JERICHO, NY – July 24, 2002 – It was an era that would change everything. In the 1970s, a revolution in rock 'n' roll burned up not only the airwaves but infused the motion picture industry with new life. This August, AMC celebrates this vital era with the three-day festival, from August 30 to September 1, 2002, the 10th Annual Film Preservation Festival: Rock 'n Roll in the Movies. From restored prints of David Bowie's glam masterpiece ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS OF MARS, The Rolling Stones' electric GIMME SHELTER and Martin Scorsese's chronicle of The Band's era-defining last show, THE LAST WALTZ, to an original documentary, HOLLYWOOD ROCKS THE MOVIES: THE 1970s, AMC rocks television throughout this Labor Day Weekend.
At the height of the Glam Rock movement, David Bowie remade himself into "Ziggy Stardust," a persona and musical style that would influence artists for years to come. Acclaimed documentarian D.A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop, 1969) filmed the 1973 concert that would be his last performance as "Ziggy," and though a shortened version of the film was released years later, ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS would not be seen in its entirety until 1983. AMC will premiere the documentary as it was meant to be seen – with a newly re-mastered transfer and color corrected, and a soundtrack completely re-mixed for 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.
In the annals of rock 'n' roll, no musical artists have come to embody the sounds, intensity or lifestyle more than The Rolling Stones. In attempting to capture their world on film during the group's 1969-1970 tour, filmmakers David and Albert Maysles managed to capture not only an unprecedented performance of what is arguably one of the greatest rock acts ever, but also an incident that would haunt the music scene for years to come – the violence-marred concert at Altamont Speedway. From press conferences to mixing sessions, GIMME SHELTER reveals The Rolling Stones at the height of their dominance of rock 'n' roll as well as the tragedy that will forever be a part of the band's history. This 91-minute film has been newly re-mastered and restored, and features exclusive Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround sound mixes.
AMC will also air the restored version of MGM's THE LAST WALTZ. The 1976 concert would come to represent not only the final concert of the seminal rock act The Band, but also perhaps the largest gathering of rock 'n' roll artists ever assembled on film -Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and many others.
THE LAST WALTZ features a digitally remixed and re-mastered soundtrack, personally supervised by Robbie Robertson of The Band, and Dolby 5.1 stereo surround sound. The newly restored, color corrected print is shot on 35mm film was supervised by director Martin Scorsese.
The centerpiece of AMC's 10th Annual Film Preservation Festival: Rock 'n Roll in the Movies is an original documentary hosted by David Bowie, HOLLYWOOD ROCKS THE MOVIES: THE '70s. From good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll, punk, reggae, funk and disco, music in the 1970s had become a powerful expression of individuality. Movies like Saturday Night Fever, Shaft and The Rocky Horror Picture Show earned massive grosses due in large part to the phenomenal soundtracks that helped define the era. These movies were driven by a passion for music experienced not only by the filmmakers but also their fans. With live concert footage and commentary from the likes of Maurice Gibb, Johnny Ramone and Isaac Hayes, this special turns back the clock on this era that forever changed the way we experience movies.
In addition, the festival will also bring together an array of concert films including U2: RATTLE AND HUM, THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, HAIL, HAIL ROCK N' ROLL and BRING ON THE NIGHT, and the movies SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, A STAR IS BORN, and many more.
AMC's annual film preservation festival serves to educate viewers about the need to guard the nation's endangered film heritage, while raising funds for the archives whose vital work saves hundreds of thousands of films each year. Since its inception in 1993, AMC has raised over $2 million for The Film Foundation, which funds seven member archives across the country to restore and preserve films.
AMC is a premiere 24-hour movie network dedicated to the world of American film. With one of the finest, most comprehensive libraries of popular films, and a diverse blend of original series, documentaries and
interstitials, AMC offers an elegant and contemporary entertainment destination. AMC is a fully distributed network reaching over 83,000,000 U.S. homes (as of July, 2002) and ranking #16 in size among all 55 networks. Since its launch in 1984, AMC has been dedicated to deepening the movie experience for its viewers, featuring film-loving celebrity hosts and an increasingly visible, critically acclaimed slate of original programming. AMC has more than doubled its original programming over the past 3 years and garnered many of the industry's highest honors, including seven Emmy awards.
AMC is owned and managed by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a leader in news, sports and entertainment programming. A subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC) and NBC, Rainbow manages American Movie Classics, WE: Women's Entertainment, Bravo, The Independent Film Channel, MuchMusic USA, Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks, MetroChannels and Mag Rack, as well as the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. In addition, Rainbow is a fifty-percent partner in FOX Sports Net. AMC is one of the assets included in the Rainbow Media Group tracking stock (NYSE: RMG), a series of Cablevision common stock. MGM (NYSE: MGM) owns a 20% stake in four of Rainbow's national networks – AMC, Bravo, IFC, and WE: Women's Entertainment.