The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights

Interesting only if, like me, you're a White Stripes fan. And then, even, not great. Doesn't really give any great background info on the band, or allow you to feel what their lives are like.

The music is good, what there is, but that is flawed in its editing. Sometimes we only get snippets of songs tacked together. And entire concert (like they did in Under Blackpool Lights) would have been great, but would have taken up the entire movie.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the film is as a travelogue of their Canadian tour. The towns they visit are often quaint and historic and the scenery quite beautiful.

Worth a watch, but don't expect too much.

In 2007, to support their new album Icky Thump and to celebrate their 10th anniversary, Jack and Meg White took to Canada to tour. Under the Great Northern Lights is superb because it doesn't take the usual approach that documentaries following a band on-the-road do. But then again the White Stripes aren't the 'usual' rock band. It's just a guitarist/piano player and a drummer, maybe a guy playing bagpipes occasionally, and there's patterns in the songs with the number 3 and colors black and red. One of the members (Jack) does the majority of the talking (Meg even needs subtitles at points to be understood on camera, a point Jack makes fun of at one point on camera), and their 'tour' is both the traditional concert-venue variety and a more spontaneous form of performing on buses, in bowling alleys, in parks, just anywhere. I'm surprised they didn't perform in a bathroom.

It's an amazing concert movie for reasons of unpredictability, but also for the interesting places they go to along the way (they meet up with a tribe of Indians and play some of their music), and just the personalities of the White Stripes on screen. They have a strange appeal; they're not totally hard rocking like grunge, but they're not as 'soft' as an emo band. They employ hard rock, and folk, and punk, and some music that is just unidentifiable except as White Stripes songs (you'll know them when you hear them, one of them is arguably the title track of Icky Thump). The collection of songs is fantastic to see played live, with some turns unexpected with an innocence to them (they perform "Wheels on the Bus Go Round & Round"!), and it's all off the cuff; according to Jack they don't have a set list and it flows much more naturally from that approach.

And, on top of the content being so strong and inviting, the way the film is shot and how the director stages the White Stripes is engaging. It's black and white film for 85% of the time (other 15% is color, but only for some performances on stage), and it's like getting an old-time portrait of musicians on the road or something. It's strange to pinpoint, but it's such a strange way to make a concert movie anyway. It has the conventional structure, but the way its shot and edited is captivating. I didn't want it to end really. I was curious about their music before, and liked some songs especially. Under the Great Northern Lights has made me a fan.

I believe that every fan of The White Stripes and music in general will appreciate this documentary. It offers an in-depth look of the band on their tour of Canada, capturing great live performances as well as interesting interviews.

This film is perfectly shot, the combination of black and white and color footage was great, the tempo is perfect and it is emotionally charged as well. If you are a true fan of the band you will already know most of the things talked about in interviews, but if you are not, I am sure you will still be interested to hear how Jack and Meg approach their music, what inspires it, how they work on stage because it seems quite different from the approach of many other musicians. Jack White is definitely one of the most original and inventive musicians of his generation and listening to him being interviewed is always a treat.

I might sound a bit overexcited but this truly is a beautiful documentary about two interesting, grounded, real and beautiful people. Unfortunately I never had a chance to see The White Stripes play live so seeing this meant even more. All you music lovers out there will enjoy this for sure.

"Under Great White Northern Lights" is half concert film, half behind the scenes look at one of the great American bands of the modern era, The White Stripes. After failing to truly tour Canada throughout the majority of their 10 year existence as a band, the Stripes decided to go all out with a tour that saw them play in every single Canadian province. As part of their fun, they brought along music video director Emmett Malloy to film the experience and give the fans a glance behind the curtain.

Let me level with you by saying I'm a White Stripes disciple. What front man Jack White does with every album, every song, every line, I consider to be complete genius. He is perhaps the most talented man in the world right now, a guy who is sickeningly good at pretty much everything he puts his mind to. Anytime I see an expose on Jack, I come away thinking that whatever talent of his that he considers to be the 38th best thing that he does, would be better than my number one best skill. So I am far from unbiased when I say that "UGWNL" is an outstanding example of what a concert film/band documentary could and should be. Malloy gives us an insight into the minds of the Jack and Meg without giving them too much leeway to show the negative side of artistry. At the same time, he gives us snippets of show footage without letting the whole thing turn into a glorified recorded concert. It's a brilliant mix that keeps the audience zoned in on what's happening while showing off just how special this band really is. Malloy also chooses the songs he uses very carefully without relying on the band's more well-known hits and thereby displays the versatility and diversity of the Stripes.

Jack and Meg, meanwhile, hold up their part of the bargain by delivering in every single scene, be it concert or interview segment. The raw energy and intensity they bring to the stage is matched only in the way they (Jack especially) think and work on their sound off of it. Everything about the Stripes is a paradox of sorts. They take the stage without a set list yet put more thought into what they will play than just about any other band. Their sound is often raw and sometimes unrefined and yet at the same time it is so much more advanced than what you get from most rock artists. Everything about the band is both complex and simple all at once and that same dynamic works in the off stage dynamic between Jack and Meg, a relationship that "UGWNL" so graciously gives us a glimpse of. This is a must-see for any Stripes fan and a should-see for anyone who wants to better understand the mind of a genius.

The Soap Box Office: www.thesoapboxoffice.blogspot.com

I had the pleasure of attending the world premiere of "The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights" last night at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it was a fantastic event. The guests of honour included Jack White, Meg White, and Director Emmett Malloy, who watched the film alongside their fans (which made it hard to concentrate on the film, I might add).

Malloy's beautiful film takes the audience on a journey with the White Stripes as they complete their 2007 Canadian-wide music tour that included at least one stop in every province and territory in Canada. The film pays special attention to Jack and Meg's famous free side-shows that occurred in a wide variety of fantastic settings, from a city bus in Winnipeg to the Arva Flour Mill outside London. Audiences are treated to intimate back-stage interviews with the band, comedic interactions between Jack, Meg, and their fans, and never-before-seen coverage of some of the most action-packed, breathlessly amazing concerts ever to come to Canada.

Malloy seems to have had a knack of always being there with a camera at the exact right second, as scene after scene reveals the most beautiful, emotional, exciting, and downright bad-ass moments of the White Stripes ever caught on film. Fans will have a new-found appreciation for the White Stripes, as the passion and enthusiasm that Jack and Meg convey throughout the film are impossible to miss.

While this is an excellent choice for fans of the band, especially for those who were lucky enough to attend one of their concerts or shows, the film may be poorly received by others who do not have a full appreciation for Jack and Meg. But if you ARE a fan, get ready for the most electrifying, moving film of your life- you won't regret it.

III