Fans of rock and roll folklore have long discussed “The 27 Club,” and with this year’s Montage Of Heck (about Kurt Cobain) and Amy (about Amy Winehouse), such speculation will likely continue.
When I first heard of an in-depth Amy Winehouse documentary, I was a skeptic. After all, of the two studio albums she released, only one was properly released and promoted in the United States. But as with the aforementioned Montage Of Heck film, there is plenty more to the story than the average fan would know, and lots of unbelievable footage that even the most diehard of fans have not seen.
Without spoiling any of the film’s major revelations, I was especially struck by:
- The audio of a 16-year old Amy Winehouse singing “Moon River” with a national British jazz orchestra.
- Her on-camera reaction (via satellite) to winning a Grammy Award.
- The dynamic between her and Tony Bennett while recording a duet in the studio.
- How the paparazzi flashbulbs look when trailing her around New York and London.
Director Asif Kapadia may have started this documentary after Winehouse’s 2011 passing, but the amount of footage included and diverse perspective presented show that this film was a long time in the making. It is absolutely not a family or estate-approved film, given some of the clips included of her father, ex-husband and second manager, and in turn it is a lot closer to the truth than prior Amy Winehouse biographies.
Ultimately, I come away from Amy with sadness in knowing how many people her loss impacted directly. But also, I feel sadness in how underrated Amy Winehouse was as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. Amy is absolutely a “warts and all” presentation of her 27 years alive, but Kapadia rightfully commands sympathy and empathy within his exploration of her superstardom.
Check out a clip from the movie HERE:
-by Darren Paltrowitz
