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A brand new documentary on the inventor of the modern synthesizer. Shot on location in Asheville, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo and London, MOOG delves into the inventor's ideas about creativity, interactivity, spirituality, design and his collaborations with musicians over the years.
Called "One of the most influential innovators in the history of Rock & Roll" by Nancy Miller in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, Robert Moog is a legendary figure in music and technology and has made prodigious contributions to modern music and culture.
Straight from a 5-month theatrical run, MOOG (rhymes with "vogue") premiered at last year's Karlovy Vary Film Festival and went on to show at over ten film festivals worldwide, including the 2005 Rotterdam International Film Festival. It features interviews with the inventor himself and electronic
music pioneers such as Herbert Deutsch and Walter Sear and also showcases a myriad of live performances by musicians such as Stereolab, Rick Wakeman of Yes, Bernie Worrell of Parliament Funkadelic, synthesizer luminaries Jean Jacques Perrey & Gershon Kingsley, Money Mark & Mix Master Mike of the
Beastie Boys, theremin virtuoso Pamelia Kurstin, Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and more.
Plexifilm's DVD will have over 45 minutes of extras including additional performances by Money Mark & Woody Jackson, The Album Leaf, Tino Corp. & Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), a "director's notes" video, deleted scenes and a vintage 1970s Schaefer Beer commercial. Also included is a fully-functional demo version of the Arturia Minimoog V Software Synth as a DVD-ROM feature (PC and Macintosh compatible)
Permanently changing the face of music, the Moog synthesizer went from being the centerpiece of a late-60s craze--appearing on records with such titles as Spotlight on the Moog, Moog Power, Music to Moog By, Country Moog, Moog Indigo, Exotic Moog, and culminating with the commercial success of
Wendy Carlos's Switched-on Bach--to an indispensable instrument for progressive rock bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes to predating the electronic dance music movement of today. Inventive contemporary music owes
much more to the Moog synthesizer and its copies than the Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul electric guitars. The "Moog" name has introduced electronic music technology into the public consciousness.
Born in 1934, Robert Moog has been inventing and building electronic musical instruments for nearly half a century. From building and selling theremin kits in the mid-50s, Moog invented and built the first "modular" synthesizer with Herbert Deutsch in 1964. Still active in his workshop in rural North Carolina, Moog continues to shape musical culture with some of the most
inspiring instruments ever created.
Further Information:
About the DVD edition:
- 16X9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Additional Performances by Money Mark & Woody Jackson, The Album Leaf,
Tino Corp. & Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails)
- Deleted Scenes: Moog on Moog, Moog on New York, Tim Gane of Stereolab,
Charlie Clouser of Nine Inch Nails, Pamelia Kurstin, DJ Spooky, Walter Sear,
Herb Deutsch and Gershon Kingsley
- Director's Notes (10 minute video)
- Vintage 1970s Schaefer Beer commercial featuring Edd Kalehoff playing the
Moog Modular
- DVD-Rom Feature: Arturia Minimoog V Software Synth Fully Functional Demo
(PC and
Macintosh compatible)
This film is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, preserving the ratio of its
original theatrical exhibition.
| Catalog Number: MC-371 |
Type: Feature |
Genre: Documentary |
| Copyright: 2005 |
Length: 70 minutes (+ 47 minutes of extras) |
Format:
DVD Region: 0 (All) |
| TV System: NTSC |
ISBN: |
UPC: 082354002220 |
| Label: Plexifilm |
This title is available in Europe for Wholesale - List Prices: £16.99 / 24.95€
Wholesale Purchasing:
Program MC-371 is available for wholesale from Microcinema DVD. Contact info[at]microcinema.com or call at +1-415-447-9750
Exhibition:
Microcinema is not authorized to represent this title for exhibition. Write us for this contact information.
2006-10-18 New York Daily News
By Robert Dominguez
Hans Fjellestad's documentary is an affectionate portrait of Robert Moog, the man who changed the face of popular music when, in the 1960s, he introduced the first widely adopted electronic synthesizer. "Moog" mostly has the amiable, 70-ish inventor recounting his story, from his teen years as an electronics whiz in the Bronx to his development of a smaller, cheaper synthesizer.
Moog endlessly expounds on the "spiritual" connection between a musician and his Moog, and footage of British rocker Keith Emerson rapturously performing on a massive synthesizer shows that the inventor just may have a point.
| 2006-09-28 Filmbrats
By Jon Waterman
This documentary tells the story of Robert Moog and his usual rise through the ranks in the music industry. His inventions were slow to catch on, but eventually found their place in history and music hasn’t sounded the same since. His synthesizers revolutionized the way notes were formed and heard. They could be manipulated beyond anything anyone had seen before. Some saw it as the portent of the cultural breakdown of civilized society; others saw vast opportunity and expansion of the art.
The documentary does a good job of balancing the subject matter and telling us what we’d want to know. We learn about the nature of Moog himself as well as the machine as well as the artists that use it. The movie is complete with history of the invention and its eventual impact. It seems like a lot for a 72-minute film to handle, but this one does and does it well. It even has time left over to give us a few musical breaks to show us concert footage from a synthesized music festival.
The movie is quite interesting and the pacing is perfect. The archival footage and interviews all provide substance and further the structure along its path. The stories are funny and lend more insight into the situation then they probably realize. What’s interesting is that aside from Moog, there really aren’t any interviews. Instead, we get Moog talking about the good old days and the good new days with the people that helped him out in developing and distributing this crazy contraption and the artists that have mastered it. They aren’t interviews, they are chats, and that adds a lot to the overall impact of the movie.
The cinematography seemed a bit amateurish to me. I got the feeling that the project was made either by students or recent graduates with little prior experience. In fact, director/editor Hans Fjellestad has only one other movie under his belt. From what I see here, he’ll find his touch eventually. What’s missing is a definitive look and feel. It’s all very basic. Perhaps this is the downfall of all the subjects. There was too much to cover in too many locales to really find a vision for the movie. Most of the stuff is handheld. Surprisingly enough, it’s rather steady, which is an increasingly rare find. Everything is composed well and we aren’t made dizzy from a roaming/zooming camera.
Seeing how the history of the instrument and the culture it spawned came to be is worth the price of admission, even if you don’t particularly care for the sounds the synthesizer produces. The soundtrack is catchy and, of course, all synthesized. If you know nothing of the music, the movie deserves a look. If you’re a fan of the genre, then “Moog” can’t be missed.
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