William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
Encyclopedia
William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet is a feature-length documentary film about a ballet
by Margo Sappington
called "Common People", which was set to the music of William Shatner
and Ben Folds
from their album Has Been
. Common People was one of the Has Been tracks, and was a cover of a Pulp
song from their 1995 Different Class
album.
The film explores the genesis of this unique artistic collaboration by fusing the music, poetry, and dance of "Common People" with interviews by William Shatner, Ben Folds, Margo Sappington, and Henry Rollins
. Shatner plays a prominent role in the film and also acted as Executive Producer.
The film was made by Special Entertainment
and Big Screen Entertainment Group in association with Shatner's Melis Productions.
The documentary had a very well received World Premiere at the Nashville Film Festival
in April 2009, where it won the President's Impact Award. William Shatner attended and, to the delight of the audience, provided additional insights into his recording of "Has Been" and the ballet. Ben Folds and Margo Sappington were also in attendance. Variety magazine called the film "surprisingly revealing" and indieWire
reviewed that "Shatner comes across as a true original."
After the premiere in Nashville the film screened at the Rhode Island Film Festival, DocFest Stratford, the Milwaukee Film Festival, the Wild Rivers Film Festival, the Edmonton International Film Festival
, the Indie Memphis Film Festival, and the San Diego Film Festival.
In October 2009 the film screened at the Marbella
International Film Festival in Spain
, where it won the Best Documentary award. William Shatner attended the festival and accepted the award.
The world television
premiere was a multi-platform release through EPIX, a joint venture between Paramount Pictures
, MGM, and Lionsgate. The film aired on July 21st, 2011 on the EPIX channel, Epix SVOD service, EpixHD.com, and was available across Internet
connected devices. In October 2011 the film became available on Netflix
.
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
by Margo Sappington
Margo Sappington
Margo Sappington is an American choreographer and dancer born July 30, 1947 in Baytown, Texas. She was nominated in 1975 for both a Tony Award as Best Choreographer and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work on the play Where's Charley?. In 1988, her ballet Virgin Forest was...
called "Common People", which was set to the music of William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
and Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
from their album Has Been
Has Been
Has Been is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's The Transformed Man.The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements for Shatner's prose-poems, and feature guest appearances from Joe Jackson...
. Common People was one of the Has Been tracks, and was a cover of a Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
song from their 1995 Different Class
Different Class
Different Class is an album by English Britpop band Pulp. It was released in 1995 at the height of Britpop, and led to the band being regarded as part of that movement. Two of the singles on the album – "Common People" and "Disco 2000" – were especially notable, and helped propel Pulp to...
album.
The film explores the genesis of this unique artistic collaboration by fusing the music, poetry, and dance of "Common People" with interviews by William Shatner, Ben Folds, Margo Sappington, and Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
. Shatner plays a prominent role in the film and also acted as Executive Producer.
The film was made by Special Entertainment
Special Entertainment
Special Entertainment is a film production company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established in 2003 by Bobby Ciraldo and Andrew Swant, the company currently has two feature films in production: William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet , and Hamlet A.D.D. .Special Entertainment is also co-producing...
and Big Screen Entertainment Group in association with Shatner's Melis Productions.
The documentary had a very well received World Premiere at the Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
in April 2009, where it won the President's Impact Award. William Shatner attended and, to the delight of the audience, provided additional insights into his recording of "Has Been" and the ballet. Ben Folds and Margo Sappington were also in attendance. Variety magazine called the film "surprisingly revealing" and indieWire
IndieWire
indieWIRE is a daily news site for the independent film community. It covers indie, documentary and foreign language films, as well industry news, film festival reports, filmmaker interviews and movie reviews...
reviewed that "Shatner comes across as a true original."
After the premiere in Nashville the film screened at the Rhode Island Film Festival, DocFest Stratford, the Milwaukee Film Festival, the Wild Rivers Film Festival, the Edmonton International Film Festival
Edmonton International Film Festival
The Edmonton International Film Festival is a nine-day film festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, hosted at Empire Theatres at Edmonton City Centre....
, the Indie Memphis Film Festival, and the San Diego Film Festival.
In October 2009 the film screened at the Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
International Film Festival in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where it won the Best Documentary award. William Shatner attended the festival and accepted the award.
The world television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
premiere was a multi-platform release through EPIX, a joint venture between Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, MGM, and Lionsgate. The film aired on July 21st, 2011 on the EPIX channel, Epix SVOD service, EpixHD.com, and was available across Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
connected devices. In October 2011 the film became available on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
.