Watching this film is like listening to a very extended, bravura jazz drum solo. There is a story recounted in whiplash, the electrifying new film about a young jazz drummer, concerning the night that jo jones, the drummer for the count basie orchestra, was jamming on a. The full band prerecords were likely done by an older. Whiplash examines the line between education and abuse miles teller plays a young jazz drummer and j. In whiplash, jazz drummer andrew endures a brutal, sustained. The uncomfortable message in whiplashs dazzling finale the. Simmons, miles teller movie hd a young musician struggles to make it as a top jazz drummer.
Miles tellers new film, whiplash, focuses on a jazz drummer at a prestigious new york music conservatory hounded by a demanding bandleader. Whiplash is a 2014 american drama film written and directed by damien chazelle based on his experiences in the princeton high school studio band. Whiplash is low budget film making at its finest, and surely promises big. Simmons as the overbearing music school teacher dr. It certainly doesnt hurt whiplash s audience appeal that the film happens to. Simmons, melissa benoist, paul reiser, austin stowell, nate lang, max kasch and damon gupton. How miles teller learned to fake drum like a pro in whiplash. It would seem that body doubling and perhaps some audio, likely the practicing scenes was provided by kyle crane.
It depicts the relationship between an ambitious jazz drummer miles teller and an abusive bandleader j. Wilson was a musician in real life, but he was a drummer, not a pianist. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of whiplash by damien chazelle. As a result, its the best film ive seen in years, and i say that without hesitation. Whiplash is a 2014 american drama film written and directed by damien chazelle. The oscar nominated film about a tyrannical music teacher and his star.
Whiplash 2014 a promising young drummer enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a students potential. Its quite obvious he was miming in the movie ive been playing 20 years. Intense, inspiring, and wellacted, whiplash is a brilliant sophomore effort from director damien chazelle and a riveting vehicle for stars j. A dowd, whiplash maestro damien chazelle on drumming, directing, and j. Is whiplash actor miles teller really playing the drums in damien chazelles jazz drama mikes movie mailbag mike scott, nola. The mediocre jazz in damien chazelles new film, whiplash, the story set in the present day of a young drummer miles teller under the. Being a huge fan of the movie, i recently bought the soundtrack. As erskine said, there is no confirmed official credit so everything is rumor and speculation. The oscarnominated film about a tyrannical music teacher and his star. A film analysis on the key elements of the movie posted on april 14, 2015 april 14, 2015 by themarco whiplash is an electrifying and intense film that is directed by damien chazelle and stars miles teller and j.
To get the drumming right in whiplash, writerdirector damien chazelle himself a drummer had the novel idea to hire a real musician. The uncomfortable message in whiplashs dazzling finale. Andrew breaks up with his girlfriend because of his passion to be the best jazz drummer ever. Underneath, its a piercing examination of the psyche of unbridled ambition. Film blog drummer billy brown on whiplash the guardian. My movie was lowbudge and i dont have any knowledge of hightech advancements, but damn, he does some really impressive things just on a level of movie making. In whiplash, miles teller plays andrew, an obsessive music conservatory student in new york who practices drumming until his hands bleed. Novel comparison of whiplash and the picture of dorian gray. Whiplash examines the line between education and abuse.
The film contains superb acting performances, stylish but effective cinematography, and an upbeat, unpredictable nature that resembles the very essence of jazz itself. You have to endure a physically abusive mentor, and drum. Damien chazelle wanted miles teller for the role of andrew neiman when he was filming the original short film whiplash 20 but teller was unavailable so johnny simmons was cast instead. Well, okay, there arent too many that are totally about drumming. Whiplash, jazz, drumming, prog metal, and a young woman.
Terence fletcher is an instructor known equally for his teaching talents and his terrifying methods. When casting the feature film version, the finalists for the role were teller and simmons. But he realizes that fletcher will do anything to get the best from his students, but is a backup drummer. Miles teller pounds the skins, and takes a beating, in. That film, also featuring simmons but with miles teller as the drummer, was nominated for the academy award for. The talented miles teller plays 19yearold protagonist andrew neiman, whos pursuing his dream of. His biggest idol is the worlds greatest drummer, buddy rich.
The effect of closeup interaction and lighting in whiplash. Here is also where whiplash drums up the ambiguity at the core of the film. Help me find the real drummer in whiplash movies reddit. Peter erskine, joni mitchell, jaco pastorius, herbie hancock. If you arent familiar with the story line of the film, teller plays a talented young drummer who enrolls at one of the countrys most competitive. Veteran drummer peter erskine is not the only jazz musician to note that hardly anybody in the film seems to actually enjoy music. Jimmy chats with miles teller about his dramatic film whiplash and how he really played drums for the role. Did miles teller play the drums in whiplash movie youtube. The struggles of a young drummer at an elite music school make for gripping viewing, writes mark kermode. Whiplash is a portrait of a young jazz drummer, andrew neyman, who possesses this drive to such a degree that everything else in his life is just background noise. Miles teller plays a young drummer, andrew neyman, who announces to anyone wholl listen that he wants to be. The film captures the skill, technique, ear, feel, improvisational skills, subtlety and power of jazz drumming and with simmons providing an acting master class whiplash is a memorable. Cant quite let it go, though, how immensely irritating whiplash was. What did you think of tellers performance as a drummer.
Marching to an antisocial drummer in whiplash the globe. Whiplash is written and directed by damien chazelle and stars miles teller, j. In a film about an aspiring jazz drummer, it comes as no surprise that jazz is a major theme in the film. The student characters arent constantly discussing great music theyve checked out recently, the way actual jazz students do. Nate lang, an actor and a member of the new york band the. A skilled young drummer is promoted to his schools toptier jazz band, where he clashes with an obsessive music teacher and his intense methods. Once you recognise the film s limitations it is a thrilling way to spend a couple of hours especially if you wish to understand the art of the jazz drummer. He brought his 18minute movie about a brilliant young jazz drummer and his shockingly abusive music teacher. The film stars miles teller as a student jazz drummer who seeks the respect of an abusive teacher played by j. The kid almost kills himself literally trying to be the best drummer. As it turns out, while whiplash isnt based on a true story, but it is inspired by the experiences of director damien chazelle as a drummer. The acclaimed new film chronicles an awful, abusive music teacher. Andrew neiman is an ambitious young jazz drummer, singleminded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his elite east coast music conservatory.
Is whiplash actor miles teller really playing the drums. The movie follows an ambitious young jazz drummer, singleminded in his pursuit to. Simmons in the teachers role and johnny simmons no relation as the drummer. So when he plays the iconic as time goes by onscreen at humphrey bogarts request, were really hearing pianist elliot. Andrews passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher continues to push him to the brink. Nondrummersmusicians can sometimes ignorantly assume that drumming in particular only involves mindlessly whacking the instrument any old way, so i liked how it portrayed just how much goes into drumming by highlighting techniques and the fine details such as rushing and dragging. This is a film that resonates on every single level and every moment counts. Jazz, in all its lawless, ineffable power, is andrews greatest love, and the reason he is so committed to becoming the best is because he has a genuine love and passion for the genre. To raise money for the project, chazelle first made whiplash as a short film, with j. It was a climate of fear and tough love, and i just remember feeling those emotions of anxiety and stress and anguish as a drummer, and i wanted to make a movie about what that felt like.
After i first listened through the st i realized just how great that studio drummer is. Terence fletcher mentoring an aspiring jazz drummer miles teller, whiplash takes on the usually flowery musicalprodigy genre to reveal that you cant just practice, practice, and practice to get to carnegie hall, so to speak. Simmons his abusive mentor in the seasons hottest indie drama shares. Teller was cast because he was a better known name and an actual drummer. Pretty fantastic soundtrack, and the drumming is stellar. The mediocre jazz in damien chazelles new film, whiplash, the story set in the present day of a young drummer miles teller under the brutal tutelage of a conservatory professor j. It depicts the relationship between an ambitious jazz drummer miles teller. Fletcher discovers andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into his band, forever changing the young mans life. Faking it wasnt an option miles teller, the star of whiplash, on escaping death, clashing with nicole kidman, and why he doesnt want to be spiderman.
If you arent familiar with the story line of the film, teller plays a talented young drummer who enrolls at one of the countrys most competitive music schools. It is about a student drummer at a prestigious fictional school, having to deal with a horrifyingly sadistic music teacherband leader think drill sergeant from full metal jacket, but a lot less funny. Andrew will occasionally take a night off to go on a date or to see a movie with his dad, but for the most part he thinks about drumming 247. Marching to an antisocial drummer in whiplash open this photo in gallery. When hes not in classes during the day, hes rehearsing until his hands bleed at night. A promising young drummer enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his. Possibly he did parts of it but there are very few people in the world i would have thought that could play that solo in the final s. Triple oscar winner, including best supporting actor j. Even with all the computerized brilliance i believe it is the worst movie ever made. The uncomfortable message in whiplash s dazzling finale. So i finally got around to watching the movie whiplash.
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