sad when great documentary's get passed up just because they don't have a major message or are not trying to save the world.
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