Mr. Jimmy Documentary Chronicles Japanese Guitarist Who Channels Jimmy Page: Watch Trailer

Spencer Kaufman
·3 min read
14
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The post Mr. Jimmy Documentary Chronicles Japanese Guitarist Who Channels Jimmy Page: Watch Trailer appeared first on Consequence.

A new documentary titled Mr. Jimmy chronicles Japanese guitarist Akio Sakurai, who has dedicated his life to meticulously channeling Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page. In advance of its global theatrical release in September, Consequence is exclusively premiering the official trailer (watch below).

Mr. Jimmy will be distributed to theaters worldwide via Abramorama. The movie was produced, directed, and edited by Peter Michael Dowd, who followed Sakurai around for eight years. Not only has Sakurai mastered Page’s guitar playing, but also his fashion style and movements.

Dowd tells Consequence of a life-changing instance in the movie when Sakurai came face to face with the real Jimmy Page, as the Led Zeppelin icon stopped by one of his Tokyo club gigs.

“In the film you get to see the moment when Akio and Mr. Page come together face to face in a tiny Tokyo club,” Dowd begins. “It’s like Yo-Yo Ma meeting Bach. And that moment changed Akio’s life forever. The blessing and affirmation that he received that evening from Mr. Page gave Akio the confidence to leave Japan, move to California, and to eventually perform on stages all over the world.”

He continues, “To earn that respect of Mr. Page, Akio worked for 30 years, painstakingly studying the live arrangements of Led Zeppelin’s work. And on that one night in Tokyo, it all came to fruition. As Mr. Page sat and watched – maybe 20 feet from the stage – Akio beautifully recreated the 26-minute live rendition of ‘Dazed and Confused’ nearly note-for-note. It was an extraordinary, unprecedented homage to the 1973 performances at Madison Square Garden, and Mr. Page certainly recognized the countless hours that would’ve gone into that work. The bow playing on the guitar, the precise interplay between guitar and drums, the improvisational back-and-forth between theremin and vocals–there are so many movements to the song; it’s truly symphonic. No doubt, Mr. Page’s appreciation of that hard work influenced his decision to approve the use of his compositions in this documentary film. It’s truly unprecedented.”

Dowd goes on to say, “It’s been an eight-year journey to make this film. Perhaps correctly many people thought I was nuts to attempt a film dependent on the music of Led Zeppelin. I don’t know if I was naive, mad, or what, but I just thought let me try my best to make a beautiful film that captures Akio’s tireless, pure pursuit of homage, and somehow everything will work out. Now it wasn’t easy – anything but – yet I always knew that there was something special about Akio, about this story, certainly about this music, and that if I could match Akio’s musical craftsmanship on camera, then we would make something special and worthy of Led Zeppelin’s unprecedented permission.”

Thanks in large part to Page’s support, Led Zeppelin approved the use of their music in Mr. Jimmy, allowing moviegoers to see Sakurai’s full devotion to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist.

View the trailer for Mr. Jimmy below, and find out if the documentary is playing at a theater new year via the film’s official website.

Mr Jimmy Poster
Mr Jimmy Poster

Mr. Jimmy Documentary Chronicles Japanese Guitarist Who Channels Jimmy Page: Watch Trailer
Spencer Kaufman

Popular Posts

Subscribe to Consequence’s email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.