"Buddy... you're rushing that tempo a bit. Ain't ya?"The Buddy Holly Story is a favourite film of mine. It was released in 1978 to okay business. Gary Busey plays and sings for real in the title role... Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud also play their own instruments -- the double bass and drums, respectively -- and this gives the film a natural feeling. You are never distracted by off-timing in the mimickery, or obvious air playing.
This is a fine, fine film. I've seen it before on television, and have been meaning to pop in that VHS that I must have bought a good six or seven years ago.
Director Steve Rash does a commendable job with Buddy, although with no stretching of film technique. A detractor might offer that this film was shot in a boring style. It is certainly straightforward and does not draw attention to itself.
You don't have to be a big fan to enjoy The Buddy Holly Story. Outside of the fact that in my mid teens I went through a late fifties/early sixties rock & roll music phase, I hardly consider myself to be a fanatic. The songs are great and that is all it takes to grab your attention. The band is allowed to play onscreen and this helps the story telling -- nothing is rushed. This is not a music video, there is drama, but you get a chance to see Buddy Holly and the Crickets doing their thing.
I understand that the filmmakers played with history in this one but I never felt it took away from the enjoyment of the story. (Watch the film first, then read up on the liberties taken.)
2 comments:
Yes, yes, an excellent film. Apart from this and Lethal Weapon, has Gary Busey done anything remotely interesting?
He was in a television show I used to watch in the mid-seventies, "The Texas Wheelers".
Hey, I missed this one on my ELECTRONIC SHORTS blog posting... the list of shows I used to watch when I was young but only ended up being cancelled after a few episodes or season. For some reason I thought "The Texas Wheelers" lasted longer than that.
Post a Comment