Music and film are mediums capable of transcending both language and cultural barriers. Combine the two and what do you get? Possibly the best thing to ever grace the silver screen, that's what. So, it doesn't matter if you're German, Russian, American or from a galaxy far, far away, you've probably heard of Rammstein: the German metal band best known for their extraordinary stage theatrics. A typical show combines gore, sexual imagery, pyrotechnics and music in a way only the most dedicated deviants can truly appreciate. Even if you're not a fan, it's likely impossible to look away when the sextet takes the stage-albeit in person or on screen.
Naturally, it
was only a matter of time before such an iconic band and their performance antics were committed to film. Rammstein in Amerika (2015) is one of the most notable endeavors by Austrian director Hannes Rossacher, preceeded by Rammstein: Live aus Berlin (2001) and Rammstein: Volkerball (2006). The 2015 documentary received more attention and hype as it highlighted the band's first US show in over 10 years. The documentary also included vintage footage as well as the making of the album being promoted: Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da. It was kind of a big deal to fans in the states. The 2010 show documented at Madison Square Garden sold out 20,000 seats in under 20 minutes! This is no surprise as Rammstein has accrued 35 million in record sales around the world. 
Rammstein: Paris is a new endeavor that was taken on by Swedish director Jonas Akerlund, best known for his cinematic music videos-which is also a staple for the band. For this film, two 2012 shows at the Bercy Arena in Paris were captured by 30 cameras in attempt to bring the shock and awe directly to screens all around the world. "It is a masterpiece of music cinema that captures the energy of Rammstein in a unique visual and sonic experience," according to the film's website, and "sets a new standard for concert films." Rammstein: Paris isn't just capturing the live performance, it set out to capture the theatrical element in the way it was always meant to be seen, cinematically, and apparently done so with great success. The film debuted in Europe on March 23, 2017, and saw box-office sales just over $1 million.
The top-performing territories for Trafalgar Releasing were Russia, Latin America and Poland, helping to achieve over $1 million for the outfit. NFP's territories saw a grossing of almost $1.2 million across two screening dates, coming in second on Germany's weekend box office.
The film is due for world-wide release on May 19, and I can assure you that I will be anticipating it almost as much as my college graduation two weeks prior. I've been a fan for almost 10 years but never had the chance to see them in all their glory. Akerlund's film seems to have successfully captured it as best as theoretically possible for audiences who were unfortunate enough to miss the live experience (like me). As a filmmaker and editor myself, I am in total awe at the feats accomplished and highlighted in the teasers and trailers. I can only imagine what the editing process must have been like! Wrapped in March 2012, the film is premiered exactly five years later. Check out the DVD/Pre-order trailer below:
Rammstein are 21 years into their musical career with an unchanged lineup and 6 studio-albums-another in the works. Though the members are 40-50+, it doesn't appear they'll be slowing down anytime soon-which highly pleases fans like me. But just for good measure, if you aren't Rammstein-fluent, this list by Team Rock is a nice commentary: 5 Things We Learned About the Rammstein: Paris Movie. Goodman highlights aspects about the band such as, "[Lead Singer] Till Lindemann is terrifying," and "They're just as incredible on screen." Yes, both are undeniably true as is apparent to anyone exposed to the band. In the same breath, it's also undeniable that no musical act comes close, on and off stage, to the German band continuing to make waves around the world. For teasers, trailers and more: Rammstein YouTube Channel
More on the film: Rammstein Sets Movie Theatres on Fire
No comments:
Post a Comment