We saw the documentary “Lambert & Stamp” the other night about the first managers of The Who. Amazing movie. It resonates.
The movie is about The Who’s first great management team, two guys who shaped them and helped them become the band they became. If George Martin was the fifth Beatle, Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert were the fifth and sixth Whos.
This is such an enjoyable film. Great early footage of The Who - while they were still calling themselves The High Numbers - and candid interviews describing the efforts that went into making the band successful. It’s about collaborative relationships, and about Mod England in the early 60s. Great early footage in Cinéma Vérité style, with informative modern interviews to flesh out the story. Fantastic.
Perfect? No. As documentaries go, this one does confuse at times. You're not always sure who people are and how they relate to the bigger picture. Irish Jack is a good example. We see footage of him dancing at an early Who appearance - or High Numbers appearance I think - then in present day reading from what appears to be a memoir he wrote about the band and the era. But who is he exactly? We're not told. Other characters drift in and out without much explanation, and that is at times bewildering.
But as Spencer Tracey once said of Katherine Hepburn (in "Pat and Mike"), "Not much meat on her, but what there is, is cherce."
That's this flick. Check 'er out.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lambert_and_stamp/
