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Thursday, July 2, 2015

THE ONE GREAT SCENE IN AN OTHERWISE DIFFICULT FILM TO LIKE

Just for you, I've excerpted the one great scene* (less than 2 min.) in an otherwise difficult film to like, the biopic Stoned from ten years ago. In it, Brian Jones has just experienced the very worst moment of his life, being fired from the Rolling Stones whom he had co-founded. Unexpectedly, with that devilish smirk, he daydream-drifts into his own parallel Stones' universe this time as its the main star. The scene works, and how. Great editing, as well as emphasizing the actor as an actual groovin' musician: note the dancing on the precipice as both a literal and figurative observation on the character's plight.



The director was a respected producer (Interview with the Vampire for one) with this film as his first directing task, and probably wasn't ready to go more experimental. I would have loved to have seen the entire film shot the way this one sequence was, since it imparts so much interior meaning, moves like a freight train afire and is just so incontestably well done.

Those interested in more facts/less projection would do well to purchase Paul Trynka's book on the subject, Sympathy for the Devil: the Birth of the Rolling Stones and the Death of Brian Jones LINK.

*video clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5d1trphdBE

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