Movies - Almost Famous

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	Movies - Almost Famous

Almost Famous is a film, written and directed by Cameron Crowe and released in 2000. It tells the story of a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone magazine covering the rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published. The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

The film stars:

Patrick Fugit
as Crowe's alter ego, William Miller
Billy Crudup
, Jason Lee
, and Noah Taylor
as lead guitarist, lead singer, and band manager respectively, of the fictional band Stillwater, an amalgamation of The Allman Brothers Band and several other bands that Crowe wrote about
Frances McDormand
and Zooey Deschanel
as William's mother and sister, respectively
Kate Hudson
, Fairuza Balk
, Anna Paquin
, and Bijou Phillips
as groupies known as "Band Aids" (Hudson's character Penny Lane was based on several women Crowe knew, but primarily on "rock star muse" Bebe Buell)
Jimmy Fallon
as the band's new manager Dennis Hope
Philip Seymour Hoffman
as real-life journalist Lester Bangs.

The film's award-winning soundtrack featured an eclectic mix of period rock, other period genres, and songs written by Crowe's wife, Nancy Wilson, expressly for the movie. Highlights include Simon & Garfunkel's "America" and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", and Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air".

Despite very good reviews the film was not a box office success. The film received four Oscar nominations, one of which led to an award to Crowe for his screenplay. It was also awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

The tagline for Almost Famous is "Enjoy It. Experience It. Just Don't Fall For It."

Musical background

The movie remains a masterful piece for those that were raised in the 1970s and provides a valuable insight into the mind of Cameron Crowe and through his adept storytelling, presents a rare look inside rock and roll.

Fugit, who was born 10 years after the movie takes place, was given a collection of records to listen to and learn from to help him understand the period. While specific albums were not mentioned, one can imagine that they were based on the collection given to his character William by his sister at the turning point of the story. These albums help describe and lay the ground work for the rest of the movie and can be seen as a primer for anyone interested in learning more about the period. They are:

Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
Cream: Wheels of Fire
Crosby, Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills & Nash
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew
Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde
Jimi Hendrix: Axis: Bold as Love
Jethro Tull: Stand Up
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin II
Joni Mitchell: Blue
The Mothers of Invention: We're Only In It For The Money
Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
Rolling Stones: Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass)
Santana: Abraxas
Neil Young: After the Gold Rush
The Who: Tommy

Also, Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends, the album William's sister tries to sneak into the house.

When William and Penny are in the car together, there is a reflection on the car windscreen of the front cover of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"

The Bootleg Cut

Along with the standard DVD version, Crowe compiled an alternate version called "Untitled," which was a compilation of both released footage, and his favorite deleted scenes. Running for over a half hour longer than the theatrical release, "Untitled" was subtitled 'The Bootleg Cut', with its packaging resembling a cheap Seventies bootleg. The set is apparently out-of-print at the current time. (Incidentally, a variant of the Bootleg Cut is the basis of the network television version of "Almost Famous.")

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Movies - Almost Famous

Musical background

The Bootleg Cut

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