GFQ 2-2007 - german films

Monks – The Transatlantic Feedback
Everybody knows Elvis Presley served Uncle Sam in West
Germany, but have you ever heard of the five American
G.I.s who stayed on after their military discharge and
form ed one of the wildest and most influential rock bands
of the 60s? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the
stage the first avant-garde band, The Monks.
Combining rare archival footage of the band’s amazing
performances on live TV with contemporary interviews
with band members, eye witnesses and music com -
mentators, this documentary traces the evolution of a
combo determined to expand the frontiers of popular
music. What emerges is a vital and illuminating picture of
German-American cross-cultural experience, and a tribute
to genuine rock and roll pioneers.
“A loving and penetrating documentary film.” (Hollywood
Reporter)
“An overdue history lesson.” (Rolling Stone)
“The filmmakers do a vivid job etching the creatively fervid
times, with an editing style whose dynamism echoes that of
Monk music.” (Variety)
“Like Fechner’s film about the Comedian Harmonists, this documentary
combines beautifully the private with the political. The
World Sales (please contact)
play loud! productions · Dietmar Post
Gubener Strasse 23 · 10243 Berlin/Germany
phone +49-30-29 77 93 15 · fax +49-30-29 77 93 16
email: info@playloud.org · www.playloud.org
Monks were the essence of the 60s art world.” (Berthold
Seliger)
Genre Art, Culture, History, Music Category Documentary
Cinema Year of Production 2006 Directors Dietmar Post,
Lucía Palacios Editors Dieter Jaufmann, Karl-W. Huelsenbeck
Soundtrack “silver monk time” featuring The Fall, Faust, Jon
Spencer, Alan Vega, Psychic TV, Mouse on Mars, Alec Empire, Int.
Noise Conspiracy, The Gossip, the original Monks and others
Movie Poster Daniel Richter Producers Dietmar Post, Lucía
Palacios Production Company play loud! productions/Berlin,
in co-production with ZDF & 3sat/Mainz, HR/Frankfurt Principal
Cast The Monks, Charles Wilp, Jochen Irmler, Jon Spencer,
Genesis P. Orridge, Peter Zaremba, Byron Coley, Jimmy Bowien,
Gerd Henjes, Wolfgang Gluszczewski Length 100 min Format
DigiBeta, color, 4:3 Original Version English/German
Subtitled Version English Sound Technology Stereo
Festival Screenings Los Angeles 2006, Leeds 2006, Munich
2006, Chicago 2006, Minneapolis 2006, Frankfurt 2006, Kassel
2006, Oslo 2006, Gijon 2006, Goeteborg 2007, Copenhagen 2007,
Wuerzburg 2007 Awards Audience Pick Leeds 2006, Best
Documentary Wuerzburg 2007, Audience Award Berlin & Beyond San
Francisco 2007 With backing from Filmfoerderung Hessen,
Filmstiftung NRW, Filmbuero NW, Chicago Underground Film
Fund, Anthology Film Archives, Cine Impuls
Dietmar Post was born in 1962. As a director and producer, he
has been working on short films and documentaries, such as Bowl
of Oatmeal (1996), Cloven Hoofed (1998) and Reverend
Billy (2002). Together with Spanish-born Lucía Palacios he
directed his second feature-length documentary Monks – The
Trans atlantic Feedback (2006). They are currently planning a
new film together entitled Franco’s Settlers.
german films quarterly new german films
2 · 2007 57
The Monks (photo © play loud! + monks)