Robyn Hitchcock Storefront Hitchcock PG-13

Master of the rockumentary Jonathan Demme (STOP MAKING SENSE) takes on the project of filming idiosyncratic English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock. Filmed over the course of two days on location in a New York City storefront window, the film smartly captures the musician's quirky sensibilities. Demme films Hitchcock along with violinist Deni Bonnet and bass player Tim Keegan with their backs to the window, allowing passersby to fill in the background. As in STOP MAKING SENSE, the audience for the performance can be heard but not seen. Hitchcock peppers his performance with strange little stories and observations that segue into bursts of seemingly unrelated songs. Most of them are taken from Hitchcock's MOSS ELIXER album. This stripped-down, unplugged version of his work should appeal to longtime fans. Surprisingly, considering the limits of the visual landscape, the film does an effective job of re-creating the experience of seeing him live. The performance includes four songs written specifically for the film.