Product Description

In RIVERS AND TIDES German documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer explored the enchanting and hypnotic "nature" art-installations of Andy Goldsworthy. Now with TOUCH THE SOUND he turns his camera on nearly deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie who experiences sound as a kind of touching or vibration. Using Glennie's unique musical sensibilities as a jumping-off point Riedelsheimer introduces the viewer to an amazing sonic realm that we all know but rarely appreciate--a world of tapping sputtering clanging rustling rhythms. The drone of a suitcase's wheels on concrete interrupted by the periodic zing of a zipper the crackling of an icy pond the echoic clang of metal scaffolding struck by Glennie's shoe--these sounds become in Riedelsheimer's skilled hands moments of revelation. Watching this film viewers will feel like they are hearing the world for the first time.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 767685975534 Manufacturer No: NVG-9755

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29989 in DVD
• Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP INC
• Released on: 2006-05-30
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.75:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 99 minutes

Features

• In RIVERS AND TIDES, German documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer explored the enchanting and hypnotic "nature" art-installations of Andy Goldsworthy. Now, with TOUCH THE SOUND, he turns his camera on nearly deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who experiences sound as a kind of touching or vibration. Using Glennie's unique musical sensibilities as a jumping-off point, Riedelsheimer introduces the

Amazon.com
Subtitled "A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie," German director Thomas Riedelsheimer's exquisite Touch the Sound is nominally a portrait of the Scottish musician known as "the first full-time solo percussionist." Glennie is certainly a fascinating subject. Profoundly deaf since childhood, she disdains the use of hearing aids and sign language, relying instead on lip reading and, more crucially, on the use of all of her senses, especially touch, to "hear" with her entire body. The film reveals Glennie's extraordinary skills in a variety of settings: playing a snare drum for bemused New Yorkers in cavernous Grand Central Station; improvising with guitarist Fred Frith in an empty warehouse in Cologne, Germany (their final vibes-guitar duet is one of the film's musical highlights); working with hearing-impaired students in her native Aberdeenshire; jamming with taiko drummers in Japan, and later delighting customers in a Tokyo bar with a spontaneous workout involving chopsticks, dishes, cans, and glassware (the woman can make music with virtually anything). But Riedelsheimer, who was also the film's editor and cinematographer, has a broader agenda here--namely, to intensify our awareness of the sounds that surround us everywhere, in every moment. From the streets of New York to the beaches of Santa Cruz, from the rocky Scottish coastline to a tranquil Japanese rock garden, he links heightened audio, as clear and natural as the best ECM recordings, to a succession of gorgeous visual images to create a balance of complex detail and overall sparseness, resulting in a kind of Zen feast. Even more of the same is found in a "making of" featurette that's the highlight of the bonus material, making Touch the Sound easily one of the most rewarding documentaries in recent years. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Touch the Captivating Sound of Evelyn Glennie
Thomas Riedelsheimer's "Touch The Sound - A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie" presents the captivating world of sound and music, perceived and played by Evelyn Glennie, a renowned percussionist. I confess I never knew her name before watching the film, and perhaps you don't know her, but if so, don't let that fact discourage you to watch the documentary.

The documentary follows the journey of Evelyn Glennie traveling around the world - New York, Germany, Scotland, and Japan -- to discover the fascinating world of sound and music. For Evelyn, who has been hearing-impaired since she was 8 years-old, listening to sound and playing music should be called `touching the sound,' as the film's title suggest. And this documentary film, with the combination of beautiful images and thrilling music, is an attempt to explore the world perceived by Evelyn Glennie.

Though the film contains the interview with Evelyn, it is most arresting when it shows the gifted musician playing and improvising the instruments. The most beautiful moments is Evelyn's solo performance of playing the snare drum at New York's Grand Central Station. Another two standout scenes in this documentary film are her improvisation with guitarist/composer Fred Frith in a huge deserted factory in Cologne, Germany, and the Taiko drummers of `Za Ondekoza' in Fuji City, Japan.

The interviews given by Evelyn are slightly disappointing. Though the film brings her back to the farm in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she grew up as child, and gives her some occasions to talk about her views on sound and music, what she says sounds sometimes a bit too ordinary. She is mostly reticent about her life, and as to her remarks about the sound, the film includes the meditation at the Zen garden at Ryo-anji Temple in Kyoto, but it seems the artist is trying to find the right words to describe what she feels. Even the camera occasionally fails to reveal the artist's heart. When Evelyn is listening to the loud bleeping electronic sound of the basement food floor at department stores in Kyoto, what does her close-up face means? Is she enjoying it? Or is she annoyed by it?

For all its flaws as documentary film, "Touch The Sound - A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie" has thrilling moments that easily make up for the lack of words. Those moments are filled with her music, of which touching sound and thumping beat would fascinate the people who are not particularly fond of classic or modern music.

Captivating Portrait of an Artist
The person who labeled this, "Disappointing," missed the point altogether. While I agree that the actual performances are the most captivating part, the other parts of the film give us insight into why those performances are so captivating. Yes, it is a noisy world, so noisy that it can even inspire a deaf musician!

As a percussionist, what I like most about this film, is that while Glennie is best known for her work with symphony orchestras, the music here is improvised. And with that, it is often very playful (not the serious stuff of classical music). Glennie is at her best when challenged by the avant garde guitar stylings of Fred Frith. His view of seeing everything as possible sound seems to inspire the natural curiousness of Glennie (Frith takes a bow to various metal beams in the abandoned factory they are filming in, noting the sounds they make). Their duo improvisations are the highlight of the film. [As a side note, it would have been nice to have an option to view all the material they did as a separate feature. And what about a CD of their improvisations???]

Glennie is also playful and imaginative when she plays glasses, cans, and bottles in a Japanese club, showing that the music is in the musician, not the instruments. Surprisingly, some of the generous out takes reveal more of Glennie herself.

All in all a fascinating portrait of a fascinating musician. Highly recommended.

Touch The Sound Touch the Child
What a great inspirational movie. In my Sound for Picture classes here in the bay area I plan on using the DVD as a starting point for the students in understanding film sound. Sound has never before been portrayed as ambient/organic and musical as well as it is in this film. Check it out..