Educational Media Reviews Online

Romantic Warriors IV: Krautrock is the fourth in a series of documentary films by Zeitgeist Media co-founders and directors, Adele Schmidt and José Zegarra Holder. The films have focused on the rich history of progressive rock music and, as the name implies, this film focuses on German musicians. The team has planned a trilogy of films specifically about the Krautrock phenomenon arranged loosely by region. Romantic Warriors covers influential bands from Düsseldorf, Cologne and Hamburg.

Krautrock, developed by young German musicians in the late 1960’s, is seen as a purely German musical style. While it pulls from a variety of musical traditions such as jazz, classical, and avant-garde music traditions, the goal was to create something different from the American and British music that dominated the market. Bands such as Can, Kraftwerk, Floh De Cologne and Neu! developed the style that had significant impact then and continues to influence bands today.

The film weaves archival footage with contemporary interview and performance footage. This allows for a sense of depth regarding influence of foundational Krautrock musicians. Seeing musicians at work is always a treat and this film certainly delivers with footage from well-known performances and free-style recording sessions. Interviews with the musicians stress the importance of behind the scenes support from sound engineers and managers as integral to their developed style. The collaborative nature of the process is apparent and clear. Contemporary performances show the evolution of the music and more importantly the musicians in a way that is not always captured in music documentary films. They are not trapped at one point in their careers but shown to be evolving artists.

While this film may be a bit too dense for the general viewer; musicians, music historians or anyone interested in this particular genre will find it useful. The film is organized in chapters by band which makes it particularly valuable as a research tool. By exploring the genre with such depth and attention the filmmakers have created a significant work of lasting value.

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