The New York Post
November 18, 1998
Demme's Storefront So Boring It's Pane-Ful
by Larry Worth
When Oscar-winning director Jonathan The Silence Of The Lambs Demme is good, he's very good. But when he's bad...
Welcome to Storefront Hitchcock, a concert film wherein the eclectic auteur basically sets the camera in front of English folkie Robyn Hitchcock and lets it roll for a seeming eternity.
Granted, this is a very different animal from celebrated Demme dramas like Melvin And Howard, Something Wild, and Philadelphia. It's even a long way down from his current Oprah epic, Beloved.
But as evidenced in his lensing of David Byrne's gyrations in Stop Making Sense, Demme can make concert films to rival any of his fictional efforts. Sadly, he wasn't so inclined this time around.
Truth be told, Demme was downright lazy. That means viewers simply watch closeups or distance shots of the eccentric troubadour strumming his guitar, playing his harmonica and delivering his unique songlist.
Clearly, the fortysomething, generically handsome Hitchcock must be at his most charismatic to hold viewers' attention. But even hard-core fans will be put to the test with ditties like "The Yip Song", wherein he musically addresses death from cancer, which is dedicated to his father.
For the most part, Hitchcock has a passable voice, best demonstrated on amusing numbers like "Filthy Bird" and the cleverly lyrical "Glass Hotel". His crooning is further enhanced at intervals when violinist Deni Bonet or guitarist Tim Keegan provides backup.
But the only other "action" occurs when Hitchcock's wardrobe shifts from one paisley shirt to another, or day becomes night in the storefront window behind him. The changes serve precious little purpose, only indicating that Demme shot the film at different intervals and then pieced it seamlessly together.
Viewers' acid test that boredom has set in occurs when one starts gazing through the titular pane at adjacent store signs, watching their neon outlines glow in the early evening. (Long before the halfway point, it's obvious that California Fashion's logo is a standout.)
Aside from allowing audience members to gaze at the world, the window also invites passersby to stare in at Hitchcock. Few do.
No offense to Hitchcock, but it's little wonder.
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