Scott Walker: 30 Century Man

2006

1h 36m

Documentary

Biography

Music

List

87%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Reclusive musician Scott Walker first became famous as a member of the 1960s trio The Walker Brothers. This documentary examines his career, from briefly popular teen idol to increasingly eccentric solo artist, including footage of the recording of his 2006 album "The Drift." Fellow musicians from Radiohead to David Bowie explain his importance, while Walker recounts his career, from his fleeting moment of pop cultural fame through his drug-dazed days to cult legend.

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Critics Consensus

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is a stylish portrait of an influential artist that will fascinate fans and neophytes alike.

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Audience Member

From velvet-voiced pop icon of the '60s to the musically daring recluse of today, Scott Walker is the very definition of an alternative, creative artist. This documentary was produced by David Bowie (who clearly 'borrowed' more than a few of Scott's stylings over the years) and features interviews with fellow musicians and bohemian vagabonds. We are also treated to rare footage of Scott in the studio working on a new album which displays his less than conventional approach offers insight into the modus operandi of this musician with increased avante-garde leanings. One person interviewed in this film- for reasons unknown- makes a gesture of being repelled by the mention of Prog Rock group Yes. This seems a bit unnecessarily subjective but that's a minor complaint in an otherwise interesting film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An intriguing look at one of the most remarkable and inventive singers of our time. Scott Walker deserves to be regonized and the documentuary does a great job of pleasing not only fans, but reeling non fans in.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Scott Walker: 30 Century Man" é um negócio traiçoeiro: se por um lado oferece um diverso manancial de apontamentos e opiniões ilustres sobre a música do homem, também delimita o alcance da imaginação ao oferecer dados concretos para tantos pontos que até aí eram incógnitas bem mais estimulantes. Pessoalmente, e acerca do que o documentário mostra das sessões de "The Drift", não sei se prefiro desconhecer a origem de todo aquele horror ou ver Scott Walker a explicar como deseja que o percussionista esmurre um grande naco de carne. Mas há aqui um saudável e raro atrevimento em mostrar a reacção das várias pessoas enquanto escutam a música tantas vezes incómoda de Scott Walker. Só por isso valia a pena dar-lhe uma oportunidade.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

very well done treatment of the legend of scott walker. great choices made throughout.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

nothing like a doc about a genuinely messed-up guy. brilliant

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excellent insight into the beautifully accosting universe of Scott Walker's music.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Stephen Kijak

Director

Sara Kestelman

Narrator

Stephen Kijak

Writer

David Bowie

Executive Producer

Mark Vennis

Executive Producer

Gary Phillips

Executive Producer

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Judy Berman

Tiny Mix Tapes

"Ultimately, your work is your world," Walker says toward the end of the documentary. 30th Century Man succeeds, then, because it inhabits the world of its subject.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2018

Full Review

Lisa Kennedy

Denver Post

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (which takes its title from a Walker-penned song) makes a fascinating case that in the years that followed, Walker became the music equivalent of a 'poet's poet.'

Rated: 3/4

Mar 6, 2009

Full Review

Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man chronicles the career of musician Scott Walker, an enigmatic figure whose influence far outreaches his relative obscurity.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 27, 2009

Full Review

Benjamin H. Smith

Decider

Despite the unpredictability of its subject matter, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is a fairly standard profile... a good thing, as Walker's enigmatic aura and experimental musical forays benefit from framing inside a linear narrative structure.

Apr 5, 2019

Full Review

Cynthia Fuchs

PopMatters

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man gestures toward Walker's own process, as he has been and continues to think through the possibilities of sound.

May 12, 2010

Full Review

Chris Cabin

Filmcritic.com

For Walker fans, I imagine 30 Century Man will come as a bit of a vindication, having the knowledge that they knew this world before it had been fully documented and made ready for public consumption

Rated: 4/5

Jun 11, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

Reclusive musician Scott Walker first became famous as a member of the 1960s trio The Walker Brothers. This documentary examines his career, from briefly popular teen idol to increasingly eccentric solo artist, including footage of the recording of his 2006 album "The Drift." Fellow musicians from Radiohead to David Bowie explain his importance, while Walker recounts his career, from his fleeting moment of pop cultural fame through his drug-dazed days to cult legend.

Director: Stephen Kijak
Producer: David Bowie, Mark Vennis, Gary Phillips, Colin Burch, Julia Short
Screenwriter: Stephen Kijak
Production Co: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Verve Pictures Ltd., Missing in Action Films
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2017
Runtime: 1h 36m

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