By Rebecca Schiele
Los Angeles City College
Cinema 4 History of Documentary
Spring 2003
Patrick’s main
focus is to promote Michael’s
continued success. He tries to
accomplish this by identifying Michael Jackson’s many works and long history in
the entertainment scene. The film is
simply layered with screaming fans, electrifying images, and kind words geared
toward explaining how great a performer Michael Jackson is, how he is admired
worldwide, and how everyone must love him because he is an absolute good. The majority of the film is very
professional. Either you are on tour
with Michael Jackson, seeing all of the many types of people that he attracts;
no matter what the age or race, hearing his award winning music, or seeing him
blow everyone away on stage. It is only
a rare occasion that the viewers are allowed a glimpse of Michael Jackson behind
the limelight. From the very second this
documentary begins it becomes apparent that Michael Jackson is to be depicted
as a god among men. The introduction is
used to uphold Michael Jackson position as a celebrity icon and is where the
editing can definitely be identified as Patrick’s attempt to promote his career
in, “Pop.” These first 2 minutes and 29
seconds sweep you away into a world of delightful chaos and launches the
boisterous narration voiced by James Earl Jones[i].
J.E.J: “His name has become synonymous with superstardom.”
The footage mood shifts to Michael receiving award after award.
J.E.J: “He turned out million selling records when his peers were still in grade school.”
The footage that follows not only promotes Michael Jackson’s past with old home videos, Jackson 5 TV performances, album covers, and school pictures but also chronicalizes it in the framework of history.
J.E.J: “He has single-handedly rewritten recording history.”
Various pieces of footage are taken from out of music videos.
J.E.J: “His dancing seems to defy the laws of physics.”
A Hollywood Montage of Michael Jackson performing an array of flawless dance steps is seen. The music of choice is Michael Jackson’s, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”
The screen fades white.
J.E.J: “His fans are both loving and frightening.”
This next footage allows you to get up close and personal with the fans. You experience a mass hysteria, set interviews, and interviews, “On the spot”. An example of an, “On the spot”, interview is when a woman suggestibly waiting for a Michael Jackson appearance in
J.E.J: “He has redefined the phrase, ‘professional entertainer’.”
A black and white still image of Michael Jackson unfreezes to reveal some
The screen fades white. There is a still image of a young, afro puffed Michael Jackson.
J.E.J: “He is simply Michael Jackson.”[ii]
The image unfreezes and the young man begins to speak.
M.J.: “I like swimming and playing basketball, and…”
Patrick Kelly’s
next job is to chronicalize Michael
Jackson’s entire professional career from his first experience in the music biz
performing with his four brothers at the age of six to the flashy star-studded
present of 1988. He begins this
demonstration with a humble enough start.
The first bits of footage you see are taken from black and white home
videos. The film teeters off the edge of
the commencement of a timeline and rushes into skits of two people full of
questions, interviewees full of answers, a mirage of television appearances by
the Jackson Jackson
Patrick Kelly soon
begins to advocate why that solo
career is such a wonderful thing. It’s
like saying to his viewers, “Look at how marvelous this man is. Look how he twists and turns. See how he is worshiped by millions. His character and his career are
picture perfect.” All who are interviewed either present how
Michael Jackson’s faultless career came into being or praise all of the effort
he puts into everything he does. He’s a constant crowd pleasure. He’s great
with kids. He works for the good of the public on a worldwide scale. He masters
all that he does. He is a humble man who has been completely selfless so that
all humankind can thrive on the entertainment that he brings, and deserves
nothing less than the compassion of all and to be lifted up upon the shoulders
of the tumultuous crowds.
Although
it is not Patrick Kelly’s mandated job, an extra thing that he manages to do is
to prophesize how Michael Jackson’s
popularity will continue to rise exponentially. Patrick took the common knowledge of that
time and used it to assume the future.
If Michael Jackson is popular and amazing as he is now than there will
never really be anything to knock him off of his high horse. Michael Jackson has been such a brilliant
might for these last twenty years, what is there to stop him from being a
shining beacon over the next? It can be
imagined that if this documentary was made after the family claimed that
Michael Jackson sexually molested there young son things would be very
different. For instance, this new
version would be a lot like a hairline crack on a mirror, faded clothes, or
tarnished silver. No longer would the
parent’s of a generation think it safe for their children to participate in the
Michael Jackson phenomenon. Perhaps
Michael wouldn’t even have maintained his rank as Executive Producer. Or if he did this documentary would be used
like THE MICHAEL JACKSON INTERVIEW: THE FOOTAGE YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO SEE or
MICHAEL JACKSON’S PRIVATE HOME MOVIES, both released by Fox in the Spring of
2003. They are both tools used to establish Michael’s innocence and to force
people to see that he’s just a normal human being. Perhaps Patrick, if he
didn’t feel that directing this documentary would jeopardize his career, would
have also gained the idea that he needed to show a more personal Michael
Jackson.
Michael Jackson
the Legend Continues is basically a, “Politician’s,” documentary. Its main goal is to promote the fans of
Michael Jackson to continue to be fans and to gain new friends. Its second
purpose is to chronicalize Michael Jackson’s career. Thirdly, it advocates
people by telling them why they should love Michael Jackson and his work. The
next thing it does is prophesizes a bright future for Michael Jackson. The very
last thing that I find that this documentary does is the meager task of
creating that unspoiled tapestry that is Michael Jackson.
Source- Michel Jackson: The Legend Continues © Vestron 1988
[i] James Earl Jones is in my opinion is one of
the best VOG’s (voice of God’s) that you can have. If you don’t believe me just
think back to the original Star Wars Trilogy and his role as Mufassa on
Disney’s, The Lion King.
[ii] On April 4, 2003 MICHAEL JACKSON’S PRIVATE HOME MOVIE’S was
released on Fox. Michael Jackson takes on the role of the narrator and
concludes the introduction with the line, “I am simply Michael Jackson.” These
two documentaries were released a day, a month, and 15 years apart from each
other.
