Frank Zappa - Summer '82: When Zappa Cam — Frank Zappa - Summer '82(Blu Ray)
For anyone with any interest in musical genre mixing or general quirky & creative musical fare Frank Zappa will little or no introduction. Love him or hate him you can’t help but respect the truly large & genre varied back catalog Mr. Zappa put out between the mid-1960’s and early 1990’s when he sadly passed from prostate cancer. He released over sixty studio albums in his lifetime, a host of live albums, and a seeming constantly growing flow of Posthumous albums/box sets- bring his discography to well over a hundred titles.
This 81-minute documentary spans a thirty plus year period - going from 1970’s Italian fan view of Zappa, Zappa’s 1982 concert in Palermo, Sicily, and more recent footage of the now remaining Zappa family visiting Sicily a few years back. The film was directed & written by long time Zappa fan Salvo Cuccia, who had a ticket for the Palermo show, but sadly never made the show.
The film opens with Salvo Cuccia discussing his love & passion for Zappa’s work, then it rapidly moves onto the friendship between Italian Massimo Bassoli- who met Frank backstage in the 1970’s, before going onto visit the Zappa family home in the late 70’s, and finally helping out with the Italian tour in 82. Before finishing a few years back, when many members of the Zappa family visited Sicily, and in particular Partinico- the birthplace of Frank Zappa’s father & grandfather.
The film brings together extensive interviews with Bassoli, Zappa ’s wife Gail, his son Dweezil, and two daughters Moon & Diva. As well contributions from band members of Zappa’s 80 band such as Steve Vai. These are mixed with rare backstage & front stage footage, as well as the recent footage- where we see the family meet their Sicilian family, & unveiling several tributes to Frank in Partinico.
Sure you'll need to have at least some interest in Zappa to check this doc out, but you don’t need to be an umber fan- as it’s a nice balanced, pacey enough, and interesting film. As you expect you get a good selection of Zappa’s sonic output- from the early rock-based & quirky genre mixing, onto the more dramatic modern classical music he focused on in his later life. And this as well & balanced placed through-out the film.
The key & focus of the whole film really is a blend of a need to find one's origins, family, and friendship- and this is what makes it so enduring & often touching. Yes, it works still as a worth snapshot of both Zappa Fandom, and the 1982 Italian tour- but it’s so much more.
The extras on the Blu Ray are sparse- you get a photo gallery and options to change the language & sub-titles of the film, as it’s presented as a mix of Italian subtitles & English language.
I came into Frank Zappa - Summer '82: When Zappa Came To Sicily expecting more of a straight concert film but came away been pleasantly surprised by both it’s depth & emotion. It’s certainly one of the more memorable & distinctive music docs I’ve seen in some time, and would certainly recommend it- even if you only have just a passing interest in Zappa’s work