Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006): A

An elegant companion piece to Jim Jarmusch’s scraggly Year of the Horse, Jonathan Demme’s Neil Young: Heart of Gold documents the rocker’s August 2005 performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium during his tour for last year’s Prairie Wind (an album written while he awaited surgery to remedy a brain aneurysm). Split somewhat evenly between new tracks (during its first half) and classics (during its latter portion), Young’s show features a preponderance of songs that deal with mortality, a theme that resonates even more forcefully thanks to Demme’s breathtaking combination of tight close-ups (which, during tunes such as “God Made Me” and “It’s a Dream,” convey a sense of weighty isolation) and panoramic wide shots of the crowded stage (which express a counterbalancing optimism and sense of community). Unlike Dave Chappelle’s Block Party or Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That!, Heart of Gold refuses to slice-and-dice Young’s country-tinged numbers with interview clips or aggressively gimmicky edits, the director’s beautifully composed mise-en-scène – aided by Ellen Kuras’ golden cinematography and Andy Keir’s supple editing – expertly, expressively attuned to both the melancholic wistfulness and sly mirth of tracks like “Old King.” What shines through Young’s sterling set is the intrinsically autobiographical nature of his work, with something like “Old Man” – which the artist admits was penned, while he was a still-spry 24, about his elderly ranch foreman – now reverberating with the wisdom gained from a different, more seasoned perspective on life. Old and new, dark and light, sorrow and joy – all are inextricably united in Demme’s wonderful Heart of Gold, which vividly captures Young’s greatness by simply letting him do his thing. It may be the finest concert film I’ve ever seen.

Comments

[David Hudson]

Better than Stop Making Sense?

[Nick]

I guess I prefer it to Stop Making Sense (which is also great) because I kinda hate The Talking Heads. And I dig Neil Young.

[Robert Humanick]

Alas, I need to see both of these films. Two things would immensely help me fill in my blind spots - a Netflix subscription, and a residence in New York.

[Stephan]

I saw Heart of Gold last night. I thought it was great. I was thinking, what are the virtues of a good concert film? This one was so good because so little was done (no cut-aways, slow, continuous shots). It succeeded because it felt more like a concert than a film. Are there concert films that succeed by using a lot of cinematic devices? Or is less more when it comes to this genre?

[Nick]

Steph,

When it comes to both concert films and musicals (where choreography is so important), I usually prefer directors who employ long takes and generally avoid gussying up the material with unecessary camera tricks, edits, etc. Which isn't, however, to say that Demme isn't doing some masterful things in Heart of Gold - I think his understated approach not only allows one to enjoy Young's performance as is, but also subtly reinforces many of the songs' themes.

As for concert films that take the opposite approach, the one that immediately springs to mind is the recent Beastie Boys doc Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That, which uses a totally intrusive, annoying stylistic gimmick (the film is composed of video footage shot by DV camera-wielding fans) to get at the group's rambunctious vibe. It's not as good as Heart of Gold, but it's not bad.