Described by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic as ‘terrific’, Cobain: Montage of Heck, enjoyed a rapturous reception during its January premiere at Sundance 2015.
Just as well, considering director Brett Morgen spent seven whole years painstakingly piecing together material released to him by Courtney Love, whose attitude to the documentarist was apparently “Go through all my shit, make a fucking movie and I’ll see it when it’s done.”
The documentary contains a composite of Kurt’s journal entries (Cobain was a prolific diarist), unheard songs, home movies from his childhood, show footage, rare photographs, personal recordings, drawings, collages and demos; as well as animation and interviews with family members, ex lovers and bandmates.
The film takes its name from two trippy mix-tapes Cobain compiled in 1987 on a two-track cassette recorder featuring tracks from Frank Zappa, The Beatles and Butthole Surfers, as well as miscellaneous sonic recordings and verbal excerpts.
Kurt’s daughter, 22 year-old visual artist Frances Bean is credited as an executive producer on the movie. In his introduction to the biopic at Sundance, Morgen said, ‘I just wanted to give Frances a few more hours with her dad’, and he’s since called her reaction after watching it the best achievement of his career.
Best photo bomb ever @brettmorgen #DOTHEMONSTERMASH pic.twitter.com/4kcNdG7njS
— Frances Bean Cobain (@alka_seltzer666) January 27, 2015
Fans are assured they will learn things about the legend that they never knew, but it sounds like impartial viewers are in for a fascinating and moving watch regardless, when it hits the UK in spring.