Director Robert Schwartzman’s film, Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary, premiered at SXSW 2023 and is having a theatrical release in cities around the U. S. this month of May 2025.
The iconic British rock band, The Zombies, met as teenagers and formed a band ahead of what is known as “the British Invasion” with many bands coming to the USA. They are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and this is their first-ever feature documentary. The principal cast is Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White, and Hugh Grundy.
As I watched the film, the band members tell the story of their youth and where it took them around the world. They share their history of the good and the not so fair times in their career in the music industry. It is wonderful to see them at this stage of their life and look back at photos of them in their youth, as they created albums, including Odessey and Oracle. The minute the self-written song “She’s Not There” played in the film, I felt easily transported to my youth, with my head bopping like when I first heard them on the radio. They were the first British band (after The Beatles) to reach #1 in the US with a self-written song. To hear them speak of this achievement is so good, as if here they are years later, still in disbelief of sorts. “Time of the Season” was a No. 1 hit and became a global success.
There are many interviews in Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary featuring Finneas, Harry Styles, Dave Grohl, Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson, Søren Kuch, Steve Rodford, Tom Toomey and Chris White, as well as Atkinson’s daughter.
Executive Producer: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Rick Krim
Producer: Russell Wayne Groves, Robert Schwartzman
Cinematographer: Michael Rizzi, Editor: Meryl Goodwin, Production Designer: Zane Stein, Tim Ferro, Sound Designer: Juan Campos, Music: The Zombies, Benjamin Messelbeck
The film began special screenings around the nation May 13th with continued releasing in LA at the Landmark NuArt Theatre on May 15th and in New York at the Quad Cinema on May 16th. Check your local listings for additional screenings added in several cities.
Source: Utopia
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