In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 | |
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![]() Theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Toby Amies |
Produced by |
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Edited by | Ollie Huddleston |
Music by | King Crimson |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Monoduo Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $68,776 [1] |
In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 is a 2022 music documentary film about the British progressive rock band King Crimson. It was directed and co-produced by Toby Amies. The film follows the final eight-piece incarnation of the band throughout their 50th anniversary tour from 2018 until 2020, complemented with interviews with past members and archival footage of TV broadcasts and concert performances throughout their years of activity.
The documentary features former and current members of the band such as Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, Mel Collins, Michael Giles, Trey Gunn, Gavin Harrison, Jakko Jakszyk, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Jamie Muir, Pete Sinfield, David Singleton, Jeremy Stacey and Ian McDonald. The main action, however, revolves around the personality of co-founder and bandleader Robert Fripp, his personal philosophy and relationships with bandmates. Significant time is also dedicated to Bill Rieflin and his involvement in the band whilst suffering from cancer; the film was dedicated jointly to Rieflin, who died in 2020, and Amies' mother Elizabeth. The film also includes interviews with several fans of the band, most notably, Norwegian nun, sister Dana Benedicta from Dominicaines de Notre-Dame de Grâce , Oslo.
The film premiered on March 14, 2022, at South by Southwest film festival and was positively received by the critics.
The idea to create a film about King Crimson was born in winter 2017 when Robert Fripp met director Toby Amies at a Christmas party in Brighton, where both live, and got to talking about filmmaking. [2] Later Fripp recruited Amies to produce a documentary about the band, commemorating its 50th anniversary. Amies agreed "with no idea of how hard that would be to make". [3] The reported initial title of the documentary was "Cosmic FuKc", which was a reference to The Man Whose Mind Exploded , a previous work by Amies liked by Fripp. [2] [4]
King Crimson manager David Singleton said that Amies was asked to "reimagine the format" of the music documentary and was given "complete creative freedom". [3] The director confirmed that he had no editorial interference from Fripp, claiming that only one former or current band member reserved the right to make some changes regarding their appearance in the film. [5] Amies "spent a long time getting my subjects comfortable" before "taking a picture of that relationship" within the band. [6] He closely followed the band in 2018-2019 during 50th anniversary tour, adding interviews alongside some historical footage. However, no clear overview of the band's history was provided as the director focused on "personality rather than performance, relationship rather than recording" [7] of former and current King Crimson members described as the "complete opposite of how a documentary is done". [8] Another method used by Amies was the decision "to write himself into the story" including off-camera questions and personal comments. [6] The Guardian compared film with "an episode of The Office but with huge drum kits, grizzled roadies and rapturous fans". [9]
Described as a "modern form of roving Cinéma-Verité", the camerawork by Amies, although criticized by the filmmaker himself, captures the natural state within the band, resulting in some shots even being out of focus. [8]
The release of the documentary was announced in a 2019 press conference by Fripp that also featured a screening of a few brief clips. [4]
The premiere of the film occurred on March 14, 2022, at the South by Southwest festival. The film was also shown at the IFI Documentary festival, [10] Gothenburg Film Festival, [11] and DOK.fest München. [12] For one day only on 19 October, it entered a limited theatrical release in the US and on 22 October received a separate screening in London. [13]
The DVD was released on December 2, 2022, which included music from the soundtrack, a 23-minute edit from the early version of the film, a 38-minute short film of additional backstage footage, and the final performance by the band on December 8, 2021, in Tokyo. [14]
On November 8, 2023, a wider theatrical release occurred across North America, and on December 1, 2023, the documentary was made available on streaming platforms. [15]
The film was generally very well received critically. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 21 critics' reviews are positive. [16] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Iowa Public Radio called it a "love letter to making music". [17] Leslie Felperin of the Guardian awarded 4 out 5 stars to "a rollicking workplace comedy" that "ends up being about a lot more than just King Crimson". [9] The Variety called it "as good as rock documentaries get" [18] and National Review deemed it "one of the finest rock documentaries ever made". [19] Mojo compared the film with King Rocker and Dig! saying that "it goes straight into the pantheon of those documentaries, which enable us to appreciate the painful truth of what being in band is actually like". [5] The Telegraph concludes that "by turns comical and melancholy, it may be the most revealing film about working life in a band since Spinal Tap ". [20] Uncut gave the film 9 out of 10 calling it "more than just historical documentary", while The Observer awarded 4 out of 5 stars concluding that "the film is angular and abrasive, exacting and playful, extremely funny and achingly melancholy". [21] Hank Shteamer of Rolling Stone summarized film as "elegant, intimate, funny and surprisingly moving [that] covers every aspect of the group". [3]
Boston Herald gave the film C+ saying that it was a "dull take on the practices and insanely disciplined methods of Fripp". [22]
King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London. The band drew inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, blues, industrial, electronic, experimental music and new wave. They exerted a strong influence on the early 1970s progressive rock movement, including on contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, and continue to inspire subsequent generations of artists across multiple genres. The band earned a large cult following.
Robert Fripp is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session musician and collaborator, notably with David Bowie, Blondie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, The Roches, Talking Heads, and David Sylvian. He also composed the startup sound of Windows Vista operating system, in collaboration with Tucker Martine and Steve Ball. His discography includes contributions to more than 700 official releases.
Toyah Ann Willcox is an English singer, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays and 10 feature films, and voiced and presented numerous television shows.
William Frederick Rieflin was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups such as Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, Lard, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, and Nine Inch Nails. He worked regularly with R.E.M. following the retirement of Bill Berry in 1997. He was a member of King Crimson from 2013 until his death in 2020.
Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, released on 23 March 1973 through Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, featuring co-founder and guitarist Robert Fripp along with four new members: bass guitarist and vocalist John Wetton, violinist and keyboardist David Cross, percussionist Jamie Muir, and drummer Bill Bruford. It is a key album in the band's evolution, drawing on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences.
In the Court of the Crimson King is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969 by Island Records. The album is one of the earliest and most influential of the progressive rock genre, with the band combining musical influences that rock music was founded upon with elements of jazz, classical, and symphonic music.
In the Wake of Poseidon is the second studio album by English progressive rock group King Crimson, released in May 1970 by Island Records in Europe, Atlantic Records in the United States, Philips Records in Australia, and Vertigo Records in New Zealand. To date the album is their highest-charting in the UK, reaching number 4.
Islands is the fourth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in December 1971 on the record label Island. Islands is the only studio album to feature the 1971–1972 touring line-up of Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace. This would be the last album before an entirely new group would record the trilogy of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red between 1973 and 1974. This is also the last album to feature the lyrics of co-founding member Peter Sinfield.
Red is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It was released in October 1974 on the Island Records label in the United Kingdom, and Atlantic Records in North America and Japan. The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London in July and August 1974, and produced by the band themselves. The track "Providence" was a free improvisation recorded at their 30 June 1974 concert at the Palace Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. Parts of some of the pieces were conceived during previous improvisations performed by the band live. "Starless" was originally written for their previous album, Starless and Bible Black (1974), but was considered too primitive to be released at the time. The lengthy version included on Red was refined and performed during concerts throughout 1974.
Trey Gunn is an American musician, known for being in the progressive rock band King Crimson from 1994 to 2003. He plays Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick instruments.
THRAK is the eleventh studio album by the band King Crimson released in 1995 through Virgin Records. It was preceded by the mini-album VROOOM in 1994. It was their first full-length studio album since Three of a Perfect Pair eleven years earlier, and the only full album to feature the "double trio" lineup of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Trey Gunn, Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto. It is the group's final studio album to feature Bruford or Levin.
Ian Richard McDonald was an English musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the progressive rock band King Crimson in 1968, as well as the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976.
Toby Amies is a filmmaker and broadcaster who specialises in making programmes about art, music, and travel with an emphasis on fringe culture and alternative perspectives. He is best known for his feature-length documentary The Man Whose Mind Exploded and his broadcast work on Radio4, MTV Europes's Alternative Nation, FilmFour, Lonely Planet Six Degrees and The Rough Guides. In addition, Toby is a widely published portrait photographer and writer.
21st Century Schizoid Band were a King Crimson alumnus group formed in 2002.
Official Bootleg V.1 is the first CD release by the 21st Century Schizoid Band. It features the band playing in the studio songs they had previously performed in King Crimson.
"21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by the progressive rock band King Crimson, released in 1969 as the opening track on their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. Often regarded as the group's signature song, it has been described by Rolling Stone as "a seven-and-a-half-minute statement of purpose: rock power, jazz spontaneity, and classical precision harnessed in the service of a common aim."
"Islands" is the title and closing track of the album of the same name by the progressive rock band, King Crimson, released in 1971. The song's pastoral, mellow, and quiet feeling distinguish it from the album's first four tracks. The song was played live only a few times in 1971, with Collins using a regular concert flute, and Fripp playing guitar in place of Marc Charig's cornet.
Live at the Orpheum is a live album by the band King Crimson, released by Discipline Global Mobile records in 2015. The album was recorded on 30 September and 1 October at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California on the band's The Elements of King Crimson US tour of 2014.
Live in Chicago, or Official Bootleg: Live in Chicago, June 28, 2017, is a live album by the English progressive rock band King Crimson, released through Discipline Global Mobile records on 14 October 2017. The album was recorded on 28 June at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois during the band's 2017 United States tour. It is the first full-length release by the eight-piece incarnation of the band and features new songs and rearrangements of compositions mostly from the early 1970s.