Hype! (1996) is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the development of the grunge scene from its early beginning in neighborhood basements to its emergence as an explosive pop culture phenomenon. Hype! attempts to dispel some of the myths of the genre promulgated by media hype by depicting the grunge subculture from the point of view of people who were active in the scene. The film generally portrays this mythos in a satirical way while acknowledging that it was media hype that helped propel some of these obscure bands to fame.
| Hype! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Doug Pray |
| Produced by | Steven Helvey |
| Starring | Numerous musicians |
| Cinematography | Robert Bennett |
| Edited by | Doug Pray Joan Zapata |
| Distributed by | Cinepix Film Properties |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
Release
editThe film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1996. It opened in two theaters (one in New York and one in Seattle) on November 8.[1]
Reception
editThe film holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10.[2]
Appearances
editHype! includes interviews and performances from bands (primarily oriented with the Sub Pop Records axis) such as TAD, Blood Circus, Mudhoney, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Coffin Break, The Gits, Love Battery, Flop, The Melvins, Some Velvet Sidewalk, Mono Men, Supersuckers, Zipgun, Seaweed, Pearl Jam, 7 Year Bitch, Hovercraft, Gas Huffer, and Fastbacks. It also features interviews with band manager Susan Silver, record producers Jack Endino and Steve Fisk, and photographer Charles Peterson.[3]
Along with the DVD that comes with Nirvana's With the Lights Out, it is one of the few films to contain video footage of Nirvana's first performance of their breakthrough hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
In the film, Seattle producer/engineer Jack Endino is humorously referred to as "the godfather of grunge."[4]
Soundtrack
editSub Pop released a soundtrack to the film in 1996 on CD and a limited box set on colored 7" vinyl. AMG entry
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Music Video Sales (Billboard)[5] | 11 |
Award
edit- Seattle International Film Festival 1996 : Best Documentary
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Weekend openers". Daily Variety. November 8, 1996. p. 3.
- ^ "Hype! (1996)- Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ "Hype! Film". hypethemovie.com. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ "Jack Endino at allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "Nirvana - Chart History - Music Video Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
External links
edit
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