Welcome to Female Filmmakers in Focus, where you will find recommendations for films directed by women to seek out each week. The new film this week is Hannah Berryman’s ‘Rockfield – The Studio on the Farm,’ and the recommended older film for the pairing is Penelope Spheeris’ ‘The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.’
Rockfield – The Studio on the Farm (directed by Hannah Berryman)
Hannah Berryman is a documentary filmmaker who specializes in contemporary historical documentaries. Her work is known for mixing new sit-down interviews, archival footage, and animation. She studied social and political science at Cambridge before turning her focus to filmmaking. She has produced and directed the documentaries ‘A Very English Education’ and ‘Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal’ for British television, and the feature documentary ‘Miss World 1970: Beauty Queens and Bedlam.’ The latter tells the story of the controversy-laden 1970 Miss World competition, which was also the basis for Philippa Lowthorpe’s 2020 film ‘Misbehaviour’ starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessie Buckley.
Berryman’s latest documentary ‘Rockfield – The Studio on the Farm’ tells the story of Rockfield Studios in Wales, known as the very first residential recording studio. The film traces how brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward turned their Welsh pig farm into the recording studio where rock bands like Black Sabbath, Queen, The Stone Roses, Oasis and Coldplay recorded some of their biggest hits. Berryman traces how the brothers first discovered rock and roll, a rather unfateful meeting with EMI’s George Martin, and their early attempts to soundproof part of their farm to record local Welsh bands. This early part of the studio’s history is brought to life through archival photography and imaginative animated sequences.
Along with spirited interviews with the studio’s founders, the film also features some incredible new interviews with many of the musicians who recorded albums on the farm. This includes delightful stories from Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne, whose accent has finally hit the nadir of charming yet unintelligible garble. Robert Plant shares how the farm helped him launch his post-Zeppelin solo career in the 1980s. As an Oasis fan, I particularly enjoyed the blunt and self-reflexive stories behind the recording of (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? as told by Liam Gallagher and Bonehead (Paul Arthurs). Coldplay’s Chris Martin tells how recording there was like a balm for the band in the midst of chaos of putting out their first album Parachutes.
Another section I found particularly interesting was how the studio was beginning to struggle financially in the late-1980s and then The Stone Roses spent 14 months in residency recording their first and second albums. Gallagher tells of stealing a plow or something to sneak on the farm in an attempt to get a peek at the troublesome band.
Fans of any era of rock and roll are likely to find a parable or two about their favorite band somewhere in this doc, and will likely come away with a deeper appreciation for how this Welsh farm became instrumental in the creation of some truly iconic albums.
DoxenP8bKsUIqvLdAPNes2The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (directed by Penelope Spheeris)
What can you even say about THE Penelope Spheeris? If you ever get the chance to see her at a Q&A before a screening of one of her films do not hesitate. I’ve seen her speak many times, and she is always a hoot, raw and unmerciless about her time in Hollywood. Spheeris put herself through UCLA film school working as a waitress at Denny’s and IHOP. She made short films and interstitials featuring Albert Brooks for SNL before making her feature-length debut with the punk-rock doc ‘The Decline of Western Civilization.’ She followed these up with a handful of films in the 80s, including the essential coming-of-age thriller ‘Suburbia.’ She’s probably best known today for 1992’s ‘Wayne’s World’ starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as their SNL characters Wayne and Garth. A filmmaker with an unwavering vision, despite much studio interference, Spheeris’ deeper cut films are well worth seeking out.
Inspired by Ozzy’s interview in ‘Rockfield’ – in which even with subtitles I had trouble deciphering his thick Birmingham, English accent, I suggest you pair the film with the second film in Spheeris’s Decline trilogy: ‘The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years’. In it Ozzy is interviewed while making eggs, and it is truly a delightful piece of documentary filmmaking. Other bands interviewed for this volume include members of Aerosmith, Poison, Alice Cooper, Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P., Paul Stanley from Kiss, Lemmy from Motörhead, and more. The film also features interviews with fans of the LA hair metal scene, an interview with L.A. club owner Bill Gazzarri, live performances by bands like Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, and Megadeth, and some truly stunning looks at the nightlife of the Sunset Strip in the late-80s. A time capsule of an era like none other.
1008774
At long last, Queen fans can feast their eyes — and ears — on the first trailer for biopic “
Another one bites the dust: 
It’s tough to imagine anyone being able to adequately portray Freddie Mercury, the late Queen frontman with the iconic voice and flamboyant personality to match. But it looks like 
Is it really the 25th anniversary of “
1. Wayne and Garth may have been teenagers, but when “Wayne’s World” was filmed, Myers was 28, and 
3. 
5. Myers’ inspiration for the iconic opening scene came from his childhood memories of driving through Ontario with friends and singing along to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” As specific as his experience was, he was sure it was universal enough to resonate with others.
8. The head-banging required for the scene was a particular point of contention between the star and the director, since it required about four hours of painful neck-snapping to complete the brief scene. In a 2008 
10. Myers knew the completed scene was something special. As a courtesy, he sent a video of it to Queen guitarist Brian May, who responded with a gift to Myers of an autographed guitar. May showed it to the band’s dying frontman, Freddie Mercury. “Freddie loved it,” May told Rolling Stone. The singer passed away less than three months before the film’s release.
11. The movie’s popularity took its soundtrack to No. 1 on the charts and sent “Bohemian Rhapsody” shooting up the singles chart to No. 2, 17 years after it had first become a hit. Helping boost the song was a video directed by Spheeris that incorporated footage from the movie.
13. While working with Alice Cooper on the film, Myers became good friends with the shock-rocker’s manager, Shep Gordon, and eventually directed a documentary about him, 2014’s “
15. In fact, Myers and Spheeris didn’t agree on what was funny. They clashed over the scene where accident-prone Stacy (
16. The star and director had a falling out after she refused to take up his suggestions on how to edit the film.
18. Eventually, however, the two reconciled. “Penelope is a very brilliant director,” 
The long-gestating biopic about rock band Queen got a major boost this past weekend, with a new report suggesting that the flick has secured a high-profile pair to star and direct.