Year: 2018
Director: Jasenko Pasic & Tarik Hodzic
If you’ve read Bruce Dickinson’s autobiography, published last year, you may well recall a lengthy piece on the concert he played in Sarajevo in 1994 with his band Skunkworks during his period of exile from Iron Maiden.
This DVD documents the background to and organisation of that event, although it strangely doesn’t include much in the way of performance footage from the show itself. The real story is that of the attendees at the gig, the UN aid workers and the British army major who initially put the idea forward. Their reminiscences, combined with those of Dickinson and his band, give some insight into the situation in that war torn city. It is a harrowing tale of their stories, combined with more humorous aspects as, for example, the band are forced to hitch a ride in a van belonging to aid workers, after the promised armoured helicopter fails to materialise due to the threat level being too high. This a a story where the perceived ‘stars’ take a back seat in the light of the daily struggles and efforts of the people on the ground in this brutal conflict.
A serious film with a poignant story of a small triumph in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Might appeal to people who enjoyed:
Rockumentaries, Iron Maiden.
Hello, Bargepole. It seems as though June has been a slow month in your world. Are you enjoying the sunshine?
The sunshine and the football! 🙂
Yes, it’s very quiet at the moment but it always is at this time of year – don’t worry all you folk who’ve told me you’d like to have a go at reviews, Bargepole hasn’t forgotten you…….
Sounds interesting, but fear it could be a “watch once and then gather dust on the shelf” job
Will still seek it out, possibly by electronic streaming thingy
Fair point.
Nice review, @Bargepole!
Very moving to see how much Bruce’s visit meant to his fans (and some random people) at the time. Quite a document on the power of music. This is not just for fans of Iron Maiden.
Funny, I’ve always hated the Maiden’s music but…
…always found Bruce very likeable, and IM fans are routinely salt-of-the-earth types (especially considering at school in the eighties they were usually pretty horrible. Unlike us frightfully genteel Public Enemy fans)
It’s no surprise to me that this film sees them doing the right thing without making a big deal out of it.