Tom Petty Somewhere You Feel Free

2021

Documentary

IMDb Rating 8.0/10 10 269 269

Plot summary

Drawn from a newly discovered archive of 16mm film showing Tom Petty at work on his 1994 record Wildflowers, considered by many including Rolling Stone to be his greatest album ever, Somewhere You Feel Free is an intimate view of a musical icon.



October 20, 2023 at 10:42 PM

Director

Mary Wharton

Top cast

720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
827.06 MB
1280*818
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 29 min
Seeds ...
1.66 GB
1688*1080
English 5.1
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 29 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by / 10

Reviewed by dawncannistraro 10 / 10

Put together so thoughtful!

Huge Tom Petty fan! So of course I loved it! I laughed at his funny quirks and made up songs and cried too! So much love and thought was put into this and I promise you will learn something you didn't know before! I brought 3 friends that are lovers of music and they all loved it! Thank you so much for this buried treasure! Tom must be proud!

Reviewed by ferguson-6 8 / 10

wildflowers blooming

SXSW 2021 Greetings again from the darkness. Adria Petty, daughter of the late rock legend, Tom Petty, discovered a stash of 16mm film shot by photographer Martyn Akins between 1993 and 1995. The footage chronicles Petty's recording of his 1994 triple platinum album, "Wildflowers" - the album he considered his best and most personal. The found footage, along with insight and perspective from many who were there, allows us to understand why he felt that way.

Mary Wharton directed multiple episodes of "VH1 Legends", and her expertise with musicians elevates this to must-see for any Tom Petty fan ... or even any songwriter who wants to witness the crafting of songs, and the crafting of a sound. See, this was Petty's first time to work with famed rap producer and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Rick Rubin. Adria explains what was happening in her father's personal life during this time, and how he wanted something new and different from his work with The Heartbreakers - although most of them worked on this album as well.

In addition to the 27 year old footage, Ms. Wharton includes current day interviews with Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, and producer Rubin. Campbell seems mostly bored with the interviews, but Tench spills all his memories. It's really Rubin who brings the most insight and perspective to what Petty was trying to do. The changing of drummers from Stan Lynch to Steve Ferrone is discussed, and we hear Petty explain that he still wants to sing with bassist Howie Epstein. So the songs may sound different, and have special meaning to Petty, many of the musicians are those he was most familiar and comfortable with.

We see rehearsals, recordings, sound checks, and live performances. There are also rare clips of Petty at home. Ms. Wharton provides a unique opportunity to watch an artist at work and how the pieces are assembled to create a masterpiece album that is as strong today as it was on its first release. Tom Petty died in 2017, but lives on in his music, and now in the footage of his musical process.

Read more IMDb reviews

No comments yet

Be the first to leave a comment