The Ken Fox Troupe are a close-knit group of traveling entertainers who put on a very specific show across the UK – the motorcycle wall of death. The film watches the group set up and perform the show to thrilled crowds while Ken provides narration and input.
This short documentary has an interesting subject at its heart and it uses this draw well to keep the viewer interested even though so much about it seems intent on dragging the film down to being less than it could have been. The basic blocks are all there with the film's good access to an unusual group and it sets its stall out with narration combined with good shots of the group working and in action. For some reason we have it in a combination of black & white and color from the very start, but anyway I was interested.
A few minutes in, we have a slow, slightly whiney song come in which adds a somber and reflective tone to the film – a tone that really isn't matched by anything that we are hearing being said or seeing happening; indeed the only thing it seems to match is the arty b/w shots. Annoyingly we seem to have less narration because more room is given to this song to somberly play over somber shots. It really feels like the film has decided its tone and is going to deliver that no matter what. I think it is fine to be respectful and genuine towards people (we have plenty of quirkumentaries that do not treat such groups this way) but to push into overly serious territory without anything seemingly there to back it up is a real waste of the potential.
I kept wanting to hear more – more insights, more stories – and get a feel for these real people, not just see them colored by the way the film was shot and the choice of music. This wastes the substance of reality and seems to hijack the group to use them as the film wanted them used, rather than documenting who they are and how they are. I was really interested as the film started and I ended the film feeling like the potential had been wasted as the film for some reason seemed much more interested in its tone and mood than it did in the subjects themselves.
This short documentary has an interesting subject at its heart and it uses this draw well to keep the viewer interested even though so much about it seems intent on dragging the film down to being less than it could have been. The basic blocks are all there with the film's good access to an unusual group and it sets its stall out with narration combined with good shots of the group working and in action. For some reason we have it in a combination of black & white and color from the very start, but anyway I was interested.
A few minutes in, we have a slow, slightly whiney song come in which adds a somber and reflective tone to the film – a tone that really isn't matched by anything that we are hearing being said or seeing happening; indeed the only thing it seems to match is the arty b/w shots. Annoyingly we seem to have less narration because more room is given to this song to somberly play over somber shots. It really feels like the film has decided its tone and is going to deliver that no matter what. I think it is fine to be respectful and genuine towards people (we have plenty of quirkumentaries that do not treat such groups this way) but to push into overly serious territory without anything seemingly there to back it up is a real waste of the potential.
I kept wanting to hear more – more insights, more stories – and get a feel for these real people, not just see them colored by the way the film was shot and the choice of music. This wastes the substance of reality and seems to hijack the group to use them as the film wanted them used, rather than documenting who they are and how they are. I was really interested as the film started and I ended the film feeling like the potential had been wasted as the film for some reason seemed much more interested in its tone and mood than it did in the subjects themselves.