| American Pop (1981) Country of Origin: USA Year of Production: 1980 Running Times: 96 minsFormat: colour 35mm Ratio: Sound: Dolby CREDITSPRODUCTION Production Companies: Columbia Pictures Corporation/Polyc International BV Executive Producers: Richard R. St Johns, Maggie Abbott Producers: Ralph Bakshi, Martin Ransohoff SCRIPT Script: Ronni Kern DIRECTION Director: Ralph Bakshi ANIMATION Animation: Steven E. Gordon Design Layout: Louise Zingarelli, Johnnie Vita, Marcia Adams, Barry Jackson PHOTOGRAPHY Director of Photography: Frances Grumman EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION Editor: David Ramirez MUSIC Music: Lee Holdridge Music Editors: Jeff Carson, La Da Productions Music Arranged By: Lee Holdridge (American Pop Overture) Songs: Bob Dylan (A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall; Don't Think Twice It's All Right); Cole Porter (Anything Goes); Herman Hupfeld (As Time Goes By); Kern/Wodehouse/Hammerstein (Bill); Carl Perkins (Blue Sued Shoes); Green/Heyman/Eyson (Body and Soul); The Mamas and Papas (California Dreamin'); Herbie Hancock (Cantaloupe Island); Cecil Mack, Jimmy Johnson (Charleston); Anne Wilson, Nancy Wilson, R. Fisher (Crazy on You); Collins, Vanzandt (Free Bird); George M. Cohan (Give My Regards to Broadway); Pat Benatar (Hell Is for Children); Sullivan, Lennox (I Don't Care); George Gerschwin, Ira Gerschwin (I Got Rhythm); Lou Reed (I'm Waiting for The Man); Scott Joplin (Maple Leaf Rag); Bobby Timmons (Moanin'); Livingston/Evans (Mona Lisa); Jimmy Van Heusen, Phil Silvers (Nancy (With The Laughing Face)); Bob Seger (Night Moves); George M. Cohan (Over There); Scott Joplin (Palm Leaf Rag); The Doors (People Are Strange); Johnny Rotten, Glenn Matlock, Paul Cook, Steve Jones (Pretty Vacant); Jimi Hendrix (Purple Haze); Louis Prima (Sing, Sing, Sing); Lee Roberts, J. Will Callahan (Smiles); George Gerschwin (Somebody Loves Me); Darby Slick (Somebody to Love); George Gerschwin, Ira Gerschwin (Summertime); Bernie/Casey/Pinkard (Sweet Georgia Brown); Peter, Paul and Mary (This Train); Jim Web (Up, Up and Away); Sam Cooke (You Send Me) Songs Performed By: Heart (Crazy on You); Lynyrd Skynyrd (Free Bird); Al Blakey (Moanin'); The Sex Pistols (Pretty Vacant); The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Purple Haze); Dave Brubeck Quartet (Take Five); Fabian (Turn Me Loose) VOICE Ron Thompson (Toni Bolinski/Pete Bolinski) Marya Small (Franki) Jerry Holland (Louie) Lisa Jane Persky (Bella) Jeffrey Lippa (Zalmie Bolinski) Roz Kelly (Eva Tanguay) Ben Frommer (Nicky Palumbo) Amy Levitt (Nancy) Elsa Raven (Hannele) Leonard Stone (Leo Stern) Eric Taslitz (Little Pete) Gene Borkan (Izzy) Hilary Beane Beatrice Colen (prostitute) Frank DeKova (Crisco) Richard Moll (poet) Vincent Schiavelli (theatre owner) Richard Singer (Benny) Lynda Wiesmeier (the blonde) PLOT SUMMARYStarting in 19th century Russia, American Pop charts the development of American popular music seen through the eyes of a single family which relocates to the United States and finds their lives touched in many ways by jazz, rock, soul and punk. As the 80s dawn, the family's connections with music culminate with one of them becoming a rock star. CAPSULE REVIEWPotentially, this was a fantastic idea (following the development of American popular music through four generations of an immigrant family) but the result is a disappointingly routine film that never quite comes to life. Bakshi's overuse of rotoscoping is deeply irritating and the pacing is erratic. A few excellent scenes make it worth seeking out but it never really gels as a cohesive whole. AVAILABILITYUSA Theatrical Distributor: Columbia-EMI-Warner Video Distributor: Columbia TriStar DVD Distributor: Columbia/Tristar (19595); Columbia/Tristar (19599) CENSORSHIP HISTORYUK Rating: AA USA Rating: R TIMELINE1981 August 20: UK - theatrical release 1998 June 16: USA - DVD release (Columbia/Tristar (19595); Columbia/Tristar (19599)) POSTER TAGSAll those years, all those dreams, all those men... one of them is going to be a star. The State Of The Art In Living Animation. ALTERNATIVE TITLESAmerykanska muzyka pop - Polish title REFERENCESMAGAZINES Films November 1981 p.32 review BOOKS Rock On Film p.109 credits, review Virgin Film Yearbook 1983 p.9 credits, review KEYWORDSanimation; drugs; folk music; rock music; jazz; music industry; musicians; rotoscoping
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