INTRODUCTION
I must say this: I'm a fan of Ralph Bakshi, and I'm a fan of music. So put the two together, and that's a recipe for one happy me. And here to deliver the goods is the 1980 animated opus, American Pop, a tale of four generations of talent where only one comes out on top.
THE PROS
Okay then, where to begin with a piece like this? How about something along the lines of, "My God was that freaking amazing!" Those words were the first out of my mouth after having watched it, and those are words I stand by. I was blown away by this piece for how unashamedly ambitious it was. Conceptually, Ronni Kern's screenplay is an ingenious one, telling the tale of four men whose lives are intertwined with that of the music of their time, showing how sometimes honest-to-God hard work can all be for not, and success can sometimes come from what could be viewed as an "undignified" gateway. The stories are all reasonably developed, at least to the point of serviceability, and are acted so damn convincingly. Jeffrey Lippa, Richard Singer, and Ron Thompson as the four men, with Thompson doubling up on the latter two characters of Tony and Pete, making him the voice of the latter 20th century in the film and a wonderful one too, are all fantastic, really making you feel for the characters and provide pure and very honest deliveries. It's the authenticity of their work that I find makes the film work. And going back to Kern's script, there is some spectacular dialogue to be had, with a character like Russian immigrant Zalmie, played by Lippa, throwing lines like, "I sent my voice to the laundry and it shrunk." But the real stars of the film are the visuals and soundtrack. To get the already hailed-to-the-Moon-and-back song selections out of the way, they were a wonderful cacophony of tunes. It's almost like a Reader's Digest music compilation from across the ages that you could fit on one disc. Be it Scott Joplin or Janis Joplin, Hancock or Hendrix, the music chosen serves the film extremely well. Lee Holdridge's original score is a beauty too, with a breathtaking overture, famously boasting an orchestral arrangement of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," and a heartbreaking take on the classic tune "As Time Goes By" late in the film. But the animation, oh boy the animation. This is Bakshi and the rotoscoping process in perfect harmony, the ultimate form of the union in my opinion. But it's not even the rotoscoping that gets to me, but the backgrounds and art direction. The backgrounds evolve with the film's style, which in and of itself is ever-evolving like the music it focuses on, getting more and more surreal and drug-infused that fits the addictions and dope-peddling of the film's bottom half, particularly an infamous acid sequence employing a fisheye lens to add to the already maddening distortion. But even from the outset, the film is extremely colorful. The palette was extremely saturated when it needed to exaggerate the colorfulness of the characters, and of music to a degree, but it could also become extremely moody and dour when needed. And as a side note, Bakshi packs the film with fun details and presentation styles, such as introducing Zalmie's story as a silent film. All in all, it is a truly beautiful looking film. However, there are a few things holding the film back a touch.
THE CONS
Now, as I previously mentioned, Ronni Kern's screenplay has a very strong premise, and to his credit, is developed enough to the point of serviceability. But, that's the catch: the screenplay functions, but its not firing on all cylinders. If they could have made this film a half-hour longer, Kern's screenplay would have enough room to add and develop on each of these guys' stories. It maybe impressive enough to break down almost a century's worth of cultural developments into the compact frame of 96 minutes, but imagine a two-hour film of American Pop, that would just be down right spectacular. But unfortunately, the stories feel extremely unresolved, but not in the sense that they feel like they aren't followed up properly or lack a good payoff. It's more or less in the sense that they weren't greatly developed or developed to their fullest potential. I will add that there are a few animation goofs, some just a product of the rotoscoping process such as matting the frames onto a moving background, and others an issue of the painter missing a spot. And the incorporation of actual film footage maybe a hit-or-miss affair, depending on how you feel it works within the film's evolving aesthetic. But in the grand scheme of things, these are somewhat nitpicky details, and I feel as though they aren't a hinderance so much as they are a nuisance.
CONCLUSION
So, when all is said and done, Bakshi's American Pop is a wonderful tribute to the music of America. With stellar acting, a superb premise, an incredible soundtrack, and Bakshi's brilliant visual sensibilities, we are treated to wild ride of struggles across the years until success is finally had, but in a rather confounding way. And while the animation has its little off moments here and there, and the script does lack some development to launch it to being an absolutely brilliant work, these setbacks are nothing compared to the marvelous film we are treated to. So I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves animation, music, and is willing to take the good with the bad and enjoy a film that does its damnedest with an outstanding idea. So turn up the radio, and enjoy this masterful piece of animation from one the medium's most inventive figures.
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