The alphabetically-derived timing of this entry in my Sunday Soundtrack series couldn’t be more fortuitous, what with the imminent release of the biopic ‘Back to Black’ here in the States a month after it opened in the UK. I’ll see the flick no matter what, though thus far it’s received middling reviews.
Can’t say that surprises me: celluloid embodiments always run the risk of being little more than mimicry without much substance. The more singular the subject, the tougher the task — and while Amy Winehouse was many things, most of them exceptional, a cruel few debilitating and deadly, she was above all one-of-a-kind. Which is why even a brilliant film with a performance on the level of Rami Malek’s extraordinary emulation of Freddie Mercury still wouldn’t measure up to the real thing. Especially when there’s the Oscar/BAFTA/Grammy-winning documentary ‘Amy’ waiting to be watched again and again. Assuming you can bear the heartbreak, of course. I barely can. Took a second look when it initially arrived on DVD after seeing Asif Kapadia’s chronological collage theatrically. That viewing tore me up too. I haven’t returned to it since. Doesn’t that contradict my implication that this will remain the superior cinematic experience? Not really. The way to more deeply appreciate Amy is to retrace her doomed travails while simultaneously reconsidering the meaning behind her words — impassioned pleas, veiled anguish and all. Naturally the movie does a better job of encapsulating that than the soundtrack. But given the relative scarcity of her recordings, I’m as grateful for this set’s compelling demos and captivating live cuts as I am the essential ‘At the BBC’ collection. Memories from when I actually laid eyes on her, especially Coachella 2007, are still vivid … yet fading. The music helps retain the sparkle.
#SoundtrackSunday 021
‘Amy’
Island/Republic, 2015
d: Asif Kapadia