In making “Montage of Heck,” the new documentary about the life of grunge icon Kurt Cobain, filmmaker Brett Morgen* had access to a historian's dream: a vast untouched archive of the drawings, paintings, audio tapes, unrecorded songs, Super 8 films and personal diaries left behind by the fallen star and sealed away in storage for the decades since.
Now, five pairs of Heck-goers are about to achieve a Grunge fans' dream: an unrestricted, nothing-off-limits trip to the “Montage of Heck” archives.
In response to the outpouring of interest that the filmmaker's have seen in early previews across the globe, they are declaring the opening weekend screenings of the film at Hollywood's Arclight Theater “Fan Appreciation Days.” Morgen will be present taking questions, and will be giving away posters, copies of the soon-to-be-published Montage of Heck” book and most exciting, five “Wonka” tickets.
During this weekend's screenings, five Wonkas will be placed under seats in the Arclight theaters. Like some sort of fan dream, or Nirvana-fan nirvana if you will. Winners will be able to bring one guest to the secret “Montage of Heck” archives, where they will be permitted to run loose and dig through the complete materials that formed the basis of the film. Vast troves of audio tapes, movies, journals and Cobain's art work, only a tiny fraction of which could be squeezed into the film, will be there for winners to rifle through.
“Montage of Heck” has been playing to rave reviews in festivals and press screenings across the globe. It currently holds an unbelievable 97 % score on Rotten Tomatoes, remarkable for any film, but most especially for one that pursues a completely unique and uncompromising vision of the Grunge god's very very dark story.
Speaking by phone about the opening weekend ahead, Morgen said he has been amazed at the enthusiasm for the project he's seen whereever they have taken the film. “When you make a film that is this out there, I expected it to be more polarizing than it is , but tonight it opened in 20 countries from Poland to Begum and Spain and the reaction has been overwhelming. We're selling out villages in Lithuania. I never imagined that was possible with a film as unorthodox as Montage.”
He continued, “It's not a tribute to the people behind the camera. It's a tribute to Kurt Cobain and how deeply he resonates and how much people connect with him to this day.”
And after this weekend, five sets of fans are going to have the chance to connect with their lost idol on a deeper level than they ever dreamed possible.
* Disclaimer: The filmmaker Brett Morgen is a personal friend of the author of this piece. But having seen the film now three times, I swear on a Bible I would endorse it if it had been made by my worst enemy.