Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Jan 292010

Photo by Brent J. Craig

I can’t imagine having the drive that these guys do. Hell, I fancied myself a filmmaker at one time but I’ll be the first to admit I tried with little to no effort to break into “the scene” and now spend my time writing on this blog. Watching Anvil struggle over 25 years to be a successful metal band made me realize I didn’t really want it all along. These guys have remained dedicated to their band that by all accounts was a failure. There’s plenty of “fly on the wall” documentaries about bands. Some Kind of Monster, which followed Metallica around several years ago while they battled each other to complete a long awaited studio album, is my personal favorite of this sub genre. And while Anvil! The Story of Anvil does nothing to change my mind regarding that, it’s still got some really powerful stuff going on.

Let’s start at the end since it’s what really disappointed me. There’s something about how it plays out that just doesn’t sit well with me. I think it might be that it just kind of ends. Yes, the band finds some success in the end but if you do a tiny amount of research, you’ll find that this movie pushed them further into the limelight than they’d ever been. So while their success in the film is a slow burn, it’s an evolved conclusion that you may already be aware of. But maybe that was the point. Man, I think I just convinced myself that I actually like this ending.

Moving along. The film is organized very well. It begins with several well respected figures from the metal industry- Slash, Lemmy, and Lars Ulrich to name a few- telling you how significant a mark Anvil has left on the genre. This is mixed with footage of them during the 80s performing in front of substantial crowds. We then smash cut to lead singer Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow working for a school catering company in his hometown of Canada. This jarring juxtaposition immediately made me think of bands I’ve seen at festivals that I haven’t heard from in years. What happens to these groups after the headliner takes the stage? This film strives to answer that question.

That introduction also serves to get to know the guys in the band. If you’re not sold on just their genuine charm, then the scene involving them going completely fan boy on other bands during a backstage break will. And this really sets up the whole crux of the film- Anvil is just as big of metal fans as anybody. They’ve given their life to the industry only to be shat upon with little to no success. They’ve had twelve albums and they get no play and sound like crap. But even with all of that, they absolutely love everything about their band, their fans, and being able to do what they want. There’s a line that Lips states towards the end where he vocalizes his disappointment of playing to empty venues. But then he explains that even when no one shows up, he still enjoys just hearing the sounds and being onstage. It’s the band’s ability to feel like they’re accomplishing something even when no one cares that endears the audience to them.

I was really impressed with the access that director Sacha Gervasi had to the band during the course of the film. I later found out that he had been a big fan of the band in the early 80s and even was their roadie for several years. But even knowing that I’m still impressed. There’s a lot of people that I know really well. But I would never film them in physical altercations or just completely breaking down and crying. I have to admit, during some of these scenesI was rather uncomfortable. But in the end, it’s these demonstrations of emotion that serve the film and make it legitimate.

It would be stupid of me not to mention the following: this film has some pretty stellar photography. The camera is constantly moving. Whether just traditional shakey-cam or full on Steadi-Cam shots as we follow the band around, there’s a fluidity to the shots that gives the movie energy. I was a bit concerned as to how this would work because there are many different video formats and frame rates used through out. This is the type of thing that most audiences would probably never notice but being a video nerd, I saw it right away. In the end though, it keeps the footage interesting and fresh throughout. From a documentary standpoint, it’s a very unique approach that you don’t normally see.

This was, unfortunately, another movie that I missed during SXSW 2009 and I have to admit, I partially regret that. The film does work but knowing the band is a success now dimishes their eventual triumph at the end of this movie. Even still, there’s a lot of humanity on display here and if you consider yourself any kind of fan to the metal genre, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. Definitely check it out if you feel it would interest you.