Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily

Interesting documentary though it is three films in one and they don't really come across as being that relevant to one another, leading to a slightly frustratingly stop-start film.

First is the main story of the Italy concert with a lot of remembrances of one individual and some interesting archive footage shot at the time mixed in with some Frank Zappa music videos. A second film thread is of the Zappa family visiting the town 'today' and receiving civic honours and a third thread where-in the film maker recounts some memory's of his father and a journey to try to see this show.

The three tales aren't woven together very well and the film-makers part just apparently stops, seemingly mid way through that particular story, making you wonder what was the point of including it at all. I'm sure the film maker had some intent with this but it just didn't seem at all relevant or even interesting unfortunately. The footage of the Family visiting Italy is nice to see and they are clearly very touched by what had been put on for them and, as I was unaware of what took place at this concert, seeing the footage of the event interspersed with some current interviews and memories of people who were there was eye opening.

It is worth watching but it is a very meandering documentary, it really feels that someone took two existing films and tried to cut them together with little thought to how someone watching would follow. I should add I watched it on Netflix and the subtitles were full of miss quotes and mistakes.

The highlight is to see Diva and Dweezil with Massimo in Frank's hometown looking at the tiny home that his parent's came from. And to see Diva shed a tea when being honored by the towns people. Just a wonderful look at a moment in Zappa's life, allways about the music, but here it's about Zappa the man, the family, the genius and beyond. Marvelous

Although this documentary is made within the Italian director's quite personal view of a specific (but not insignificant) moment in Zappa's life, it is extremely well-made, very thorough and manages to present revelatory insight and some very moving scenes.