There’s a shock realizing that it’s been nearly 23 years since Michael Hutchence died. How can it have been so long? If you came of age in the ’80s, the lead singer of INXS was a dominate figure on MTV. In VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave, the original VJs talk about how the head of programming planned on pushing INXS hard to show the record industry the power of cable channel. They were the first band that showed that what played on MTV could truly influence what local rock and pop radio stations would put on the turntables. “One Thing” with its out of control dinner party became a hit on the Billboard charts. But they were not a creation of a video. The Australian band proved they could deliver on stage as part of New Wave day at the US Festival. What propelled them was lead singer Michael Hutchence who gave off the same vibe as The Doors’ Jim Morrison without going on about his poetry. He was magnetic on stage and the numerous hit videos that followed in his career. Mystify: Michael Hutchence delves deep into the singer’s career using home movies, videos and clips from concerts and videos.
There was so much energy when Hutchence took the stage. He was always in motion behind the microphone. He was not a strike a pose and stick it kind of performer. He did not meander around the speaker piles. He was fearless in front of an audience. There’s great little moments exposed such as video of Hutchence talking about how he didn’t realize how bad his eyes were. He claims he can’t see beyond 10 feet, but then he got contact lens and could finally see distances. Looking out at the audience terrified him. It’s little moments like this that make this a deeper portrait of the man than just a montage of his music videos.
Things for INXS came to a screeching halt when Hutchence cut his hair short and embarked on a solo record. Except instead of being a solo record the group got called Max Q. The record flopped in America. We see his return to INXS where they released X with “Suicide Blonde.” Kylie Minogue narrates the footage of the two of them riding the train, sailing on a boat and roaming odd cities around the world. The footage was shot by either one or them or nice fellow travelers. There’s a montage of the faxes they’d send each other when they were on the road. The things lovers did before text messaging. She also shares the hurt when things came to an end between them. A lot more pain comes when Hutchence dates supermodel Helena Christensen. One night when they were out drinking in Copenhagen, Hutchence had a fight with a taxi cab driver that ended with him fracturing his skull. The X-rays are shown. He couldn’t taste or smell. His attitude changed. This is when the film goes a bit dark.
Mystify: Michael Hutchence gives a full portrait of the singer as both a performer and a person. It doesn’t try to cover up the tensions in the memories. Hutchence had his creative differences with his bandmates. The band was originally called The Farriss Brothers and three of them were part of the INXS. Yet Hutchence dominated the coverage of the band. He sang and wrote the lyrics. They wrote and played the music. For the most part this was a creative partnership, but Hutchence wanted more. But there wouldn’t be much more for him. Luckily there’s so much in the film for us to remember of him.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The video quality varies depending on the source. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0. You’ll want to crank up the audio for the concert footage.
Deleted Scenes are complete footage These include The Early Days (4:03), Acting (13:11), Prague (4:31), And Now Max Q (5:17), Way of the World (5:03), How to Make a Music Video (9:27), Motorcycle Baby (3:26), A Fish Commercial (1:48), All the Lies You Find (11:07), The Final Days (3:20), Stuck in a Moment (3:13), and Absolutely No Way (2:33).
Theatrical Trailer (2:10) gets you pumped up for the music and the man.
Shout! Factory present Mystify: Michael Hutchence. Directed by: Richard Lowenstein. Screenplay by: Richard Lowenstein. Starring: Michael Hutchence, INXS, Kylie Minogue & Helena Christensen. Rated: Unrated. Running Time: 102 minutes. Released: March 31, 2020.
