The Butterfly Ball (Counterculture Rock Opera/Musical)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B-
Deep Purple’s Roger Glover had left his hugely successful
band to go solo and producer work for other artists. One very ambitious project suggested by the concept works of The
Beatles (Sgt. Pepper’s, Magical Mystery Tour), The Who (Tommy)
and Pink Floyd (Dark Side Of The Moon) became a recording and then
filmed and montaged stage presentation of The Butterfly Ball. This 1976 film version is directed by Tony
Klinger (later a producer of The Who’s The Kids Are Alright, reviewed
elsewhere on this site) and stars Vincent Price as the narrator of this
elaborate production based on William Roscoe’s 1806 poem for starters. This benefit concert mixes newly-shot
narrative-based film footage, the concert, terrific period animation by the
great Halas & Batchelor Animation, Ltd. (the 1954 animated version of
George Orwell’s Animal Farm) and a few visual effects in its attempted
statement against war (including the usual montage of military vehicles
destroying nature) and in support of children in particular. It is also has its drug trip aspirations,
which dates and now contradicts some of its intent.
Twiggy, a pre-Whitesnake David Coverdale, Tony Ashton,
Helen Chapelle, Ian Gillian, John Gustafson, Eddie Hardin, Glenn Hughes (the
last four involved with Purple at some point) and Price used much more
effectively here than Michael Jackson could ever have hoped for. Alan Aldridge and William Plomer pulled this
together with Klinger and it now serves as a little counter culture gem that is
worth revisiting just for its freeform and talent alone. The music is not bad at all and though this
may not work the way Quadrophenia did not work on the whole as a
complete piece, the 85 minutes of this fine British Rock film (which just
qualifies as Rockumentary) is better than much of the bad music we have
suffered through since the late 1980s.
The time for its return on DVD is welcome indeed.
The 1.33 X 1 image is a little softer than one would like,
but the film is nicely shot by cinematographer Ian Wilson, B.S.C., whose
credits include films like Fright, Music!, Captain Kronos –
Vampire Hunter, Wish You Were Here, Derek Jarman’s Edward II,
The Crying Game, Backbeat, Emma and the underrated
supernatural thriller Below, as well as TV classics like Danger UXB
and the 1979 Quatermass mini-series, both reviewed elsewhere on this
site. The look evokes and reminds one
of everything from Ken Russell’s Tommy to Brian De Palma’s Phantom Of
The Paradise, though it is hard to tell if this is a tunnel vision print or
if the film was shot soft matte for 1.66, 1.75 or 1.85 X 1 theatrical
presentation. This was an EastmanColor
release, though, and does not look as faded as it might have otherwise. The original optical mono and possible
4-channel magnetic stereo (unconfirmed at posting time) is here in Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo and a 5.1 mix that expands the sound across the room via
ambiance. Maybe this has stereo
masters, but the playback here does not show that, with fidelity limits that
suggest the sound from the film and/or video copy/copies were being used. Both will need upgraded for an HD version
and it will be worth the trouble.
Another idea for that edition would be extras, because this DVD has
none.
- Nicholas Sheffo
