Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage

Forty years of Rush, a three-piece formed in the suburbs of Toronto. The documentary starts at the first rehearsals and covers the change of drummer, the fight with the record label, the synthesiser years of the eighties and how long critics refused to take the band seriously. Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen directed; the pair had made documentaries about metal and rock before. At the centre is a contradiction: Rush reached an enormous audience commercially while being mocked for years in the mainstream music press. The film takes that split on directly. The relationship between the three carries the emotional weight, particularly Neil Peart losing his daughter and his wife within a short time and the process of his return. The archive is rich: home video, early concert recordings and tour footage. Among those talking are admiring musicians including Kirk Hammett, Trent Reznor and Jack Black. Who it is for: Rush listeners and viewers who like music documentaries about what happens inside a band. Who it is not for: newcomers to the group; the film speaks from admiration.