Sisters with Transistors
| Sisters with Transistors | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lisa Rovner |
| Produced by | Anna Vaney Marcus Werner Hed |
| Starring | Laurie Anderson |
| Cinematography | Bill Kirstein |
| Music by | Quinn Tsan, Alexander Babbitt |
| Distributed by | Metrograph Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
Sisters with Transistors is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Lisa Rovner in her directorial debut.[1][2][3] It premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival and was later screened at AFI Fest. The rights to the documentary were acquired by Metrograph Pictures.[4]
Synopsis
The documentary is made up of rare testimonies and archive footage. It chronicles the stories of the pioneering but little-known women of electronic music. These composers found, thanks to machines, a space of liberty and creativity that the male-dominated world of traditional music did not allow them. The film takes us into the heart of their studio-laboratories, and into a tangle of multicolored cables, tape scraps, primitive computers and oversized synthesizers. Narrated by Laurie Anderson, the ten artists featured in the documentary are Maryanne Amacher, Bebe Barron, Suzanne Ciani, Delia Derbyshire, Pauline Oliveros, Daphne Oram, Éliane Radigue, Clara Rockmore, Wendy Carlos and Laurie Spiegel.[5][6][2]
Reception
Sisters with Transistors was positively received by critics.[7][8] Rogerebert.com's Charlie Brigden gave it four stars and noted that the documentary "often feels less like a film and more like a manifesto". The narrative, futuristic soundtrack and avant-garde aspect of the film were all highly praised.[9] The New York Times' Glenn Kenny described the film as "informative" and "fascinating.[10] Critics at NME and Slate also gave the documentary four stars and positive reviews.[11][12]
References
- ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 21, 2021). "Amplifying the Women Who Pushed Synthesizers Into the Future". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b "Sisters With Transistors: inside the fascinating film about electronic music's forgotten pioneers". The Guardian. April 23, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "'Sisters with Transistors' explores innovations of electronic music's unsung female pioneers". KCRW. May 10, 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (February 8, 2021). "Metrograph Pictures Lands Electronic Music Doc 'Sisters With Transistors' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Sisters With Transistors review – a gloriously geeky music doc". The Guardian. April 25, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (April 29, 2021). "'Sisters With Transistors': A Brief History of Electronic Music's Unsung Pioneers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Sisters with Transistors, retrieved February 5, 2022
- ^ "Review: 'Sisters With Transistors': Breaking barriers with electronic sounds". Los Angeles Times. April 23, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Brigden, Charlie. "Sisters with Transistors movie review (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Kenny, Glenn (April 22, 2021). "'Sisters With Transistors' Review: How Women Pioneered Electronic Music". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Greene, Wes (April 18, 2021). "Review: Sisters with Transistors Pays Thrilling Tribute to Unsung Heroines". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "'Sisters With Transistors' review: music's forgotten female electro pioneers". NME. April 22, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2022.