Israel Matzav: Video trailer: Paul McCartney's <i>The Love We Make</i>

Friday, September 02, 2011

Video trailer: Paul McCartney's The Love We Make

I'm accumulating a whole bunch of 9/11 stuff for you, but I thought I would post this in advance because once you see it, you'll want to arrange your schedule to watch the whole thing (if you're in the US or it's otherwise available to you). It's on Showtime September 10 at 9:00 pm and it's being shown in a bunch of places on September 8.

This is the trailer for The Love We Make, Paul McCartney's feature length movie about how he tried to help New York in the aftermath of 9/11.

As the United States prepares to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, SHOWTIME will premiere the highly-anticipated feature documentary THE LOVE WE MAKE, which chronicles Paul’s poignant and cathartic journey through the streets of New York in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's destruction, and during the planning and performance of the monumental benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, “The Concert for New York City,” which took place less than six weeks after the terrorist attacks. Directed by iconic documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Salesman, Grey Gardens) and award-winning filmmaking partner, Bradley Kaplan (Muhammad and Larry, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!, Sand and Sorrow), THE LOVE WE MAKE was shot in the signature cinéma vérité style that Maysles pioneered and made famous when he filmed the Beatles’ first visit to America in the legendary 1964 documentary What’s Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.

Paul said, "It was an honor to be able to help New York and America at that time in its history. There was a feeling of shock and fear in the air that I thought we could help alleviate with music. And the fact that so many people stepped up to join us made for a very uplifting evening for us all."

Shooting once again on film, in 16mm black & white, Maysles’ camera intimately captures Paul’s personal journey to help heal the city that welcomed him with open arms so many years ago.

Albert Maysles said “There was so much suffering as a result of 9/11 it’s hard to imagine how one might bring relief to those who were impacted by the attacks, and honor those firefighters, police officers and rescue workers who lost their lives in their heroic attempt to help others. But Paul had the answer: music and a film that would tell the full story.”

Paul was in New York on the day of the attacks, and saw first-hand the destruction and tragic consequences of one of the most horrific days in U.S. history. Directors Maysles and Kaplan, along with Editor Ian Markiewicz (The Beales of Grey Gardens) assembled extraordinary, intimate, never-before-seen footage of Paul rehearsing for the benefit concert, connecting with New Yorkers on the city streets, and storytelling behind-the-scenes at interviews with Dan Rather, Howard Stern and others. Additionally, the film features performances from the benefit concert itself and unparalleled access backstage with McCartney and luminaries from the worlds of music, Hollywood and politics, including David Bowie, Steve Buscemi, Eric Clapton, President Bill Clinton, Sheryl Crow, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger, Jay Z, Billy Joel, Elton John, Stella McCartney, Governor George Pataki, Keith Richards, James Taylor, Pete Townsend, and many more.