Cult Films: Rock the Bells (2006)

By Paco McCullough

Rock the Bells is at once an interesting documentary about a oft-overlooked part of the music industry: that of the concert promoter. The promoter in this case is Chang Weisberg, a Los Angles based promoter who did what was once thought impossible: reunite seminal rap group The Wu-Tang Clan and have them headline a new music festival: 2006's Rock The Bells.

This documentary focuses primarily on the incredible activity that goes into putting on a festival, but also includes a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with members of the Wu-Tang Clan and the other musical artists. These artists include Eydea and Abilities and Sage Francis for the hipsters, Dilated Peoples, Redman, and more. However, in the movie's only overarching flaw, there is no performance from the headliners themselves.

The film spends an hour and forty minutes discussing just how crucial and important the Wu-Tang Clan are. Everyone talks about how great of artists they are. At the end, there are clips of between song footage. However, for some reason, no actual songs are shown. As both a film viewer and a big Wu-Tang fan, this is one of the worst cases of blue balls a film has ever given me. The abrupt introduction of the credits turned this film from one that I loved to one that I can hardly recommend. It's like making a documentary about a team winning the superbowl without ever showing any footage of the game itself.

Had this incredibly disappointing ending not ruined the film for me, I would wholeheartedly recommend the film. I had never thought about the amount of work that promoters put into their shows. The entire staff was working 20 plus hours a day for at least a week ahead of time. Interviews and performances by the other artists are also great. There's a long sequence of Redman refusing to talk to the camera unless they gave him pot first, demands he makes in front of his young kid. A final drama where Ol' Dirty Bastard (RIP) is too high to perform is also a spellbinding case of behind-the-scenes action fans never see. An incredibly entertaining Sage Francis throws homegrown broccoli at an audience who hates him, then pulls his pants off and raps covered in a fake American flag while singing "Makeshift Patriot."

It's a real disappointment that I can't rate this film higher than I do. There's so much to recommend for those interested in music promotion or hip hop, but for a film that ostensibly stars the Wu-Tang Clan, the lack of an included performance is simply an inexcusable offense.

3 out of 5 stars