The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector

2009

1 hr. 42 min.

Documentary

List

79%

33 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Vikram Jayanti's portrait of the legendary music producer includes Spector's conviction for murder in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.

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Audience Member

A very unique format for a documentary

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Phil Spector movie. Interesting approach for a documentary. Some will find hard to watch, but overall I liked it. He did write and produce some of the finest pop records ever. But "a thin line between genius and insanity."

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Interesting mix of stories about the man & his trial. Needed a little more analytical approach rather than the emotional connection it went for.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

Although an incredibly interesting portrayal of a very interesting man, the filmmaking style (especially the textual elements) were incredibly distracting and amateurish. Good interviews though.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

I went into this documentary having literally no clue what it was about, so I had no expectations for it either way. It ends up the film serves dual purposes: it's a celebration of Spector's incredible musical career (he's produced many of the most famous, important records of all time) and an examination of his murder trial. The problem is, the film fails to delve meaningfully into either area. Like It Came From Kuchar, another documentary from earlier this year, TAatEoPS (what an abbreviation) feels more like a catalogue than a probing piece of documentary film-making. Each song featured is presented in full, often with accompanying performance footage. Other times, the music plays over footage of Spector's trial, meaning the courtroom drama is muted and the audience is left wondering who's who and what's being said. At the same time, text from reviews or featuring trivia about the songs pops up at the bottom of the screen, meaning the audience's attention is being pulled in three directions at once. The result is a mess that causes the audience to detach from what's happening and wonder when the interview footage with Spector (which is generally quite interesting and entertaining, considering what an arrogant prick he is) will kick back in.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

Spector was unequivocally the most important non-performer in the history of recorded sound. His genius was astonishing and this film showcases not only how influential he was but also how the geniuses at the top looked up to Spector. His knowledge of music and how to create sound to this day is unmatched. While his rise and fall is dramatic, this film's greatest accomplishment is capturing Spector himself and revealing the vulnerability as well as the insanity of a man many consider the greatest musical genius of the last 100 years. A great film, another amazing documentary in a year filled with top-notch non-fiction fare.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Fascinating because its subject is so influential and so deranged, a shambles because its filmmaker can't decide which approach to take and so takes all of them.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 27, 2011

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Murderer or not, the man is a musical genius, and Jayanti's film makes that abundantly, even tragically clear...

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 17, 2010

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

It's disconcerting but strangely effective -- you get a sense of different aspects of the man, coexisting as one.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 2, 2010

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Liz Braun

Jam! Movies

The overall effect is as elaborate and fascinating as one of Spector's musical productions from the '60s.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 28, 2011

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Norman Wilner

NOW Toronto

Spector may be a paranoid loon with blood on his hands, but he's also a fascinating, tragic case study in splendid isolation.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 28, 2011

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a sporadically intriguing yet disastrously overlong documentary...

Rated: 2/4

Jan 27, 2011

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Vikram Jayanti's portrait of the legendary music producer includes Spector's conviction for murder in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.

Director: Vikram Jayanti
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English