Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Toss away those old, grainy and washed out videos, 2 Jul 2004
Released as a cinematic follow-up to their critically acclaimed though mostly overlooked concept masterpiece, BRAVE, this film explores the album's general thematic thrust through the direction of Richard Stanley. Stanley is best known, perhaps, for his cult-hit oddity HARDWARE (1990), a sci-fi oddity about a obsessed robot stalking a young woman in a post-apocalyptic urban apartment building. His next film, DUST DEVIL (1992) was as wildly visual and cinematically unique as his previous work, and BRAVE is a further exploration into surreal cinema with Marillion providing the soundtrack and loosely fitted plot about a troubled young girl driven to attempted suicide by her use of drugs, excessive alienation and traumatic rape. Interspersed with sequences of the band playing and fading in and out of the drama, the "movie" includes several scenes of lead singer Steve Hogarth actually morphing into the picture, including into the guise of the young girls rapist father! Since BRAVE, Stanley has fallen from the artistic and expressionist surrealism that showcased his real talents to mostly documentaries like THE SECRET GLORY (2001) and WHITE DARKNESS (2002). Fans of the cult fathers of "neo-prog" are generally split over the BRAVE film - but most agree that the music behind the images is the true genius. Some argue that Stanley's cinematic vision is flawed and inaccessible to most viewers. They say he fails to truly explore the depth in the characters and that his vision is superficial and lacking in emotional intensity. Others passionately embrace the surrealist elements of the film, and truth be told, one could argue that the visual experience Stanley delivers has more in common with music video than film. Indeed, this viewer would say it's like watching a Jean Rollin film with an amazing soundtrack but without the vampires. However one categorizes it, the film is definitely a must for any Marillion fan. In many ways, the BRAVE album showcased the first "concept album" by the band since their famous MISPLACED CHILDHOOD followed by one last album with their former lead vocalist and two previous albums with Hogarth. It was also a creative statement to their fans and the world that the band would continue their excellence and progressive artistic musicianship rather than rest on their laurels. The BRAVE film can easily be called the band's most ambitious endeavor yet, as it was their first exploration into film, a daunting task that eclipsed all of their previous work with music video. Added to the dvd, I believe, is the excellent documentary footage, THE MAKING OF BRAVE, which allows the band to explain some of the creative influences and processes that contributed to the recording of the album and the film. In many ways, this additional feature is worth the price of admission itself. Fans of the band have waited ten years for this film to be released in the US & Canada in NTSC format. Until now, it's only been available as an import PAL tape or via underground transfer copies. It's now time to toss away those old, grainy and washed out videos and see BRAVE in all of it's glory on DVD.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Brave - a film based on the music of Marillion, 29 Dec 2003
This is a dark, fictional film based on a real-life incident - a young woman was found wandering about on a bridge with no memory of who she was, where she was from or what she was doing. Marillion developed her character, created an album of music with this as the central theme, and then the film sprang from this album. The woman is portrayed as someone who is deeply disturbed, and the film shows what her life is like.The film is basically one long accompaniment to the soundtrack that is the Brave album. In this way, the film is more of a background to the music than the music is to the film. The album plays from start to finish as the film shows the woman and what she's going through, which in places is quite harrowing. (Be aware that you may find some scenes very disturbing.) There are occasional appearances by members of Marillion in a kind of background video that appears every now and then, but if you're looking for a video of the band you'll be disappointed. The music is Marillion at their best; Brave is regarded by many as Marillion's best album to date. If you already like the music you'll find the film interesting as it expresses the ideas behind the music, but I wouldn't recommend it as your first outing into Marillion territory - a film of a live performance of the band would be better. Also, if you already like the album and have your own ideas of the stories behind the music, you may find the film spoils these. Overall, although I'm a very big fan of Marillion, particularly the band as it is now with Steve Hogarth as the lead singer, I wouldn't rate this film highly. It's well done - it accompanies the music well, but it's the music that makes it. If you've not heard much Marillion before or haven't heard the Brave album, I'd strongly suggest buying that instead. It's interesting to watch if you're a Marillion fan who wants to know everything there is about the band, but otherwise you're not missing out by not watching it.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
lovely music-sexy stuff, 24 Jan 2008
Lovely music has been illustrated with a psycho story of a memory-blank young woman, of whom wondering London, having sex with strangers and committing killing and suicide supposed perhaps generalised aims of the British youth of the ninetieth.
DVD could more significantly be present if lyrics text brochure had accompanied.
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