Robert Fripp and the members of prog-rock giants King Crimson look back on 50 years of art, discipline and transcendence in this fascinating, funny and moving film. King Crimson is a band that people literally are dying to be in. IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING is a dark, comic film for anyone who wonders whether it is worth sacrificing everything for just a single moment of transcendence. For over half a century, Robert Fripp (also famous for his work with Bowie and Eno) has overseen a unique creative environment in which freedom and responsibility conspire to place extraordinary demands on the band’s members — only alleviated by the applause of an audience whose adoration threatens to make their lives even harder. It’s a rewarding and perilous space in which the extraordinary is possible, nothing is certain, and not everyone survives intact.
"This unflinching portrait of the prog-rock band is like an episode of The Office but with huge drum kits, grizzled roadies and rapturous fans. The great thing about this thoughtful, intimate portrait of them is that one doesn’t even need to like their music all that much to find this film utterly enthralling. Somehow it ends up being about a lot more than just King Crimson.” ––Leslie Felperin, The Guardian “IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING is really about as good as rock documentaries get, in capturing the essence of a group of musicians and how they relate to each other, the world and a muse whose demands result in literal and figurative calluses." ––Chris Willman, Variety “By turns comical and melancholy, it may be the most revealing film about working life in a band since Spinal Tap.” ––Neil McCormick, The Telegraph
