Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily (2014)

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1. 

   graves

   It's about when Zappa tours Italy, finishing up in Sicily, and paints a good picture of the climate and tension of that period at the sacrifice of the apparent subject. There's not a lot of Zappa content, or at least he doesn't seem to be centre of the stage here. What you get is lots of content about someone he befriended. Talking heads remind you how great he [Zappa] was. Family members talk a little bit about him as a father and hustband. "he was so [insert the usual positive adjectives]" But I'm none the wiser to his music, or how he composes, works with his bands, gets his ideas. I only watched it because I don't listen to Zappa. This is a 'Family Man' show rather than a 'Music documentary'. There's excellent coverage over the confusion and events of the final tour night that goes horribly wrong in Palermo. Then cuts to his family today (2013) patting themselves on the back for his legacy. It jumps from Police brutalising fans for crossing boundaries- to Dweezil Zappa (the Son) unveiling a plaque and new street name 'Via Frank Zappa'. The whole 82' tour is a montage. the rest of the doc is the family being introduced to the Italian side of the family long lost since Frank Zappa's parents emigrated. I'm not saying it's not legitimate documentary material which can be interesting in itself- but more than half the film is 2013 family talking to the camera trying to string a meaningful connection with the film maker that I just didn't buy. More interestingly, shortly after the documentary the family fall out with each other over the estate and Dweezil is temporarily barred from making money from Frank Zappa's music without permission from a brother. That's a doc I would watch- with a Zappa record playing alongside. 1 year 1 month ago

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