The Sparks Brothers

Die Sparks, eines der seltsamsten Klanggewächse der Siebzigerjahre. Die Band um das Brüderpaar Russell und Ron Mael – der eine zum Teenager-Mädchenschwarm gestylt, der andere mit Quadratbärtchen zum Ersatz-Hitler – hatte nach langem Anlauf im Jahr 1974 mit dem Album „Kimono my House“ und einer Mischung aus Glamrock, Jahrmarktsorgel und hysterischem Operettenfalsett endlich den ersehnten Superhit. Danach ging es allerdings bald wieder bergab. Die Doku zelebriert die Exzentrik und den schrägen Witz der Sparks mit wilden Montagen, Animationen und Bilderkatarakten – eine würdige Hommage an „the best British group to come out of America.“ (Thomas Mießgang)

Wright’s penchant for snappy entertainment and musical ideas fully comes into its own in THE SPARKS BROTHERS, his first documentary and best film to date. Using awesome archival material and inspired animated interludes, Wright takes the viewer on a breezy joyride through half a century of some the most original art pop (or pop art?) concoctions ever devised, courtesy of the distinctive duo Sparks, formed by brothers Ron and Russell Mael. Still fresh after all these years – and contributing considerably to the irresistible charm of Wright’s film (along with former collaborators as well as admirers ranging from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore to actors like Mike Myers) – the Maels review their unlikely career with the same poker-faced wit that makes their lyrics so memorable: they manage to come across as serious and ironic at the same time. In similar spirit, the film convinces as a touching and enjoyable tribute to two committed, hard-working artists who have remained inimitable even as they’ve kept on reinventing themselves (from working with disco wiz Giorgio Moroder to a supergroup stunt with Franz Ferdinand). It arrives in a triumphant year for this famously cinephile band, which also brings us their first feature film collaboration after many failed attempts – with Jacques Tati and Tim Burton, among others – in Carax’ ANNETTE. (Christoph Huber)

Edgar Wright: DEAD RIGHT (1993, K), A FISTFUL OF FINGERS (1995), MASH AND PEAS (1996, TV-Serie), SPACED (1999, TV-Serie), SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004), HOT FUZZ (2007), SCOTT PIL- GRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010), THE WORLD’S END (2013), BABY DRIVER (2017), LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021)