2008 Woodie Awards
Boston film fest finds long-lost American band
Abby Kingston
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: Arts
In its 24th year, the Boston Film Festival has brought six days of cinema to the Kendall Square Theatre for all those movie buffs of the Boston and Cambridge communities. From September 12 to17 a wide array of films, ranging from the blockbuster "Appaloosa," starring Renee Zellweger, Ed Harris, and Viggo Mortensen, to animated shorts featuring the voice of Whoopi Goldberg, have been viewed by many a Bostonian. For many, the festival was a great opportunity to see new independent flicks or controversial documentaries, for others it was a yearly ritual which they had been looking forward to since April, and still for others it is a quest to find the next "Rocky Horror Picture Show."
While perusing the festival's schedule, there was one film that really jumped off the page. The world premiere of the documentary "America's Lost Band," was described by festival organizers as "the story about a little known Boston band, The Remains, that some critics consider the greatest American rock group of the mid-1960s even though they never had a Top-40 hit record." To those who have never heard of The Remains, it was intriguing to hear of their apparent talent rivaling The Rolling Stones.
The film, directed by Michael Stich, is a very fluid depiction of the band from its birth to its reincarnation. Opening with a montage of concert clips, the documentary immediately captures your attention. From there, you learn the history of The Remains: just four BU students jamming in their common room, who happened to hit it big after a few local shows. The highpoint of the film appears next as you see original footage of the band performing on the Ed Sullivan Show and Hullabaloo (a similar pop culture show) back when the guys could really tear it up. As the film progresses, The Remains tour with the Beatles across the nation, showing pictures of the band partying with John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
After such a vibrant beginning, it's perplexing as to how the band could have fallen apart, and aside from a brief scene telling of how the drummer left the band, there wasn't much of an explanation.
While perusing the festival's schedule, there was one film that really jumped off the page. The world premiere of the documentary "America's Lost Band," was described by festival organizers as "the story about a little known Boston band, The Remains, that some critics consider the greatest American rock group of the mid-1960s even though they never had a Top-40 hit record." To those who have never heard of The Remains, it was intriguing to hear of their apparent talent rivaling The Rolling Stones.
The film, directed by Michael Stich, is a very fluid depiction of the band from its birth to its reincarnation. Opening with a montage of concert clips, the documentary immediately captures your attention. From there, you learn the history of The Remains: just four BU students jamming in their common room, who happened to hit it big after a few local shows. The highpoint of the film appears next as you see original footage of the band performing on the Ed Sullivan Show and Hullabaloo (a similar pop culture show) back when the guys could really tear it up. As the film progresses, The Remains tour with the Beatles across the nation, showing pictures of the band partying with John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
After such a vibrant beginning, it's perplexing as to how the band could have fallen apart, and aside from a brief scene telling of how the drummer left the band, there wasn't much of an explanation.
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