The Filmcake

It was fitting that a trailer for Richard Linklater’s Me and Orson Welles ran before the US premiere of The White Stripes tour documentary Under Great White Northern Lights last night at Noble Theatre in the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The Third Man and C.F. Kane are both referenced in The White Stripes universe. Jack White’s label Third Man Records presents the film and we are also treated in the documentary with a segment from the band’s “The Union Forever” (which lyrically is comprised entirely of dialogue from Citizen Kane).

Jack says in the film that his favorite thing anyone has written about The White Stripes is that they are “simultaneously the most fake band…and the most real band in the world.” To me, that very Dylan-esque dichotomy really does sum up what the band is all about. They are the rawest, bluesiest form of cabaret. They are ultimate intensity in red, white, and black.

Thankfully, director Emmett Malloy crafts his tour documentary of the band with that aesthetic in mind. It is no Behind the Music attempt at biography or explanation. Jack and Meg White aren’t concerned with rehashing the past. It doesn’t matter whether or not they are brother and sister, or husband and wife. What matters is putting on a great show.

The film, shot mostly in black and white (and red) on 16mm, follows the band as they undertake their first Canadian tour. As they traverse all the provinces of Canada putting on shows, Jack & Meg surprise the locals with unique daytime shows. There’s a One Note Show. There’s a sing-a-long on a city bus. There’s a show in a bowling alley. There are short shows in town squares and in community centers. The quirky daytime locations provide the film and the tour with a bit of levity, while the footage from the regular shows leave this White Stripes fan wanting even more. Malloy captures the performances nicely–the grainy 16mm fitting perfectly with the band’s aesthetic–even if the sound in the theatre wasn’t perfectly balanced.

Meg & Jack -- http://whitestripes.bside.com/press-materials/

Amidst the levity of the daytime shows and the intensity of the nighttime performances, the documentary also presents an emotional side. Meg, who is the quieter and shyer of the duo (and given subtitles in the documentary), is seated on a piano bench as Jack plays and sings “White Moon.” As tears begin to slide down her cheeks, it is evident that the pressures of touring and fame may finally be too much to bear. A couple of months later, the band would cancel the remainder of the tour citing Meg’s acute anxiety. Whether or not The White Stripes tour again remains a mystery.

This year as a Christmas present to each other, Sarah and I purchased a membership to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Privileges include free admission to the museum (and others) as well as discounts on film tickets. After seeing Trouble the Water there a couple of weeks ago and seeing what was upcoming, I was determined to make it a more regular habit of getting to the Noble Theatre. We saw A Christmas Tale last weekend and upcoming films in the next few weeks include Ballast, Happy Go-Lucky, and Let the Right One In. I’m so excited about our membership. There’s a special exhibit in the museum on American Impressionism that I need to hit before it closes. And then coming up in February there’s going to be a Harlem Renaissance exhibit that looks quite interesting. It’s all more than enough excuse for more brunches at the Museum Cafe and dinners at Trattoria Il Centro.

And then deadCENTER 2009 will be here before I know it. Ooh!! I have a feeling that 2009 is going to be a wonderful year in film for me.