This documentary chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of Joe Meek. It shows, due in equal measures to his pioneering DIY recording techniques, hit-making philosophy and a life full of ... Read allThis documentary chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of Joe Meek. It shows, due in equal measures to his pioneering DIY recording techniques, hit-making philosophy and a life full of social, psychological and sexual obstacles.This documentary chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of Joe Meek. It shows, due in equal measures to his pioneering DIY recording techniques, hit-making philosophy and a life full of social, psychological and sexual obstacles.
Photos
Storyline
Featured review
Haunting and pertinent
I saw this "in progress" edit a while ago and was afraid it had all but disappeared. I had searched for a DVD but nothing had turned up until a few weeks ago, my boyfriend got me a DVD of TELSTAR thinking it was the same movie (both are about 1960's British recording engineer, composer and innovator Joe Meek) but, frustratingly so, it was not.
A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF JOE MEEK was unexpectedly one of the most engrossing and entertaining docs I have seen in a multitude of moons. And while it's main achievements are its ferocious pace, its compact yet detailed interweaving of history, industry and personal passion, pleasure and pain; the major score is the indelible imprint it leaves in your mind long after you've left the theater.
Hearing all the stories from family and friends and colleagues and enemies and admirers (some of whom are quite famous and have since contributed to changing pop culture in their own right), it is not so much a case of how oddball and aberrant and sensational this man's life has been (as was, not too surprisingly but disappointingly so, the case with TELSTAR); but instead a subtle, positive and forcefully inspirational message lingers. I am haunted by the desperation and instinctive drive of this "innarticulate" man (for lack of a better word) to make contact with the world the only way he knew how -- through music and, sometimes, noise itself in all manner of unconventional and conventional commercial means. Not just that Meek was gay at a time in England when it was illegal (punishable by imprisonment) or that he was a respected but constrained and tormented engineer at top UK recording studios that wanted to go independent (unheard of at the time) that makes the audience root for his success or even moreso, to answer his lonely, determined call for love.
It is the way the testimony of it's vast and personable cast is underscored by the accompanying photographs of Joe that persuades and provides guidance to understanding this everyman whose end is heartbreaking and beyond tragic. The succession of images of Joe - a handsome man with an engaging smile - that sits in the memory bank with the strongest impact. The way that smile deteriorates as Joe's world change around him is an ingenious and effective piece of direction. It made me want to intervene in someway, to involve myself, to help somehow. But, of course, that is impossible. But it seemed to me that the filmmakers want Joe to represent each and every one of us in the audience; to awaken within us the realization of our individual potential and ability to contribute value and meaning through our own passions is as valid as the next guy. To remind us that there are no boundaries to achievement and to compassion. And also to use Joe's fate as a caution. But that message isn't beaten over your head. It's Joe's vanishing smile (restored in a coda that sent my heart soaring) that says it all.
It's to this film's credit that I couldn't enjoy TELSTAR, the fictional take on Meek's life. TELSTAR doesn't really make a case for Joe at all. It assumes I know everything about Joe and that I should nod and wink with clique-ish acknowledgment at every passing anecdotal scene. Not so with A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... The doc, if anything, unveils this life and death with a fresh, subjective point-of-view so that I can participate in each revelation, good or bad and not just observe a series of sensational events as seems to be the effect I had with TELSTAR.
Granted, I had seen this film before I had seen TELSTAR and because of that made me "disagree" with much of it(much in the tale is compressed and altered and sensational and narrow-minded and the actor who plays Joe is quite nasty). I can only hope that the TELSTAR effect won't discourage people from seeking out the documentary. The attitude and style of A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... left a bright and hopeful feeling. I respected and felt for Joe (despite the tragic on unpremeditated circumstances of his last minutes) after the doc, but TELSTAR made me reel from him in disgust. Perhaps it is a bit of that 1960's homophobia that clings to the edges of TELSTAR that is distasteful. I get more of a sense of humanity from A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... which at the same time never asks you to excuse his actions, but to forgive the circumstances. Quite a difference in approach and very interesting to compare.
In any event, I found the MySpace page for the doc and read that they were still filming interviews and were in the process of adding those into the existing feature. A huge relief. This film has a spirit and flavor that deserves to be relived and tells of a history that should never be forgotten.
A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF JOE MEEK was unexpectedly one of the most engrossing and entertaining docs I have seen in a multitude of moons. And while it's main achievements are its ferocious pace, its compact yet detailed interweaving of history, industry and personal passion, pleasure and pain; the major score is the indelible imprint it leaves in your mind long after you've left the theater.
Hearing all the stories from family and friends and colleagues and enemies and admirers (some of whom are quite famous and have since contributed to changing pop culture in their own right), it is not so much a case of how oddball and aberrant and sensational this man's life has been (as was, not too surprisingly but disappointingly so, the case with TELSTAR); but instead a subtle, positive and forcefully inspirational message lingers. I am haunted by the desperation and instinctive drive of this "innarticulate" man (for lack of a better word) to make contact with the world the only way he knew how -- through music and, sometimes, noise itself in all manner of unconventional and conventional commercial means. Not just that Meek was gay at a time in England when it was illegal (punishable by imprisonment) or that he was a respected but constrained and tormented engineer at top UK recording studios that wanted to go independent (unheard of at the time) that makes the audience root for his success or even moreso, to answer his lonely, determined call for love.
It is the way the testimony of it's vast and personable cast is underscored by the accompanying photographs of Joe that persuades and provides guidance to understanding this everyman whose end is heartbreaking and beyond tragic. The succession of images of Joe - a handsome man with an engaging smile - that sits in the memory bank with the strongest impact. The way that smile deteriorates as Joe's world change around him is an ingenious and effective piece of direction. It made me want to intervene in someway, to involve myself, to help somehow. But, of course, that is impossible. But it seemed to me that the filmmakers want Joe to represent each and every one of us in the audience; to awaken within us the realization of our individual potential and ability to contribute value and meaning through our own passions is as valid as the next guy. To remind us that there are no boundaries to achievement and to compassion. And also to use Joe's fate as a caution. But that message isn't beaten over your head. It's Joe's vanishing smile (restored in a coda that sent my heart soaring) that says it all.
It's to this film's credit that I couldn't enjoy TELSTAR, the fictional take on Meek's life. TELSTAR doesn't really make a case for Joe at all. It assumes I know everything about Joe and that I should nod and wink with clique-ish acknowledgment at every passing anecdotal scene. Not so with A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... The doc, if anything, unveils this life and death with a fresh, subjective point-of-view so that I can participate in each revelation, good or bad and not just observe a series of sensational events as seems to be the effect I had with TELSTAR.
Granted, I had seen this film before I had seen TELSTAR and because of that made me "disagree" with much of it(much in the tale is compressed and altered and sensational and narrow-minded and the actor who plays Joe is quite nasty). I can only hope that the TELSTAR effect won't discourage people from seeking out the documentary. The attitude and style of A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... left a bright and hopeful feeling. I respected and felt for Joe (despite the tragic on unpremeditated circumstances of his last minutes) after the doc, but TELSTAR made me reel from him in disgust. Perhaps it is a bit of that 1960's homophobia that clings to the edges of TELSTAR that is distasteful. I get more of a sense of humanity from A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... which at the same time never asks you to excuse his actions, but to forgive the circumstances. Quite a difference in approach and very interesting to compare.
In any event, I found the MySpace page for the doc and read that they were still filming interviews and were in the process of adding those into the existing feature. A huge relief. This film has a spirit and flavor that deserves to be relived and tells of a history that should never be forgotten.
helpful•00
- stonedmeerkat
- Oct 5, 2009
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Something I've Got to Tell You: A Life in the Death of Joe Meek
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime2 hours 2 minutes
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was A Life in the Death of Joe Meek (2013) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer