This documentary on BBC4 was a notch above the usual rockumentary. If you've forgotten that you love the Fall, this is a must-see. Mark E. Smith is pretty much unintelligble in his 2004 interviews (they really shoulda subtitled) but the glimpses into the most recent Peel Session reveal that he's still 'got it', even he's just moaning through a cover of the Move's "I Can Hear the Grass Grow." This was probably filmed just before John Peel passed, so maybe it just seems appropriate to see the Fall in there since they did 20+ Peel Sessions.
The early footage, of course, is the selling point for me. The youthful Smith is electrifying through live performances of many Fall classics. But the late 80's footage was surprisingly great too - the "Victoria" video, and the excerpts from the "I Am Curious Orange" ballet are highlights.
It doesn't try to gloss over his less appealing characteristics, but it's definitely a film about Mark E. Smith more than the Fall itself (as the title suggests). There's some painful footage from the 1998 US tour where band members are fighting on-stage, and some interview subjects recall their days in the Fall less than fondly. But the music speaks - loudly.
Since watching this I've been pulling out my old Fall records and enjoying them with renewed vigor. What's a computer? Eat y'self fitter!
