Super Human - Who is Shep Gordon?
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Super Human - Who is Shep Gordon? |
| Original title | Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2013 |
| length | 84 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Mike Myers |
| production | Beth Aala |
| music | John Houlihan Willa Yudell |
| camera | Michael Pruitt-Bruun Andreas von Scheele |
| cut | Joseph Krings |
| occupation | |
| |
Super Human - Who is Shep Gordon? (Original title: Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon ) is an American documentary directed by Mike Myers about the Hollywood manager Shep Gordon . The film traces Gordon's career, who managed rock stars like Alice Cooper and Blondie , worked as a film producer and invented the concept of the celebrity chef , from the 1970s to the present day. For Mike Myers, the production marks his debut as a director.
Supermensch premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 . It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival and was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival that same year . The official German theatrical release was September 18, 2014.
action
After studying at the University at Buffalo, Shep Gordon moved to California, where he initially worked as a probation officer . After being beaten up by a group of teenagers, Gordon decides to quit the job and goes to Los Angeles. At the Hollywood Landmark Hotel he meets Janis Joplin , Jimi Hendrix and Alice Cooper , whose manager he becomes. By staging various scandals around Alice Cooper, he becomes one of the most successful rock musicians of the time. Gordon signs other artists such as Groucho Marx , Anne Murray and Teddy Pendergrass as well as the chef Roger Vergé and manages them successfully.
The film also addresses private matters, such as Gordon's relationship with the grandchildren of his former partner Winona Williams, whom he regularly visits in New York and supports financially. He founded Alive Films with PR manager and producer Carolyn Pfeiffer. Under Alive Films they produce films such as Koyaanisqatsi and The Duelists . At the Cannes Film Festival , Shep Gordon met Sharon Stone , with whom he had a long-term relationship and who introduced him to the Dalai Lama . During his trip to the United States, Gordon becomes the Dalai Lama's cook and finally the manager of the President of the Tibet Fund , Rinchen Dharlo.
When Pendergrass is paralyzed in a serious car accident, it is Gordon who brings him the news at the hospital. Gordon is also the one who arranged Pendergrass' first public appearance after the accident at the Live Aid Benefit Concert.
After accompanying Roger Vergé for several years, Gordon finally became his road manager. Since the star chefs are poorly paid for their appearances, he founds Alive Culinary Resources to manage a large number of well-known chefs and to sign television deals for them with the broadcaster Food Network . Through his work as the manager of top chefs, Gordon finally met the raw food expert Renée Loux, whom he married two years later. The marriage is divorced after a few years without children.
In 2012, Shep Gordon had to undergo surgery as a result of a severe disease of the small intestine. His chances of survival are estimated at 20 percent. Gordon survived the procedure. The film closes with Gordon reflecting on the downside of fame and his life as a manager.
reception
Supermensch was received mostly positively by the American trade press. Rotten Tomatoes has an average rating of 74% from 50 reviews. David Rooney described the film in his review for The Hollywood Reporter as "lively, captivating, yet scattered." Myers' lack of experience as a director is reflected in the choppy narrative. In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Abele called the film “light-hearted, stormy and full of anecdotes”, but criticized the hectic montage between archive material, interviews and re-enactments.
Web links
- Official website
- Super Human - Who is Shep Gordon? in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. (No longer available online.) TIFF.net, formerly in the original ; accessed on June 23, 2014 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ SFF 2014 Wrap report. (No longer available online.) Sarasotafilmfestival.com, archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; accessed on June 23, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Documentary Feature Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. Tribecafilm.com, accessed June 23, 2014 .
- ↑ Super Human - Who Is Shep Gordon? Rapideyemovies.de, accessed on June 23, 2014 .
- ↑ Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. RottenTomatoes.com, accessed June 23, 2014 .
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^ "[...] the documentary is brisk and engaging but feels somewhat scattered. Myers' inexperience as a filmmaker shows in its choppy narrative. "
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon: Toronto Review . In: Hollywoodreporter.com . August. Retrieved June 23, 2014. -
↑ “Light, frenetic and anecdote-rich, it's the kind of back-patting Hollywood toast to the guy behind the guy that's breezy good fun if you don't examine it too hard. Never mind that Myers' breathless editing of photographs, footage, reenactments, testimonials [...] “
'Supermensch' a Hollywood toast to the legendary Shep Gordon . In: Latimes.com . August. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
