I love a good documentary and as a big fan of classical music, it’s always a treat when the score has the musical punctuation that enhances the viewing experience. However, ‘Concerto’ fails to deliver on content and production.
In the opening scene, the narrator(a Morgan Freeman impersonator) poses a question. To paraphrase, “What would someone from 100 years ago think about our world today.” There were several things that jarred my sensibilities as I watched this.
Initially, the voiceover was familiar but I couldn’t quite determine why. After a quick search, I realized the voiceover actor is a White man who is known for his impersonation of Morgan Freeman. This goes beyond offensive. It’s auditory Blackface that is the worst kind of cultural appropriation. I thought we were past this after the awakening most actors experienced in the aftermath of the protests to George Floyd’s murder. The voiceover community came to terms with White actors imitating “Black” voices and how this further limits their already scarce opportunities.
If the producers wanted a distinctive talent for this project, why not just hire a Black actor? Ironically, the premise of the film is, supposedly, an exploration of whether or not society has changed over the centuries or are we simply repeating our mistakes. Well, apparently not.
Let’s move on.
I can appreciate the attempt to create something alternative but even with that approach there is usually a well defined message the documentarian wants to convey to the viewer. There was none of that here. I didn’t get the ‘why’. What are you trying to say? Without any context, the stream of images was confusing. It felt like a fifteen minute montage or music video. The violent, bloody images were meant only to evoke an emotional response. Again, I thought we were past this type of journalism.
The majority of the grainy, blurry footage was pollyannaish at best while the modern footage was either random or the worst parts of our society. The old black and white clips were apparently someone’s home movies but shoved into a documentary it felt like the filmmaker was trying to pass it off as representative of ALL of America during that time period. Which is irresponsibly imbalanced.
Some of the modern images felt like someone searched Getty Images for civil unrest and downloaded the worst possible cell phone video they could find with a possible dig on AI. There were no images of Juneteenth parades or block parties or the recent trip to the moon. The producers deliberately chose not to show any of the joy from this century in order to prop up the ‘good ol’ days’.
The whole thing felt too much like propaganda for a CPAC fundraiser. With no interviews or substantial narration, the viewer is left to extrapolate their own conclusions from what they are watching.
‘Concerto’ is esoteric at best, meant to satisfy the non-melanted’s sense of nostalgia. It is revisionist at worst, cherry-picking images that defy the true tapestry of the human condition. It is beyond the pale to even suggest the 1930’s was an ideal period in American or world history without addressing its atrocities.
This isn’t experimental or alternative filmmaking. There’s no actual cinematography or clever editing. The original score is pleasant but doesn’t fill the creative gaps well enough to bring this film into the realm of entertaining or informative.
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