2008 Woodie Awards
Tupac Resurrection: Words of An Icon
Jason Hortillas
Issue date: 11/20/03 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Icon is a word most commonly associated to an elite, select group of individuals who have surpassed the mere 15 minutes of fame. The initial quarter of an hour blossoms into a lifetime of memorable moments, and the vivid picture is retained amongst our everyday lives. Moving outside of genre an icon appeals to anyone on the strength of charisma, the intangibles that no Hollywood producer or major label executive can manufacture. Tupac Shakur has definitely achieved this status and unlike other icons of the '90s, he did so in various media markets.
The undisputed icon of our generation, Tupac Shakur returns to the silver screen, but this time, his life story is the title character in the documentary, Tupac Resurection. Obviously, many have come forward to exploit his life for a dollar but with mother Afeni Shakur executive producing the film, the very idea of using his own words to narrate does justice in honoring his memory.
The two-hour film, surprisingly covers his life quite well, where every topic from childhood to jail to his record and movie career were mentioned. Like Shakur's hypnotic vocals on a track, he is the tour guide into his mind, where his words give you an understanding that even the visuals can not give. Not to take anything away from the footage, where you can see him dancing with Digitial Underground and then later see the various MTV interviews circa his court conviction, a picture does hold a thousand words.
From the title sequence, an eerie aura of the Vegas skyline, the location of his shooting, is lead by Shakur's voice, speaking upon his death like a ghost looking at a lifeless body, looking back at his life. The vision he saw of his death, mysteriously commences the film with a bang, giving the audience definite affirmation that this is no other documentary, this is 'Pac.
There is a heart in this documentary, where usually an overly newsy slant to the genre of films give. The soundtrack and commentary are intertwined giving way to the visual story on screen. Unlike other hip-hop documentaries, and mind you there are a plethora of them, no one has reached the caliber to make it to a big budget Hollywood film. Only someone like Shakur could be capable of reaching this feat.
The undisputed icon of our generation, Tupac Shakur returns to the silver screen, but this time, his life story is the title character in the documentary, Tupac Resurection. Obviously, many have come forward to exploit his life for a dollar but with mother Afeni Shakur executive producing the film, the very idea of using his own words to narrate does justice in honoring his memory.
The two-hour film, surprisingly covers his life quite well, where every topic from childhood to jail to his record and movie career were mentioned. Like Shakur's hypnotic vocals on a track, he is the tour guide into his mind, where his words give you an understanding that even the visuals can not give. Not to take anything away from the footage, where you can see him dancing with Digitial Underground and then later see the various MTV interviews circa his court conviction, a picture does hold a thousand words.
From the title sequence, an eerie aura of the Vegas skyline, the location of his shooting, is lead by Shakur's voice, speaking upon his death like a ghost looking at a lifeless body, looking back at his life. The vision he saw of his death, mysteriously commences the film with a bang, giving the audience definite affirmation that this is no other documentary, this is 'Pac.
There is a heart in this documentary, where usually an overly newsy slant to the genre of films give. The soundtrack and commentary are intertwined giving way to the visual story on screen. Unlike other hip-hop documentaries, and mind you there are a plethora of them, no one has reached the caliber to make it to a big budget Hollywood film. Only someone like Shakur could be capable of reaching this feat.