Film review: The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights

Published on Thursday 11 March 2010 18:05

THE WHITE STRIPES UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS (15) *** DIRECTED BY: EMMETT MALOY

MARVELLING at a music journalist's critique of The White Stripes as simultaneously the most contrived and authentic rock 'n' roll band on the planet, Jack White inadvertently nails what's great and grating about this documentary charting the band's 2007 tour around Canada's remote territories. Capturing the go-for-broke energy of their gigs, the film confirms them as the most exciting live band of the last ten years, but the sometimes fawning interviews feel like an extension of their own tightly controlled image.

Still, at least the band is creative enough to manufacture a distinctive look and sound and, as Jack tells it, by rigorously limiting their options keep things fresh. The most fascinating aspect of the film, though, is the way it intensifies the mystique of drummer Meg White. Rarely speaking – and subtitled when she does – there's an extraordinary moment when she breaks down in tears as Jack sings White Moon. Who knows what's going through her head, but the film is better for eschewing trite analysis.