Screaming Masterpiece
Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon:
Screaming Masterpiece (Island, 2005)
87 min - Beta - English
Production: Palomar Pictures
Icelandic music hit the international scene with Björk and the Sugarcubes. In the last decade, several bands and solo acts have followed suit. Sigur Rós, Múm, Bang Gang, Mugison, Minus and Slowblow are a few of the more recent names and there are even more unpronouncable ones to look forward to in the coming years. "It's different," is most people's first reaction on hearing this diverse but highly original music. "Where is all this coming from?"
At the edge of the inhabitable world, high in the North-Atlantic, the Icelanders have whiled away the long, dark centuries patiently honing their caustic humor, their eccentric melodies and ancient poetry. The old music, handed down from medieval times, is one of the secrets to the Icelanders' unique sound - the howl of the arctic storm and the surf breaking on the rocky coast may be another.
Whatever the explanation, the Icelanders have forstered a music scene with a sound and attitude that is all their own, mixing ancient dirges and contemporary electronics, rock, pop and classical influences, to produce their own eclectic style. This film deolvers the full force of the explosive Icelandic music scene with massive 5.1 Dolby sound and a fast-paced visual extravaganca that will leave you breathless. We follow the acts from their home in Iceland as they tour the world, from New York to Tokyo and beyond. The film was two years in the making and takes the audience behind the scenes of Reyjavik's irrepressible musical underground. The creeping glaciers, barren highland sands and dark raging seas full of ghosts form a backdrop to the raw energy of the music.
Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson
Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon is a young and very talented Icelandic painter. He has have exhibition in island, France, Great-Britannia, Russia, China and Argentina. His first documentary, Back to Siberia made in year 1994. For these last years Magnusson has concentrated more about filmmaking then documentaries.
