Bell Media Little Kingdom Productions Project 10 Productions
Distributed by
HBO Canada
Release date
April 30, 2016 (2016-04-30) (Hot Docs)
Running time
86 minutes
Country
Canada
Language
English
Spirit Unforgettable is a 2016 Canadian documentary film, which premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2016.[1] Directed by Pete McCormack,[2] the film profiles the Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West in preparation for a 2015 concert at Massey Hall, as part of their farewell tour following lead singer John Mann's diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, interspersing the story of his diagnosis and the band's preparations for the concert with a portrait of their overall history.[3]
At the time of the Massey Hall concert, it was possible but not definitive that due to Mann's cognitive decline, the show may have become the band's last concert performance.[2] The band did, however, ultimately perform a few more times following the show, most notably for a three-night series of finale performances at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom in April 2016.[4]
Other figures appearing in the film include Mann's wife Jill Daum, an actress and playwright who has written her own theatrical play about Alzheimer's, Forget About Tomorrow;[4] musician Paul Hyde, a longtime friend and early collaborator of the band, who both talks about his relationship with the band and performs a rendition of his song "I Miss My Mind the Most";[5] Mann and Daum's daughter Hattie Daumann; musician Craig Northey; the band's manager Janet Forsyth; former band member J. Knutson; and two of Mann's doctors.
McCormack, a longtime friend of the band, invested $100,000 of his own money in the film up front, telling The Globe and Mail that "I had to go and dive in right away … funding or no funding, because of the disease."[6] The film did later secure funding, including a completion grant from the Shaw Media/Hot Docs Fund.[7]
Many critics have singled out the band's live performance of their signature song "Home for a Rest" near the end of the film, which saw the entire audience begin to sing along the moment Mann had a slip in remembering the lyrics, as its life-affirming emotional climax.[1][8]
The film aired on HBO Canada on July 1, 2016.[9]
^ abNorman Wilner, "Spirit Unforgettable". NOW, April 26, 2016.
^ ab"'Unforgettable' Spirit Of The West documentary". Toronto Sun, April 29, 2016.
^"In Spirit Unforgettable, early onset Alzheimer’s doesn’t stop Spirit of the West"[usurped]. Chart Attack, May 5, 2016.
^ ab"The unforgettable spirit of Spirit of the West". Q, May 2, 2016.
^"Legacy of John Mann, Spirit of the West lovingly told in poignant documentary". Vancouver Sun, October 6, 2016.
^"With front man John Mann battling early-onset Alzheimer’s, Spirit of the West prepares for its final gig". The Globe and Mail, April 13, 2016.
^"Shaw Media-Hot Docs invests $120K across 5 projects". Playback, September 2, 2015.
^"Review: ‘Spirit Unforgettable’". Point of View, April 28, 2016.
^"Intimate documentary explores Spirit of the West singer's journey with Alzheimer's". CTV News, June 28, 2016.
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