Western Stars (2019)

[steve jaros]

Title: Western Stars

Genre: Music, Documentary

Director: Thom Zimny, Bruce Springsteen

Cast: Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa

Release: 2019-10-25

Runtime: 83

Plot: The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.

 

[steve jaros]

A-List made this a nice Veterans Day selection. I am not a BRUCE fan, the kind who has seen him 100 times over 45 years, I'm a much more casual radio fan. I've never seen him in concert at all, though I do own several of his albums and have enjoyed some of his songs since the 1970s.

Western Stars is a pleasant hike through the desert, Springsteen strums and sings the 13 southwestern- themed songs off the recent album in a makeshift barn with a big string orchestra and his wife. I know that sounds weird but it works as the songs are pleasant folk music. Though the last song he sings, a famous cover song, kind of reminds you how far his own songs here fall short of rousing greatness. It's good he saved the cover for last, LOL.

Between the songs, Bruce meditates on being old and his struggle through therapy to be a better person to those around him. Throughout, we get the gorgeous western scenery of mountains and deserts and sagebrush.

I assume this film was in lieu of a tour for the album. Stay after the credits for another 8-9 minutes of footage.

 

[Wayne_j]

I saw this in Dolby Cinema when I was visiting my sister in Pittsburgh. A good concert film but I found that the sound mix tried too hard to make you feel like you are in the barn that the lyrics for the songs that I have never heard before was too hard for me to make out. There was way too much vocals coming from the surrounds.

Yes, I believe in the bonus feature Bruce says that they weren't going to tour on this album so they did the film instead.

 

[Sam Favate]

I thought the film was terrific. Plus, Bruce is a film buff and it contains homages to several famous westerns, most notably The Searchers.