Producer: Anthony Wall
Editor: Emma Matthews
Cinematographer: Maryse Alberti

Phil Spector is a pioneer of American music, a legendary producer to John Lennon and Tina Turner, and, as of April 13th 2009, a convicted murderer. Yet the Spector who appears in Vikram Jayanti's documentary is not the severe, outlandishly coiffed defendant seen in sensationalistic accounts of his trial, but a charming, savvy music executive with a generous, but arguably accurate, estimation of his place in the history of popular music.  Jayanti's film brilliantly conveys the irreconcilable contradictions in Spector's character by overlaying unprecedented personal interviews with harrowing court footage and original recordings of his greatest hits (including "Da Doo Ron Ron," "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," and "Imagine"). The effect is a dizzying portrait of genius and insanity, and a profound insight into the paradoxical nature of the film's notorious subject.

Vikram Jayanti's feature documentary directing credits include JAMES ELLROYíS FEAST OF DEATH and SNOWBLIND. He's just completed his latest documentary, BRITNEY SPEARS SAVED MY LIFE, for the BBC. He divides his time between Los Angeles and London.

 

Vikram Jayanti's feature documentary directing credits include JAMES ELLROYíS FEAST OF DEATH and SNOWBLIND. He's just completed his latest documentary, BRITNEY SPEARS SAVED MY LIFE, for the BBC. He divides his time between Los Angeles and London.