User:Crikko/When Björk Met Attenborough
When Björk Met Attenborough | |
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[[File:|250px]] Title card | |
Directed by | Louise Hooper |
Starring | One Little Indian Records |
Original release | |
Network | Channel 4 |
Release |
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When Björk Met Attenborough is a 2013
The documentary was inspired by the singer's seventh
Despite the low ratings, the show received positive to moderate reviews from critics, who applauded the content of the documentary but, in some cases, criticized the interaction between Attenborough and Björk, which was considered "awkward" and "unlikely". The documentary will be released on
Cast
In order of appearance:
- Björk
- Graduale Nobili
- David Attenborough
- Henry Dagg
- Matt Robertson
- Evan Grant
- Oliver Sacks
- Andy Cavatorta
- Damian Taylor
- Scott Snibbe
- Tilda Swinton — Narrator
Background and release
When Björk Met Attenborough | ||||
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Video by | ||||
Released | May 5, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2011-12 | |||
Length | 47:34 | |||
Label |
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Director | Louise Hooper | |||
Producer | Caroline Page, Lucas Ochoa (exec.) | |||
Björk chronology | ||||
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When the
"Born from Bjork’s revolutionary music project we are thrilled to be able to document this incredible journey with her; she is undeniably one of the most iconic figures in popular culture and truly pushes boundaries like no other artist does."[4]
The English
"There is an unexpected chemistry and fun between these two unique characters. They are both icons of their own separate worlds of music and nature, and both excited and curious to explore how these two worlds come together. Seeing Bjork and Sir David laughing and engaging with each other on screen is simply magical, it was fascinating to have the chance to bring Sir David and Bjork together for the first time on television. They were both great fun to work with; Bjork fizzing with ideas for the film and Sir David bringing his passion and knowledge".[6]
The documentary was scheduled to air during November 2012 and to see a later limited cinema release in an extended cut.[10] As of November 2012, the documentary was still in the editing.[9] In June 2013, it was reported that the documentary would have its worlwide premiere at the Cortona Mix Festival in Italy.[11] The festival then cancelled the projection. The documentary first aired on Channel 4 on July 27, 2013 as part of a series of documentaries called Mad4Music, now titled When Björk Met Attenborough.[12]
When a
Synopsis
The documentary opens with an introduction by Switon, who gives a backstory about Björk's career and her intention with the Bioophilia, stating that the singer conceived the project wanting to redefine music in the
Footage from another rehearsal with the choir singing "Dark Matter" are shown before shifting to the encounter between Björk and Henry Dagg in a metal workshop. Dagg had created the Sharpsichord, a
Swinton explains how Björk's aim is to bring nature on stage for the
One of the major inspiration of the project itself,
Scenes from the first performance of Biophilia are shown. David Attenborough's intro, which accompany the show, is partially heard, while Björk affirms that music is a
Björk explains some of the apps that are part of the album, like "Moon", which app deals with
"Music, to be most rewarding, [...] does require work, and does require concentration, does require thought, which is why your music is so challenging, because it does require thought. So much of what you do, is completely new, [and] hasn't been done by people before, and that's what's challenging about that. So, if you're very tired, I don't suggest that they put on your music. I put on your music when I really want to think about something."
To which Björk blushes, and then the pair laugh together. The end credits roll to "Cosmogony" in the background.
Reception
Critical reviews
The documentary received moderately positive reviews. According to Ceri Radford of The Telegraph, who gave the documentary 4 stars out of 5, "the documentary brought together the revered naturalist and the swan-donning Icelandic singer for an inspiring if at times confusing symposium on the relationship between music, technology and the natural world". The journalist praised Biophilia by affirming that "the whole idea was tantalisingly tangled" and that "any single aspect of Biophilia would have made for a fascinating documentary in its own right", while defining the parts with Oliver Sacks "touching" and concluding "from footage of spinning stars to shoals of fish to the snow-speckled hills above Reykjavík, from the sound of crackling electricity to Björk’s soaring voice, there was a dreamy and unsettling evocation of awe. It might not all have made sense, but it was a delight to the senses."[17] Jordan Morgan of Tomorrow's News defined the couple "the most unlikely expectations of collaborations" but goes on by stating "When Bjork met David Attenborough is a fascinating, albeit slightly confusing, documentary that joins the translucent dots between humans, nature and music and provides for an extremely informative learning lesson, [...] as well as creating something new to hear, Björk also sets out to create a visual image for what people are hearing, adding another dimension to what you hear".[18] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian wrote that, although he "[doesn't] always totally understand what she's on about, [...] the bits with David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum are lovely", and later compared their interaction to "an old man showing his granddaughter round his favourite place in the world" but found Björk "a little bit shy with him" and "grand-daughterly".[19] Caitlin Moran of The Times called the duo "a proper super-hero pairing".[20] Ian Cross, professor of music and science of the University of Cambridge, commented about the documentary: "if there has to be something about music on television on a Saturday evening, I’d rather hear the views of Björk and David Attenborough than those of the music hedge fund manager Simon Cowell".[21]
Mike Higgins, who gave the show 2 stars out of 5, writing on The Independent, billed the encounter as "awkward" and gave a negative review of the documentary, finding it "[not] much more than a promo for Björk's last album, Biophilia, and its tour" and further stating: "The 87-year-old doesn't so much speak in complete paragraphs as lectures in complete chapters. In their conversations – on crystallography, the power of the human larynx, et al – Attenborough was in transmit mode, jabbing away with his index finger. All Björk could do was chip in now and then, in her Reykjavík by way of south London accent. When the big man let rip on the notion that all "song" in the natural word is about sex, and so, therefore, is popular music, Björk reacted as we all did, I suspect, and looked a bit embarrassed."[22]
Ratings
The documentary pulled 528,000 viewers during its original outing at 7 p.m. with a viewing share of 3.15%. It failed to match
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the documentary end credits.
Narrated by
Special thanks to
Contributors
With thanks to
Archive
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Director of photography
Additional directors
Additional camera
Assistant camera
Sound
Technical team
Colourist
On-line editor
Dubbing mixer
Production assistant
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Researchers
Assistant producer
Production managers
Head of production
Music consultant
Consultant executive
Additional material directed by
Additional editing
Film editor
Producer
Executive producer
Director
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References
- ^ "Björk "Biophilia" App Now Available on App Store; Album, Out September 27, Now Available for Pre-Order in Nonesuch Store". Nonesuch. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (August 2, 2012). "Björk and David Attenborough team up for music documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Bjork and David Attenborough team up for music documentary". NME. August 1, 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "Bjork and David Attenborough Documentary Headed to U.K. Television". The Hollywood Reporter. August 1, 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Ritchie, Kevin. "Attenborough, Bjork team up for C4 doc". Real screen. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Rampton, James (July 20, 2013). "The strangest pals in showbiz: When Sir David met Bjork..." Express. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (June 29, 2011). "Bjork Unveils Multimedia 'Biophilia' Project". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Carroll, Grace. "David Attenborough reveals he calls friend Bjork 'honey'". Gigwise. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ a b Mackay, Emily (November 16, 2012). "Exclusive interview: The mistress of reinvention Björk remixes herself yet again (for her new album called... Bastards)". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Battan, Carrie (August 2, 2012). "Björk and David Attenborough Team Up for Documentary Film About Music and Technology". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ "Cortona Mix Festival 2013". Feltrinelli Editore (in Italian). Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ "When Bjork Met Attenborough". Channel 4. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Björk: Biophilia App for Android and Windows 8 (Canceled) by Björk — Kickstarter". Kickstarter. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Dredge, Stuart (February 8, 2013). "Björk cancels Kickstarter campaign for Biophilia Android and Windows 8 app". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ "björk/attenborough dvd now available for pre-order". bjork.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (March 26, 2014). "'When Bjork Met Attenborough' Set for May DVD Release". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Radford, Ceri (July 27, 2013). "When Bjork Met Attenborough, Channel 4, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Morgan, Jordan. "WHEN BJORK MET ATTENBOROUGH – Nature Meets Music!". Tomorrow's News. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Wollaston, Sam (July 29, 2013). "The Mill; When Björk Met Attenborough – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Moran, Caitlin (August 4, 2013). "Caitlin Moran: Björk and Attenborough — Now that's a proper super-hero pairing". The Times. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Morrison, Sarah (July 26, 2013). "When Björk Met Attenborough: The Icelandic punk, the national treasure and a display of rather remarkable human behaviour". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Higgins, MIke (July 29, 2014). "TV review: When When Björk met Atttenborough - Sir David and the greater-crested Icelandic punk". The Independent. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (July 29, 2013). "Olympic ceremony repeat beats Björk & Attenborough". Broadcast. Retrieved 27 March 2014.