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Year Of The Horse

1997, Movie, R, 107 mins

Year Of The Horse: Review

YEAR OF THE HORSE
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Indie-idol Jim Jarmusch is a longtime Neil Young fan: Young scored Jarmusch's morose DEAD MAN, and Jarmusch later made videos for Young. This film, shot in 1996 and incorporating footage from 1976 and 1986, follows Young and Crazy Horse as they tour the U.S. and Europe; the result, filmed mostly in raw, artless 8mm, is less a documentary than an impressionistic appreciation of the quartet, who've been playing together for the better part of 30 years. Jarmusch also goes through the motions of interviewing Young and band members Pancho Sampedro (guitar) -- who slings a lot of hostile attitude Jarmusch's way -- Ralph Molina (drums) and Billy Talbot (bass) in what appears to be a hotel laundry room, eliciting little save the shared conviction that "The Horse" is bigger than all of them and deeply significant in some way they can't articulate. Fans will be enthralled: Jarmusch includes extensive performance footage, and the band still has admirable live chops, even if the noodling jams are like those conversations among old friends that amuse them no end and leave you figuring you must have had to be there. But if your perspective isn't defined by nostalgic affection, it's hard not to find something a bit sad in the sight of fat, balding, middle-age men in Jimi Hendrix T-shirts, boogeying like it's all that stands between them and insignificance. In fact, the film's most telling juxtaposition is vintage backstage footage of sullen, smooth-skinned band members complaining about performing, with their older selves fretting because they can't wait to go onstage -- it's their reason for going on, period. The lesson: Rock 'n' roll will never die, because geriatric rock 'n' rollers won't let it. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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