Tribeca FF 2014 Films, On Your Radar: Super Duper Alice Cooper
by Kathryn Loggins
This documentary follows the rise and fall of the band and man known as Alice Cooper. To call it a fall might be a bit much, because the end of the film is not a tragic one, but it's arguable that the life of this one man is tragic. Told through photography, animation and music this film captures one man's rise to stardom and gives a glimpse into the struggles that accompany that lifestyle. The form of this film is the most interesting part. Instead of the traditional talking-head style of storytelling the filmmakers used photographs, found footage and scenes from a classic Jekyll and Hyde silent film to tell this story. The documentary is dominantly narrated by Vincent Furnier - aka Alice Cooper - himself.
His humble upbringing is a key point in the film, because of the contrast to his over-the-top persona of Alice Cooper. He is a preacher's son, but found the name of his band through a ouija board. He continuously calls Alice Cooper his alter ego and refers to him as a separate personality. The Jekyll and Hyde references are extremely poignant and make his character all the more relatable. He was known for outrageous acts, such as killing a live chicken on stage. He explains this incident quite comically in the film.
Ultimately, this film gives an insight into what stardom and the accompanying lifestyle can do to a person. He was so controlled by his alter ego that he ended up becoming not only addicted to various drugs, but addicted to the personality itself. It's amazing to see his honesty throughout the film. He has stayed sober for years now, but still continues to perform as his alter ego. He has accepted the dark sides of his personality and let's them play out on stage, but does not let them control his life. His story seems to be an enhanced version of what all people might go through at some point in their lives. Thus, it instills hope in all of us that we can make the right choices to change our lives for the better and not succumb to the Hyde in all of us.
