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The poet, songwriter, performer, painter and writer Ivor Cutler lived an extraordinary life, creating a body of work beloved by a discerning public. This DVD features two different programmes, 'Looking for Truth with a Pin' and 'Cutler's Last Stand'. Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Connolly and Neil Innes are among the fans paying tribute to this original, poet, songwriter and performer 'Looking for Truth with a Pin' includes footage of Ivor's final performance, rare archive appearances, personal photographs, an in-depth interview with the man himself and contributions from, amongst others, Ivor's partner Phyllis King, Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Connolly, Neil Innes and Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. 'Cutler's Last Stand', the second part of this 96 minute DVD, is taken from Ivor's farewell performance at London's Quen Elizabeth Hall in February 2004 and includes readings from his classic 'Life in a Scotch Sitting Room' as well as favourites like 'Beautiful Cosmos', 'Lemonade' and 'Barabadabada'. The sleeve features titles by Ralph Steadman and the whole production is a loving testament to a much admired original. 'A wonderful Introduction to a life-changing talent', The Guardian. ' There should be a statue to Ivor Cutler...he's the best kept secret in Britain', Billy Connolly.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
absolute treasure!,
By
This review is from: Ivor Cutler - Looking For Truth With A Pin / Cutler's Last Stand [2006] [DVD] (DVD)
What can one say about Ivor Cutler that needn't be said...? He was truly a man of many hats -- quite literally, as you'll see when you (hopefully) watch this incredible documentary -- poet, musician, artist, author of children's stories, teacher...and an inspiration to many. It would take a stony soul indeed not to be at least slightly touched by his gentle, whimsical view of his world.
Among the folks reminiscing about Ivor's work and his effect on their lives are Paul McCartney (who had heard Ivor and asked him to appear in the Beatles' 'Magical mystery tour' film), Billy Connolly, Neil Innes, Robert Wyatt, Alfreda Benge, Peter Brown, Alex Kapranos (of Franz Ferdinand), and others -- as well as Ivor himself. The film offers a wealth of information (since almost none was available previously!) about Ivor's childhood and early adult life. Some of the more poignant recollections of Ivor as well as some of the others are of his time as a teacher -- as I watched this with a friend (who has had little exposure to Ivor's work, but who was captivated by him immediately watching the DVD), we both began to make a comment simultaneously about how wonderful and unforgettable an experience it must have been both for the children he taught AND himself, as teacher. As several of those who knew him said in the film, Ivor had a 'unique' way of looking at the world -- and he was always touched by the openness of children in expressing their thoughts and feelings. Its obvious from his own work that he shared that innocence -- even when dealing with subjects that are more 'adult' in nature, it's there. Throughout the documentary, there are performance clips -- some of which are very rare, from 1950s British television &c, and some from what was called 'Cutler's last stand', his performance from February of 2004, his farewell to the stage. Sadly, he passed away in March of this year (at the age of 83) -- he'll be missed by countless fans...even though he was considered to be an artist with a 'cult following', his admirers are legion. Over the course of his career, he recorded for several major record labels -- and did 21 sessions for the late great British DJ John Peel. Ivor's songs are both melancholic and humorous -- sometimes both in the same song -- and deal with everything from his childhood to his wry observations of everything from insects to birds to nature to people. Nothing was beyond his gaze -- and no one else had quite the take on it that Ivor employed. A brief example (not from this DVD, but it'll give you an idea): The wren hopped around on the cat's tongue, searching for the exit. 'Just wait until I get home', she said -- 'I shall have a tale to relate.' Priceless. This is a fitting, loving tribute to a one-of-a-kind, gentle soul who will be sorely missed. Our poor world could use more of him.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Master Imagineer,
By Blackcloud (Kent England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ivor Cutler - Looking For Truth With A Pin / Cutler's Last Stand [2006] [DVD] (DVD)
Ivor Cutler was without a doubt an eccentric , and his humour follows this vein. Some of his poems,songs,and stories will make you roar with laughter and some, you will struggle to understand, as he himself admits after one such poem "dont worry I dont understand it either ".All of them though will conjure pictures in your mind of Cutlers view of the world, from his somewhat severe but ultimately loving and intensley Scottish childhood, to his own, funny, but more than probably unreliable views upon how to resist attack from variuous jungle creatures! As always delivered in his soft Scottish brogue his wry and sometimes obtuse observations are a delight.
This DVD is a recording of his last live concert in 2004 ( he retired from live performance after this and died in 2006) and a short documentary of his life, including an interview with the man himself, Paul McCartney, Billy Connolly, and others. The only reason I gave this a "Good" rather than an "Excellent" is that I feel the concert was heavily edited and seemed a tad short, although I could be mistaken here as Mr Cutler is so obviously frail and may himself have kept things short. Indeed the announcer asks the audience on Cutlers behalf "to keep the volume of any applause at about 50% of normal" and to prove the point during one enthusiastic round of applause Cutler quite firmly plugs both ears with his fingers. The concert features many gems including the seaside game from Tales From A Scotch Sitting Room, and "blind men fall in where the river bends" ponderously accompanying himself on his ancient Harmonium , which we learn during the documentary was a gift from a lady in the west country. All in all this is a delightful summation of the mans life , work , and effect on other luminaries of the entertainment world, and only suffers from being , at 97 minutes, for me, too short. Buy , enjoy, and rue the fact that the world has too few Ivor Cutlers, and is the worse for his passing. Should you still harbour doubts as to the suitability of his work in enhancing the enjoyment of life, take a look at [], a good place to start to learn about the man and his work. Thundercloud1957
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
absolute treasure!,
By Larry L. Looney - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ivor Cutler - Looking For Truth With A Pin / Cutler's Last Stand [2006] [DVD] (DVD)
What can one say about Ivor Cutler that needn't be said...? He was truly a man of many hats -- quite literally, as you'll see when you (hopefully) watch this incredible documentary -- poet, musician, artist, author of children's stories, teacher...and an inspiration to many. It would take a stony soul indeed not to be at least slightly touched by his gentle, whimsical view of his world.
Among the folks reminiscing about Ivor's work and his effect on their lives are Paul McCartney (who had heard Ivor and asked him to appear in the Beatles' 'Magical mystery tour' film), Billy Connolly, Neil Innes, Robert Wyatt, Alfreda Benge, Peter Brown, Alex Kapranos (of Franz Ferdinand), and others -- as well as Ivor himself. The film offers a wealth of information (since almost none was available previously!) about Ivor's childhood and early adult life. Some of the more poignant recollections of Ivor as well as some of the others are of his time as a teacher -- as I watched this with a friend (who has had little exposure to Ivor's work, but who was captivated by him immediately watching the DVD), we both began to make a comment simultaneously about how wonderful and unforgettable an experience it must have been both for the children he taught AND himself, as teacher. As several of those who knew him said in the film, Ivor had a 'unique' way of looking at the world -- and he was always touched by the openness of children in expressing their thoughts and feelings. Its obvious from his own work that he shared that innocence -- even when dealing with subjects that are more 'adult' in nature, it's there. Throughout the documentary, there are performance clips -- some of which are very rare, from 1950s British television &c, and some from what was called 'Cutler's last stand', his performance from February of 2004, his farewell to the stage. Sadly, he passed away in March of this year (at the age of 83) -- he'll be missed by countless fans...even though he was considered to be an artist with a 'cult following', his admirers are legion. Over the course of his career, he recorded for several major record labels -- and did 21 sessions for the late great British DJ John Peel. Ivor's songs are both melancholic and humorous -- sometimes both in the same song -- and deal with everything from his childhood to his wry observations of everything from insects to birds to nature to people. Nothing was beyond his gaze -- and no one else had quite the take on it that Ivor employed. A brief example (not from this DVD, but it'll give you an idea): The wren hopped around on the cat's tongue, searching for the exit. 'Just wait until I get home', she said -- 'I shall have a tale to relate.' Priceless. This is a fitting, loving tribute to a one-of-a-kind, gentle soul who will be sorely missed. Our poor world could use more of him. |
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