When LCD Soundsystem announced they were
“… retiring from the game. Gettin’ out. Movin’ on” online last year
following one last show at Madison Square Gardens, fans clamored for
tickets to their coveted farewell. Shut Up and Play The Hits follows LCD frontman James Murphy through this journey of letting go,
and serves as a memoir of a particular moment in the band’s lifespan, a
reflection on the end.
Directors Will Lovelace and Dylan
Southern’s experience in creating music documentaries and videos was
evident in the vibrant cinematography in the scenes of the live show.
The birds eye camera which shot fans scuffling around in the standing
space directly in front of the stage, and the other cinematographers,
including Spike Lee, placed at natural points on stage and in the crowd,
gave the illusion of being at the show. The pulsing keyboard chorus of
“Dance Yrself Clean” caused impromptu seat dancing across the theatre
and these few but powerful snippets of the live show, created an
emotional tone throughout film.
The live clips are interspersed with a narration interview with American writer and essayist Chuck
Klosterman, shot at New York hot spot The Spotted Pig, the week leading
up to the big show. The interview deconstructs the idea of Murphy as the
“rock star”, exploring the bands high and low lights, discussing his
roots as a musician, and the bands journey to fame. “I was 38 and I
decided to make a record; I blinked and I was 41.”
Moments of identification with emotional
crowd members, often crying, motion toward what any LCD fan felt when
they announced the band would be no more. Murphy is shown dragging
himself around his apartment the morning after the show, staring at his
bulldog and generally seeming to scream “now what?” between scenes of
normalcy making coffee and trimming his patchy greyish beard.
The strongest parts of the film, in true
documentary form, are quite unexpected. Perhaps the most candid of all
comes when Murphy bursts into tears with his back turned to the camera
amongst the band’s equipment in a storage space the day after the show.
Another moment captured a final dinner the day after the show at
Williamsburg hot spot Marlow & Sons with the exhausted but happy
band celebrating the last ten years shared together. Candid moments
during the live show were marked by a particularly red-faced sobbing
fan, Panda suited devotees clutching their hearts long after the lights
had gone up at MSG, and Arcade Fire joining LCD onstage for “North
American Scum.”
Shut Up and Play the Hits is a
heartfelt love letter to LCD Soundsystem fans as well as an interesting
character study of the genius that is James Murphy, who also produced
and did all the sound mixing for the film. Though it might have been
nice to have a surface dive into the other band members’ perspectives
during this milestone in their band history, the directors explained in a
live Q&A following one of the screenings, that their aim was not to
make a film about the bands history, choosing to capture what Murphy
suggested was a naturally poignant moment for the band.
Dirs. Dylan Southern & Will Lovelace, 2011, HD presentation, 105 min.
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