Duran Duran are headed to the big screen next month via a new 75-minute docu-concert film entitled A Hollywood High chronicling the veteran English new wave band’s rooftop gig in Los Angeles and longtime love affair with the City of Angels. The movie, due out on Nov. 3, will also include exclusive interviews and archival footage in which the New Romantic legends dissect their decades long obsession with the city.
The doc directed by award-winning veterans Gavin Elder (David Gilmour: Live at Pompeii), Vincent Adam Paul (Tiesto: Live from Empty Red Rocks) and George Scott (Rufus Wainwright: Prima Donna) will be released in theaters around the world. “For our first U.S. show in several years we wanted to do something really special and intimate,” explains keyboardist Nick Rhodes in a statement about the show that forms the backbone of the film. “After considering many options, a rooftop performance quickly became the frontrunner. It was post-pandemic, we had never done anything like that before, and we had just released a new album. Somehow it seemed like a magical doorway to the next part of our journey.”
The footage was shot from the roof of The Aster in the heart of Hollywood — overlooking the Capitol Records building in a nod to the band’s original label home — and mixed and mastered with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, for an immersive audio and visual experience. “Duran Duran have had an enduring relationship with the city of Los Angeles since the first time we came to America,” added bassist John Taylor. “We were determined to do something unique to celebrate our four decades together. A rooftop performance in LA with the Capitol Records building across the street and the Hollywood sign looming in the distance sounded perfect and turned out to be an extraordinary night for all of us.”
DD released their 15th studio album, Future Past, in October 2021, with production from Erol Alkan and assists from the likes of Blur’s Graham Coxon, Tove Lo, CHAI, Ivorian Doll, and David Bowie’s former pianist Mike Garson. The band is slated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022, which also includes Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon.
A Hollywood High is executive produced by Lastman Media and Magus Entertainment and will be distributed by Abramorama. “It’s an honor to work with Duran Duran to bring the band’s 40th Anniversary celebration to cinemas and fans around the world, with the generous support of Dolby,” said Abramorama’s Evan Saxon. “A Hollywood High will sit alongside other successful films we have distributed for The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, and Neil Young, among others.”
Courtesy Billboard
