Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Twelve years in the life of punk poet Patti Smith, as documented by Steven Sebring. 109 minutes. At the Royal.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life, fashion photographer Steven Sebring's impressionistic study of the most influential of punk poets, disarms and charms with its honesty.
Smith, a leading figure in New York's punk/new wave scene of the 1970s, cops no attitude and espouses no causes beyond peace and love.
At the height of her fame in 1979, Smith dropped out for 16 years to raise a family in Detroit.
When she returned in 1995 with a new album and tour, following the death of her guitarist husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, it was as if she'd never left.
Her fame remained undimmed. It was at this point that her friend Sebring began filming her, collecting the hundreds of hours of mostly black-and-white film and video that have been distilled into 109 minutes of surreal wonder to make Dream of Life.
Smith is completely guileless before the camera. She strums her antique guitar with pal Sam Shepard, the playwright and actor, who gently scolds her for not practising.
She shoots photos with an ancient Polaroid. She plays with her cats, and hangs with her children and elderly parents and has an amusing conversation with friend and fellow musician Flea, a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith expresses embarrassment about people who refer to her as a rock icon: "Whenever they say that, I always think of Mount Rushmore," she says, blushing. Yet a rock 'n' roll version of those mountains would have to include her.
Click HERE for the films IMDB page
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