Home of the Brave (1986)

Masterful Movie

Good concept, poorly executed.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

21st century raconteur-troubadour Laurie Anderson shames the entire notion of the 'music video' with this filmed performance from her Mr. Heartbreak Tour. Perhaps the biggest surprise about the movie is that it wasn't made earlier: Anderson's audio/visual exhibitionism depends as much (if not more) on sight as it does on sound, and her recordings alone give little indication of the imagination and humor of her stage act. Employing a dazzling array of electronic effects and state-of-the-art musical instruments (for example a functioning keyboard necktie), she dances, sings, tells peculiar stories, jerks around like a marionette, and in general puts on a show that's as much fun to watch as it must have been to perform, with none of the pretensions normally associated with mass media performance art.

Laurie Anderson's self directed film of her 'Home of the Brave concert is only fair on a film- making level. Given the visual sophistication of her stage work, the film itself is shot in a pretty pedestrian manner, and the attempt to re-create a concert atmosphere feels 'staged', with audience responses rather awkwardly handled, and feeling a bit forced (and it didn't seem to be a sly Anderson statement on concert films).Also, for me, this was one of the less interesting periods of her music and stage work, missing the amazing scope of pieces like 'United States Part 1-4'.None-the-less, it's great to have some filmed record of Anderson on stage. She is arguably among the most influential performers of the last 30 years, despite not being a household name. And despite it's flaws, this still captures some of what makes Anderson's combination of music, comedy, social commentary, irony, visual arts, and real emotion so unique. And that makes it worth seeing, whatever it's flaws.

Laurie Anderson probably shows up in the dictionary under the definition of avant-guard. Only available on VHS & Laserdisc, never on DVD, it's no surprise so few people have seen it. For anyone brave enough to buy the VHS tape on eBay, what awaits is a concert film that captivates with amazing music and visuals, especially when considering the year it was released. Released a couple of years after the Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense", I feel Home of the Brave is the superior concert film. Home of the Brave is very trippy, clever, artful... in fact I'm tempted to pick up a VHS copy before this film disappears forever.

Performance art and music at it's best. This is an amazing concert with some extras as well that I saw years ago and long to see again.Her band and supporting cast are all top notch. Adrian Belew, an absolute brilliant musician and member of the outstanding King Crimson, who IMO are the best jam-session type band ever, performs with Ms. Anderson in this film. There is some very cool spoken word and onstage skits and costumes are incredible. This may well be my fave recording of a musical performance ever.Actually, it is so well done and so unique I am really shocked it isn't more popular and it deserves at LEAST an 8 or more in the ratings. I give it 9/10 and I pretty much NEVER give out 10's!!!