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Virtual Screening Room: Zappa
AREA PREMIERE RUN!
OPENS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27
ENDS THURSDAY, JANUARY 7
Streaming Link Available Friday 11/27 at 10:30am
Proceeds benefit The Brattle
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A portion of streaming proceeds will benefit The Brattle
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A portion of streaming proceeds will benefit The Brattle
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2020 • dir Alex Winter w/Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Gail Zappa, Ian Underwood, Ruth Underwood • 129 min
With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Faced with an overwhelming amount of material – early in the film we are introduced to Frank Zappa’s personal vault where he kept literally everything related to his lengthy career in music and film – director Alex Winter wisely focuses on Zappa the creative force more than Zappa the man. Though not glossing over the difficulties of living and/or working with a creative genius, ZAPPA steers clear of personal conflict to draw a thread from Zappa’s earliest years and a fascination with filmmaking, into his discovery of and self-education in music, to his huge stardom in the 1970s, and into his later years when he became more known as a political figure than a working musician. This remarkable assembly – alongside interviews with Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of his musical collaborators – paints an engaging portrait of an obsessively innovative artist steeped in the mad, chaotic, surrealistic work of Zappa himself. Whether you are a hardcore fan or a curious neophyte, ZAPPA is a manic trip well worth taking.
As a bonus, immediately following the film check out an exclusive live Zappa performance and backstage footage, released from the vaults for the first time! This bonus footage is exclusive to theatrical and virtual cinema engagements.