Long Strange Trip is a groundbreaking
documentary that probes the creative forces, subversive ambitions,
and interpersonal dynamics that drove the Grateful Dead in their
30-year quest for moments of collective inspiration
Documentary will premiere on Amazon Prime Video
on May 26 in the US and UK with additional territories to be
announced
(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon Studios today announced it has acquired
Long Strange Trip, an unprecedented four hour documentary about the
Grateful Dead from director Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) and
executive producer Martin Scorsese (Silence). Set to debut
May 26 on Amazon Prime Video in the US and UK as a six part
documentary, with additional territories to be announced, Long
Strange Trip probes the creative forces, subversive ambitions, and
interpersonal dynamics that drove the Grateful Dead in their
30-year quest for moments of collective inspiration. By inventing a
unique fusion of folk, jazz, R&B, avant-garde experimentation,
world music and rock and roll, they earned the devotion of the most
committed fan base in the music business, while gleefully
disdaining every cliché of pop success.
The world premiere of Long Strange Trip will take place at the
upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Band members Mickey Hart, Bill
Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir, as well as Trixie Garcia will be in
attendance.
Long Strange Trip is produced by Eric Eisner (Hamlet 2),
Nick Koskoff (Bad Hurt), and Alex Blavatnik (For the
Love of Spock) who also financed the project. Additional producers
include Ken Dornstein (My Brother’s Bomber) and Justin
Kreutzmann (The Who: Fragments). Executive producers in
addition to Scorsese are Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Silence),
Rick Yorn (Wolf of Wall Street), Andrew Heller, Sanford
Heller, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir,
Thomas J. Mangan IV (Somewhere Tonight), and Alicia
Sams (By The People: The Election of Barack Obama).
“I first reached out to the Grateful Dead about this film back
in 2003,” said Bar-Lev. “Since then, everyone who has come aboard
has treated this project with a renegade spirit of
cooperation and ingenuity worthy of the subject matter. I
recognized immediately that Amazon was the perfect distributor when
I met their team, and I can’t wait to see how many brains they can
infect with the Dead’s contagious brand of anti-establishment
fun.”
“I’ve always admired the spirit and creativity of the Grateful
Dead,” said Scorsese. “They are revolutionary artists who forever
changed the world of touring and recording live music. They
were a cultural force—a lifestyle, that continue to influence new
generations of fans. This film will entertain and educate audiences
about one of the most innovative and groundbreaking American bands
of the 20th century.”
“The story of the Grateful Dead is that of music and culture of
the 20th Century,” said Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy and Drama, Amazon
Studios. “Told with vast scope and an unprecedented cast of real
life characters, Amir has taken advantage of this larger than life
canvas to make an era-defining musical portrait that we can’t wait
to bring to audiences everywhere.”
Bob Weir commented: "Over several decades a group of guys hung
together making music in a group that was way tighter and lasted
much longer than most marriages. Here's the movie…”
Mickey Hart commented: "Stranger than fiction – a user’s guide
for an impossible journey."
On behalf of the producers, Eisner and Blavatnik commented:
“We're honored to be involved in this historic, ambitious and
passionate undertaking. The Grateful Dead have played and continue
to play an integral role not only in our lives, but in the very
development of contemporary American society. Amir’s encompassing
and engrossing look truly captures the story of this unique
band.”
The 30-year odyssey of the Grateful Dead was the most unlikely
success story in rock and roll history. Famously averse to
publicity, seemingly incapable of recording radio-friendly hits,
they flouted music-industry convention by giving their live music
away to a global network of tape traders, becoming the
highest-grossing concert act in America on word of mouth alone.
Executive produced by Scorsese (Silence), Long Strange Trip is the
first full-length documentary to explore the fiercely independent
vision, insistence on continuous innovation, and uncompromising
commitment to their audience that propelled the original jam band
from a Bay Area pizza parlor to the ranks of the most enduringly
influential musicians of their generation. By assembling candid
interviews with the band, road crew, family members, and notable
Deadheads, director Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) unearths the untold
history of the Dead and the freewheeling psychedelic subculture
that sprouted up around it, while providing poignant insight into
the psyche of late lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, who disdained
leadership of the increasingly sprawling collective organization
that kept the show on the road. With a soundtrack that captures
some of the band's most dynamic live performances as well as
unguarded moments offstage and never before seen footage and
photos, Long Strange Trip is an epic exploration into a uniquely
American experiment in radically eclectic music-making that
continues to earn the passionate loyalty of generations of fans
worldwide.
The deal was negotiated by WME Global on behalf of the
filmmakers.
About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that
offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to
watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the
following:
- Prime Video: Thousands of movies
and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus
critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and
Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the
High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble
Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime
membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more
than 200 countries and territories around the globe at
www.primevideo.com.
- Amazon Channels: Over 80 video
subscriptions to networks like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, PBS
KIDS, Acorn TV, and more, available to Amazon Prime
members in the US as add-ons to their membership. To view the full
list of available channels,
visit www.amazon.com/channels.
- Rent or Own: Hundreds of
thousands of titles, including new release movies and current TV
shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for
all Amazon customers.
- Instant Access: Customers can
instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on
compatible TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV
Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible
devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
- Premium Features: Top features
like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile
downloads for offline viewing of select content.
In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes
unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories
available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands
of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage
with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited
access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for
Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot
with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals,
exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To
sign-up for Prime or to find out more,
visit: www.amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to
operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews,
1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment
by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets,
Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and
services pioneered by Amazon. For more information,
visit www.amazon.com/about.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170118005710/en/
Amazon.com, Inc.Media Hotline,
206-266-7180Amazon-pr@amazon.comwww.amazon.com/pr
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024