In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon

Summary

“In restless dreams I walked alone…”

A little over a decade ago, my wife and I traveled to Gulf Shores to attend the Hangout Music Festival. Held on the beach, the Festival culminated in a set that was a couple hours long by the great Paul Simon as the sun was setting on the final day. I can’t adequately express just how beautful that concert was for all that attended. Paul Simon has been one of his generation’s best songwriters since the early Sixties. His output has been consistently engaging from the exceptional Simon and Garfunkel albums in the Sixties and early-Seventies, to the groundbreaking Graceland album in the Eighties, to his most recent album Seven Psalms. I have been a fan since my teenage years, so I was more than happy to watch Alex Gibney’s exceptional new documentary on the musician In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.

As Paul Simon tackles his newest project, which may possibly be his last album, Seven Psalms, Alex Gibney captures the artist at work. Paul Simon has been losing his hearing, but he is still working to perfect sounds. The film captures his process in his home studio as he works obsessively to finish the album. The film begins to intersperse the story of Paul Simon’s musical journey, much of it told in his own words or in the words of those he worked with. Paul Simon met Art Garfunkel when he was ten years old and by the time they were sixteen they had recorded some songs as the duo Tom and Jerry. Afterward, Paul Simon attends college and law school, but the music of Greenwich Village inspires him to craft songs on his acoustic guitar. After some time in London, Simon forms Simon and Garfunkel which becomes a folk sensation. The film shows their steep rise and then shows the pressures between the two that culminated in Paul Simon separating from Garfunkel. His solo career is then the focus of the picture with exceptional attention paid towards his work as a guest on Saturday Night Live (and his friendship with Lorne Michaels,) his cultural milestone album Graceland (which is amazing because the recording sessions with South African musicians helped expand the scope of world music,) and numerous other highlights including his short lived reunion with Garfunkel and his epic concert in Central Park. The film also touches on his brief love affair with Carrie Fisher and his enduring marriage to Edie Brickell. His most important moments of his life are condensed into the 209 minute runtime.

In Restless Dreams: The Songs of Paul Simon stands as one of the greatest documentaries I have ever seen about a musician alongside D.B. Pennebaker’s excellent Bob Dylan documentary Don’t Look Back, or Scorsese’s The Last Waltz. The length of the documentary of nearly three and a half hours is a gift to fans of Paul Simon’s music. I can’t suppress my joy for how well they covered his recordings of Graceland. I honestly had no idea that Paul Simon had gotten into hot water over working with South African musicians while there was a boycott of South Africa over apartheid. What an insane thought to critcize someone for working with the disenfranchised musicians that were oppressed at that time! Alex Gibney has consistently shown himself to be a brilliantl documentarian (Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief – his exploration of Scientology is also incredibly well done,) and this ranks as one of his finest works. You should drop what you are doing and invest the time to check this out.

Video

Universal delivers In Restless Dreams: The Songs of Paul Simon to Blu-ray with essentially a reference quality transfer in 1080p using an MPEG-4 AVC codec. The archival footage is largely in 1:33:1 frame, whereas the interview footage from 2023 is presented in 1.77:1. Like all documentaries, the footage varies in quality, but overall the film looks great. I have no complaints whatsoever about how this film looks.

Audio

Universal has provided a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track. Music is very important to this film and it is handled very well, from early recordings to live performances. This is an engaging mix that really captures the beauty of Paul Simon’s music. Fantastic.

Supplements:

• None

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 0/5

Overall – 4.75/5

In Restless Dreams: The Songs of Paul Simon is one of the best documentary films about a musician and the musical process that I have ever seen in my life. Alex Gibney very clearly understands the importance of documenting the numerous phases of Paul Simon’s exceptional career in music while also understanding the importance of showing how Paul Simon works. The scope of the documentary is ambitious and there is not a wasted moment. While nearly three and a half hours may test some viewer’s patience, I was enthralled by it all. The technical presentation on the Blu-ray was solid, and the lack of special features makes sense given the length of the documentary to place on a single Blu-ray, but I would have gladly watched any deleted scenes if they had been provided. Regardless, this release earns our highest recommendation!

The film can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com.