In Your Dreams Documentary

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I suspect that they're having trouble finding a distributor because... it's just not that good of a documentary.

Bite your tongue Upon seeing the film, my first snapshot observation was how Stevie's In Your Dreams Documentary was overall better and heads and tails more visually compelling and interesting than Fleetwood Macs' "Destiny Rules" - the making of SYW. Talk about heavy editing, most of the meat was gutted out of "Destiny Rules" to leave behind a fairly benign documentary. This from a band notorious for their soap drama -- you know there were many more temper tantrums, ultimatums and laser hot arguments left on the cutting room floor. Talk about potential. But alas, ego's, managers, & lawyers intercede and have final editing veto.

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Upon further reflection, the one thing that separates IYD from other artist-centric documentaries that I've seen is that Stevie may be a bit too guarded for this to really become a profoundly interesting documentary. Here we see the artist at work, but always perfectly poised, hair and makeup always flawless, and she talks to the camera about, well... what she chooses to talk about. What we don't see is her humanity- her flaws, her reflections on daily life, where she stands politically, her motivations, her fears, her struggles, her personal life, etc. I want to see Stevie wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. I want to see her walking on the treadmill watching soaps. I want to see her throw a tantrum or yell at someone. I want to see more about her family life, her brother, her relationships, etc. This is what makes documentaries about people interesting. Indeed, the focus of the documentary is about making an album... but really any musician can just cobble together a bunch of studio footage and put it out as a documentary. Indeed, the difference between a so-so documentary and an exceptional documentary is the audience's emotional investment in the subject matter.

In this context, perhaps its important to remind ourselves that Stevie Nicks' aesthetic has always been, get some ribbons and some bows, and construct a beautiful package, even sometimes when it's tragedy wrapped inside a heart shaped box. Besides, Stevie perfected the cult of personality, the images on the wall. Stevie would never show her warts and all - she's never been that kind of artist. Even though her songs are personal, they are cloaked, and often times she seldom entirely reveals the whole story behind her songs, leaving some mystery. It's that mystery that captivates many of Stevie's fans. We're left with our interpretations and the rumors remain. Also this documentary was not intended to be a deconstruction of Stevie Nicks herself, so I wasn't expecting or anticipating that at all. That said, the vignettes of "Soldier's Angel" and "New Orleans" are not only the most stirring, and probably the heart of this documentary, They're the most socially and politically nuanced Stevie has ever come across, on record or film. I loved the small peek into Stevie's house, watching several captivating candid moments, the "to die" for beautiful never before seen still-shots scattered throughout, dress up music video montages. It was all throughly entertaining. Stevie narrates every song with glimpses (some small, some big) behind the inspiration & motivation for the songs. Yeah, theres little conflict, but what do you expect with this cast - Dave genuinely seems simpatico - when he's not producing, playing, or talking with little inflection, he's looking for his next martini moment. While Glen (the hippy) disappears than reappears out of nowhere higher than a kite. This doc is clearly Stevie's show and she shines. Not only is it about making a record old school, as Stevie likes to remind us, for me, it felt like a love letter to her fans. A showcase & highlights reel of Stevie in the "best year of her life" making IYD.

You're right it may not be an exceptional documentary. But I'd squarely critique it as a solid B. And most importantly Stevie fans on this board & beyond would eat it up with glee. So as far as getting the doc officially released to the public, they are probably scrambling about how to market it -- even though Stevie is a legendary artist -- it cannot be denied that IYD wasn't a mainstream hit record and therefore this has become such a niche project. But it deserves to be released through some channels & not just sitting on a shelf somewhere in "The Vault" - where Stevie stashes all her other goodies.