Music on film

Today, the Northwest Film Center’s 25th edition of the Reel Music Film Festival starts. The festival showcases documentaries and concert films about many important musicians and movements throughout the world. From the iconic (Bob Dylan, Nina Simone) to the obscure (Tom Zé, The Monks), the festival offers a chance to see rare footage of interesting figures that have shaped, and continue to shape, the musical landscape. Some of the films are for everyone, while others are for only the most diehard of fans. Here is a sampling of a few of the movies and where they place on that scale.

Reel Music Festival: Jan, 11 to Feb. 3

65′ Revisited

Northwest Film’s program touts this project as a companion piece to the classic 1967 Dylan documentary, Don’t Look Back. As the credits to 65′ Revisited reveal, though, it’s just a collection of deleted scenes that would make for a good bonus feature on a DVD, but feels a little flimsy for a stand-alone film.

Still, there are some interesting, disparate scenes of the seemingly very young Dylan dealing with the press and diehard fans. Which is fitting because those are the only types of people who’d be interested in the movie.

Showing Friday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium

The Other Side of the Mirror Bob Dylan Live at Newport

Set in the back roads of Rhode Island, this concert film shows Dylan playing the now iconic Newport Folk Festival. The film chronicles some of Dylan’s best performances from 1963-1965. The show in ’63 is notable because it was one of the young folkster’s first big shows.

And of course Newport ’65 was Dylan’s infamous first electric concert. The film shows him playing both “Maggie’s Farm” and “Like a Rolling Stone” to a cheering and jeering crowd in this plugged-in style. This film will work for casual or steadfast fans of Dylan, and even the uninitiated.

Showing Friday, Jan. 11 at 8:30 p.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium

Ornette: Made in America

Ornette Coleman was a pioneer of free jazz in the ’50s and ’60s. The film starts as the city of Fort Worth, Ornette’s hometown, honors the innovator for his art. From here the documentary gets a little strange. Dispersed throughout its length are surreal recreations of Ornette’s childhood, insanely fast, seizure-inducing edits, and possible metaphysical meanderings made by the filmmaker. But also shown is fantastic live footage ranging from ’68 to ’83, including Ornette jamming with his then 12-year-old son and future full-time band drummer. Ornette also proves to make for a fascinating person when the film lets him tell his story in his own words.

Showing Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 8:15 p.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium

Fabricating Tom Ze

Tom Ze is an experimental musician who has been operating out of Brazil since the 1960s. He is considered highly influential on the tropacalia movement, championed by artists such as Os Mutantes and Gilberto Gil. The latter stands among David Byrne and many others who give their opinions on Tom Ze and his music in this well put together documentary.

The documentary follows Ze on his 2005 tour through Europe, and also gives an inside look into the recording studio–a place where Tom Ze is apt to use everything ranging from a guitar to a vacuum cleaner to make music. And he uses just as peculiar anecdotes to explain his creative vision and life story.

Showing Saturday, Jan. 19 at 9:15 p.m. in the Whitsell Auditorium