The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels

Jan 1, 1988

0h 59m

★ 7.5

Overview

A one-hour documentary on the making of Frank Zappa's bizarre 1971 comic musical. Vintage private footage from Frank's personal archives plus behind-the-scenes of the actual shooting and recording. With Ringo Starr, Theodore Bikel, Keith Moon and such songs as "Sleeping in a Jar," and "Strictly Genteel." The inside history of the first feature-length film to be shot on video in 6 days.

Genres

Documentary

Comedy

Music

The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self

Frank Zappa

Self

Tony Palmer

Self (archive footage)

Phyllis Smith Altenhaus

Self (archive footage)

Dick Barber

Self

Theodore Bikel

Self

Jimmy Carl Black

Self

Peter Bos

Self (archive footage)

Napoleon Murphy Brock

Self

Phyllis Bryn-Julson

Self

Warren Cuccurullo

Self (archive footage)

Pamela Des Barres

Self

George Duke

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

8.8

Rite Here Rite Now

Jun 20, 2024

Whether you’re a devoted disciple looking to relive treasured memories of the GHOST live spectacle or among the curious uninitiated, RITE HERE RITE NOW will put you right there: putting your phones down and living in the moment—as a shadow of uncertainty looms—completely spellbound and in the thrall of this bombastic yet intimate cinematic portrait of GHOST.

0.0

The Making of Michel Petite

Invalid Date

The film shows the behind-the-scenes process of making a documentary about an author known for their autofiction stories. By including its own behind-the-scenes footage, it mirrors the author's storytelling approach, blending the documentary’s creation with the author's narrative technique. In this way, the relationship between reality and fiction is questioned.

0.0

Destruction of the Berlin Wall

Nov 9, 2014

Filmed in Berlin, July 1990. Images of workers taking down the wall and street peddlers selling pieces of it to make a living.

0.0

One 11 and 103

Jan 1, 1992

Avant-garde composer John Cage is famous for his experimental pieces and "chance music" but temporarily branched into video in 1992 with this art film about meaningless activity. The work is composed of two segments that are supposed to be played simultaneously: "One 11" contains the artistic statement, and "103" is a 17-part orchestral piece. Also included is a revealing documentary about Cage and director Henning Lohner.

5.0

Lonesome Cowboys

Nov 1, 1968

Five lonesome cowboys get all hot and bothered at home on the range after confronting Ramona Alvarez and her nurse.

6.5

Bauhaus 100

Aug 21, 2019

In 1919 an art school opened in Germany that would change the world forever. It was called the Bauhaus. A century later, its radical thinking still shapes our lives today. Bauhaus 100 is the story of Walter Gropius, architect and founder of the Bauhaus, and the teachers and students he gathered to form this influential school. Traumatised by his experiences during the Great War, and determined that technology should never again be used for destruction, Gropius decided to reinvent the way art and design were taught. At the Bauhaus, all the disciplines would come together to create the buildings of the future, and define a new way of living in the modern world.

7.5

Bliss

Jun 2, 1967

The first film made by Markopoulos after moving to Europe, Bliss was shot over the course of two days using only available light to create a lyrical study of the interior of the Church of St. John on the island of Hydra.

0.0

Good Bye G.O.D.

Invalid Date

"Good-bye G.O.D." was a play written specially for Jack Birkett, 'The INCREDIBLE ORLANDO', to be performed with its author, composer Carlos Miranda. Conceived as a future-fantasy Music Hall operetta, "Good-bye G.O.D." tells the story of General Orson Davis, (known as G.O.D.), one of the heads of the Confederated Armies of the Northern Hemisphere, who have concocted a mass destruction of the world. Sheltered in a bunker in the North Pole, he and his henchmen have saved a chosen team of scientists impelled to work on the vessel that will enable them to eventually evacuate the planet. But he has a secret passion which he will indulge once he encounters Adam, one of his scientists.

6.0

Pink Floyd: Whatever Happened to Pink Floyd? The Strange Case of Waters and Gilmour

Jan 1, 2011

This film traces the path Floyd took after the recording of the Animals album - an era when cracks in the band first started to show - and brings the strange story of the group and the intense relationship between Waters and Gilmour right up to date with the unexpected collaboration of these two maverick musicians at a 2010 charity event. Featuring numerous interviews.

5.3

Sweet Movie

Jun 12, 1974

The winner of the Miss World Virginity contest marries, escapes from her masochistic husband and ends up involved in a world of debauchery.

0.0

Discovering Buñuel

Jan 1, 2012

Luis Bunuel, the father of cinematic Surrealism, made his film debut with 'Un Chien Andalou' in 1929 working closely with Salvador Dali. Considered one of the finest and controversial filmmakers with, 'L’Age d’Or' (1930), attacking the church and the middle classes. He won many awards including Best Director at Cannes for 'Los Olvidados' (1950), and the coveted Palme d’Or for 'Viridiana' (1961), which had been banned in his native Spain. His career moved to France with 'The Diary of a Chambermaid' with major stars such as Jeanne Moreau and Catherine Deneuve.

0.0

Drama in the Futurists' Cabaret No. 13

Jan 2, 1914

No overview available.

7.3

Classic Albums: Pink Floyd - The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon

Jun 1, 2003

Released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of this classic album, learn how Pink Floyd assembled "Dark Side of the Moon" with the aid of original engineer Alan Parsons. All four band members--Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright--are interviewed at length, giving valuable insights into the recording process. The themes of the album are discussed at length, and the band take you back to the original multi track tapes to illustrate how they pieced together the songs. With individual performances of certain tracks from Roger, David, and Richard included, this is an essential purchase for any Pink Floyd fans, and a fascinating artefact for rock historians everywhere.

8.0

Steve Hackett : Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at the Royal Festival Hall

Oct 25, 2019

After the great success of Steve Hackett's "At The Edge Of Light" studio album (#13 in Germany, #3 UK Rock charts, #28 UK album charts, #7 UK vinyl charts), "Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live" now encourages you to discover a stunning new dimension of Hackett's own and classic Genesis material! "Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live" was recorded in October 2018 at London's Royal Festival Hall featuring classic Genesis & Steve Hackett solo material performed alongside a 42-piece orchestra! Easily one of the most impressive Steve Hackett live releases to date offering a brilliant fusion of prog rock and orchestral grandeur. Available as a 2CD & Blu-Ray digipak including stereo and 5.1 surround mix, behind the scenes footage, and 3 promo videos from 'At The Edge Of Light'.

5.8

Devil's Circuit

Jul 26, 1988

A film in which the one 60-story skyscraper that soars in the spaces between roofs spins with incredible speed. I centered the circumference with its 400 or 500 meter radius on the skyscraper and divided it into 48 sections, then took photographs from those spots and shot the photographs frame by frame.

3.8

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero

Dec 22, 2011

An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

4.7

The Howl

May 1, 1970

A young bride escapes her wedding ceremony with a stranger and together they set off on an epic journey though increasingly bizarre lands. They encounter talking animals and mournful exhibitionists, converse with a discoursing rock, journey through a surrealist's psychedelic hotel, instigate a prison riot, escape from naked cannibals living in a tree and battle a wind-up midget dictator!

6.6

Totally F***ed Up

Aug 19, 1994

Gay, alienated Los Angeles teens have a hard time as their parents kick them out of their homes, they don’t have money, their lovers cheat, and they are harassed by gay-bashers.

0.0

Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde

Apr 9, 1997

Man Ray, the master of experimental and fashion photography was also a painter, a filmmaker, a poet, an essayist, a philosopher, and a leader of American modernism. Known for documenting the cultural elite living in France, Man Ray spent much of his time fighting the formal constraints of the visual arts. Ray’s life and art were always provocative, engaging, and challenging.