Iron Maiden: Behind the Iron Curtain

This documentary provides a fantastic peek at Iron Maiden in their 80's heyday. The first part of the World Slavery Tour 84' / 85' takes them to eastern European cities as the tour begins. It's a well balanced mix of concert footage, videos and brief interviews that make it a worth while watch for fans of Iron Maiden and music fans in general. In the video for 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' they producers added film clips of the Russian film 'Alexander Nevsky' a great 1930's film. Maiden's sound is heard through the film and the film provides a very human look at the members of the band.

Tearing down the wall of segregation Iron Maiden: Behind the Iron Curtain is both concert footage and historical document conjoining Iron Maiden's journey into the closed world of the Communist Bloc that highlights the crossing of the line of conformist West into the rebellious East of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslavakia and Yugoslavia during August of 1984.

A reminiscence of times long gone, for both Eastern Europe, and Iron Maiden and their World Slavery Tour of August 1984 to July 1985. It is a tour in an oppressive regime that brings the East's heavy-metal subculture out and proudly head banging to tracks such as 2 Minutes to Midnight, The Trooper, The Number of the Beast and Aces High, amongst others. The only query here is that there is a difference in the soundtrack of the original release (which was only some thirty minutes long) and this extended footage, which is somewhat polished, and re-worked, but not all tracks have had this audio makeover. Note the lead singer's late reproach to the microphone to the beginning of Number of the Beast but his voice just beats him to it.

With a wonderful nostalgic and reflective feel of a world far removed from the present, with band interviews and fans' thoughts and reactions to this British heavy-metal band and the rebellious soundtrack to the phenomenon that is life behind the Iron Curtain the heavy metal demographic are always the same either side of the curtain; male, white and blue-collar. East or West, this image of denim and leather clad, longhaired head bangers are stout believers' in their music and way of life. Even more so is this prominent in this politically, socially and culturally starved environment.

We're on the road with this band and seeing a short glimpse of this Rock n' Roll life style, even to the point where the band end up playing, unannounced, at a Polish wedding, too, we see the view from the tour-bus window of the towns, cities, streets and its people that were the 1980's Cold War (1947-1991) casualties'. This is truly a remarkable, if somewhat short, footage of a continents bygone age.

If you're into Maiden or the history of the Cold War's Eastern Bloc, or both, then this tiny film here will certainly enlighten you to both worlds and have you transfixed of what has been and the vast differences' that come about. Behind the Iron Curtain is a fitting exposé of two histories combined, in a timeless film that still to this day loses none of its potential to entertain and educate.

As a documentary, it still amazes us the days of East of Europe in early 80's. There weren't many so-called Bands which went to those places just for Fans. If you see it, you can find lots of fans desperately looking forward to see Maiden. So eagerly, only you can feel is so much love towards them; Both fans and Maiden.

How much Music can affect to people? Unless Maiden felt what it was as a mission, it would never be realized in that peaceful way.

Great live performances even one of the embryonic days because of their energetic passions which might be be seethed under those different circumstances.