It Might Get Loud

If you love rock music you must see this film. I cannot describe how much I enjoyed it. It chronicles how each of the artists first discovered the music they loved (blues, rock and/or punk, depending on the era), began playing the guitar, and developed their own styles. Page strove to explore as many musical possibilities with his guitar as he could, White searches for authenticity, and the Edge can't stop tinkering to find the perfect sound.

The filmmaker, discreetly off camera, interviews them individually in the places where they made music and found inspiration. Then he films their encounter and jam session. Seeing these great artists improvising together is priceless. Clips from classic footage of Led Zeppelin and U2 concerts, footage from White's various performances, and footage of other performances from the guitarists' early years and also of the artists who influenced them, are interspersed. The artists also discuss some of the sources of their inspiration and their creative process. There are a few really funny and telling moments. Don't miss it.

In this film, three of the most prolific guitarists of their times, Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page, are brought together to talk about rock. Although this is the premise of the documentary very little footage of the actual meeting are shown. Instead, the movie is driven by the juxtaposition of interviews and footage of each of the individual artist. The director, Davis Guggeheim (who also directed An Inconvenient Truth) chose the perfect three artists for the movie because they are so distinct from each other not only in their music but in their philosophies.

Jack White is the most open of all the artists in the movie because he was able to genuinely express his approach. To Jack, music is a struggle, "You have to pick a fight with the guitar," he says. His view was artistically expressed in a scene where Jack is talking about the history of the blues and on the screen footage of Jack playing "Blue Viens" in concert so hard his hands are bleeding all over the guitar is contrasted with pictures of historical blues musicians. This modern day blues artist addresses everything from his past to his influences throughout the movie.

The Edge, in stark contradiction to Jack White's minimalistic style and plastic Airline guitar, is shown through out the movie playing with effects modules and techonologic pedals to produce his U2 stadium rock style. He explains in the movie how it is possible to completely change the sound of the guitar just by utilizing these innovations. He also talked about U2's past and how they started off by playing after school in their elementary school and their early struggles.

To Jimmy Page, rock is sex. "The curves of the guitar are like a woman's," he says at one point and later on when talking about Stairway to Heaven, "it just builds and builds like an orgasm." It was obvious throughout the movie that Jimmy Page was not accostumed to interviews because it seemed that he struggled with being open. But, this prolific Led Zeppelin guitarist was a key dynamic in the movie because he was able to address his development as an artist in the dawn of rock.

These three artists were able to capture the history and the essence of rock and ultimately the film is not just about music, but ultimately it is a statement about culture and how music is statement the times and the experiences of each artist.

Good, but a bit disappointing. I am a massive fan of Jimmy Page and Jack White - Led Zeppelin is my favourite band, and the White Stripes would be amongst my favourites, plus I liked U2 when they made good music, i.e. until about 1989. So what was the problem?

It just felt a bit empty in the end. Like, so what? Maybe it is that I have seen just about every rock documentary ever made that made the guitarists' revelations seem a bit empty.

Also, the mutual back-slapping got a bit tiresome.

This all said, there was a lot of great stuff in here. Hearing Jimmy Page talk about how he got into playing guitar, his early bands, showing us the spot where John Bonham played the amazing drum-intro on When The Levee Breaks (which explained the unique sound to that track), seeing some of Jack White's pyrotechnics, The Edge talking us through the technology he uses in producing his sound, and hearing the sound.

An incredible doc featuring The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White. The film is very, very well done. The opening credits are pretty cool. The thing is, at many times this film seems to work best for Edge and Page. It really is amazing to watch Edge go over the technicalities involved in creating his trademark style. Page is incredible; it's especially funny in one scene, where the other two are singing, and he flatly declares, "I can't sing!" - hilarious. Jack White seems to be a little out of his element here. He's the young gun of course, and over time perhaps he'll be thought of in a similar light to his legendary predecessors. But really, there is nothing to complain about. There is some classic footage of U2 (dressed in new wave clothes??) that may leave you laughing! The vintage reels of Page and U2 still give me the chills. Guggenheim has done a fantastic job. I look forward to seeing it again.

1/15/18. I love electric guitar music but this rockumentary comes off being uneven in its approach. I loved when they played their guitars, but the narratives were not that enlightening. Oh well.