Rage Against the Machine - Revolution In The Head And The Art Of Protest

I bought this for my boyfriend for christmas and I'm sure he's going to love it! THANK YOU!

Firstly this DVD is NOT AUTHORISED by the band so about 80% of this 1hr 45min documentary is filled with annoying imitation RATM music rather than their own work and there are absolutely NO direct interviews/talks with any of the band members.The documentary itself has some interesting parts including stories from their debut album producer/engineer Garth Richardson. Ultimately however this DVD is just as much a history of protest music as it is a RATM documentary. The majority of the RATM footage is made up of clips most die-hard fans would have already seen on youtube (which are far from 'rare' as the DVD claims). And listening to some of the contributors talk is just down right annoying and they frequently end up getting their facts wrong (one guy claims the title for the 'Battle of Los Angeles' album released in November 1999 was inspired after the band played the Democratic National convention - held in August 2000). Don't be fooled by the 'extras' either. I finished watching the feature length thinking 'cool, let put on the extras' only to find short 1 page biogs on all of the contributors as well as a link to other unofficial RATM releases.But its not all bad. RATM fans old and new will probably enjoy watching this and may even learn a thing or 2 about the band that they didn't already know. Saying that though you'd probably have just as much fun spending a night watching the plethora of actual interviews/footage of Rage on youtube. My only hope is that maybe one day the band will get involved in some sort of RATM documentary and put an end to these mediocre un-authorised releases.

Rage Against the Machine was/is a special, unique group. One that was able to go through society's filter, and make money and fame selling non-commercial, intelligent, and provocative music. They certainly left a mark in the industry and in our souls and their rise and fall has successfully been documented in the exciting and powerful "Revolution in the Head: Rage Against the Machine and the Art of Protest."The film begins with scenes from the 1999 World Trade Organization Meeting, in Seattle, Washington. About 40,000 anti-globalization protestors made their presence felt at this event, and the music of Rage Against the Machine (RAM), in part, fueled their actions. It was clear at that time that this band, which combined hip-hop and hard rock, had made an impact on society.The movie tells the story of how RAM came together. The original members are Zack De La Rocha (singer), Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), and Brad Wilk (drums), of which De La Rocha and Morello are the most known. An assortment of journalists, producers, writers, and industry personnel are interviewed, and provide much information about the band. Some of these interviewees are Gustavo Arellano, Joe Levy, Colin Devenish, TV Reed, Michael Goldstone, Ann Powers, and Jerry Silverman. We learn a little bit about the band member's backgrounds, which explain, in some degree, the nature of their music, and how the band made their first record, and established itself as a radical protest group. Each of the three albums that they recorded - Rage Agaisnt the Machine (1993), Evil Empire (1996) and The Battle of Los Angeles (1999) - is discussed in detail, giving additional information about which ones were the hits. Furthermore, video clips of some of these hits are also shown, including their collaboration with filmmaker Michael Moore. Of course, details about their eventual break-up and reunions are also discussed, as well as the progress of some of its members as soloists after the separation.Important, too, is the part of the documentary in which the history of protest music in the United States is described, beginning with the labor movement in the early 20th century with singer Joe Hill. Also discussed in some detail are Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, The Clash, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen and others. Of particular importance in the development of RAM was the seminal rap group Public Enemy. The involvement of some of these artists in social causes is also mentioned."Revolution in the Head: Rage Against the Machine and the Art of Protest" is a formidable and necessary document of our times. It speaks about the people that have tried to make a difference through their music in, what I'm sorry to say, a very selfish and corporate world. May they live forever. The DVD includes biographies of some of the contributors and more. (USA, 2009, color and B&W, 106 min plus additional materials) Reviewed February 1, 2010 exclusively by Eric Gonzalez for [...].

ce dvd en anglais est un reportage sur Rage et pas un concert! dommage que je puisse pas comprendre car je comprend que le Français.