Whilst most of the band prefer shopping at Waitrose, Pulp: A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets feels more like Morrisons fayre than its up-market sibling. Florian Habicht’s film is perfectly affable and enjoyable to a point, but suffers from having an identity crisis; caught between a concert film and straight documentary. It ends up feeling like a fan movie, which will no doubt appeal to devotees of the Sheffield group, and maybe residents of the city itself, but may struggle to find a wider audience.
The film opens with the band preparing to play the final show of their farewell tour, ending with a huge homecoming gig at Sheffield Arena. As the big day draws near, interviews with the band are interspersed with those of colourful local residents. Even with a very tight shooting deadline, Florian Habicht quickly decided that the film’s focus would be more on the residents of Sheffield, and their relationship with Pulp and the meanings behind the songs, than the actual gig itself. However, there’s still a fair bit of footage from the gig itself, and a few bonus songs on the extras.
As someone from Sheffield and as a Pulp fan, it’s difficult to be objective or impartial about the film. Taking Pulp: A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets as a piece of documentary film making, it feels disjointed and unsure of itself. It’s neither one thing nor the other, and whilst there are a few interesting insights, it never really does more than scrape the surface. However, there are some entertaining characters and nice set pieces, and whist it’s likely to leave you with a big smile, I personally wanted more.
Special Features
Concert Tracks: I Spy, Mis-shapes, Sheffield: Sex City, Help the Aged
Extended Band Interviews
Extended Sheffield Interviews
Saskia Cocker sings “Something Changed”
Behind the Scenes
Pulp: A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets is released on Blu-ray and 2 Disc Collectors Edition DVD by Soda Pictures on July 14
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