The best Gillian Gilbert’s documentary movies
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Gillian Gilbert’s movies, although you may have ordered them differently. In any case, we hope you love it and with a little luck discovering a movie that you still don’t know about Gillian Gilbert.
The Sparks Brothers
7.7/10
Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.
Synth & Beyond
New Order's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert unpack a playlist of electro, pop and new wave classics spanning four decades. Stephen and Gillian have been married for 24 years and have been in New Order together for even longer, but they still manage to surprise one another with their musical tastes. While Stephen declares Captain Beefheart an early influence, Gillian confesses her teenage love for a disco classic. During an hour of top tunes, Stephen also reveals the moment he was mistaken for Stevie Wonder, and Gillian recalls how her Dad was a fan of punk. From Kraftwerk to Can, David Bowie to Kate Bush, Magazine to Grace Jones and many more, this stellar playlist by Stephen and Gillian is brimming with iconic performances.
Girl in a Band: Tales from the Rock 'n' Roll Front Line
6.8/10
All too often, every great female rock musician has to answer a predictable question - what is it like being a girl in a band? For many, the sight of a girl shredding a guitar or laying into the drums is still a bit of a novelty. As soon as women started forming their own bands they were given labels - the rock chick, the girl band or one half of the rock 'n' roll couple. Kate Mossman aims to look beyond the cliches of fallen angels, grunge babes and rock chicks as she gets the untold stories from rock's frontline to discover if it has always been different for the girl in a band.
New Order: Decades
6.7/10
Part concert, part documentary, this film follows the band’s preparations in the re-staging of their acclaimed collaboration So It Goes.. with the artist Liam Gillick and the 12-piece synthesiser orchestra that spectacularly captured the headlines during Manchester International Festival 2017.
Roxy Music: A Musical History
Documentary exploring the music of rock band Roxy Music, who have a good claim to be one of the UK's most influential bands. Led by charismatic front man Bryan Ferry, their striking style and great songs won them an army of fans who would go on to make their own mark in the world of music. In this celebration of the music of both Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, insights and anecdotes are provided by household names from Sadie Frost to Glenn Gregory & Martyn Ware, Gaz Coombes, New Order's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, Shaun Ryder and Alan McGee, Ana Matronic and more.
Joy Division - Under Review
6.9/10
This 70-minute documentary covers the entire career of Joy Division, one of Manchester and Post-Punks most respected bands. It charts the entire short lifespan of the group, from their origins in their days as Warsaw to the more well known incarnation of Joy Division. Features include rare musical performances, obscure footage of rare interviews and rarely seen photographs. Plus review, comment, criticism and insight from; Mick Middles, co-author of Torn Apart: The Life Of Ian Curtis; former NME and Melody Maker journalist, Barney Hoskyns; Ex-Mojo Magazine editor, Pat Gilbert; Manchester punk musician and author, John Robb; music journalist and author David Stubbs; and more.
New Order: The Perfect Kiss
8.5/10
Jonathan Demme directed "The Perfect Kiss" video, which is unlike any other New Order clip. Set in the band's practice room, it simply depicts the band playing the song from beginning to end.
Factory: Play At Home
A short film made in 1984 by the band New Order which sees them interview the personnel behind their record label Factory, including Tony Wilson, Martin Hannett, Rob Gretton, Alan Erasmus, and Peter Saville amongst others. It also includes three live performances of New Order at the Haçienda.
New Order 3 16
8.4/10
This isn't a documentary, but two completely separate concerts performed by the legends. The first finds them in 1981 playing New York. It's fascinating to see, because they still have that Joy Division image hanging over them. Brilliantly, they don't speak to the audience, or themselves. Heavily relies on the 'Movement' album, but has a proto Temptation, which is always good to hear. The second is their appearance at the 1998 Reading Festival, which is basically a greatest hits set, but there's nothing better than a New Order greatest hits: Regret, Bizarre Love Triangle, True Faith, Temptation (again!) and, of course, Blue Monday. The Joy Division back catalogue is also given a dusting down: Isolation, Atmosphere, Heart and Soul. Then there is an interview with the original four (we miss you Gillian) which reveals them completely at ease with their legend. God bless them.
