NEW YORK DOLL
Directed by: Greg Whiteley.
Produced by: Ed Cunningham & Seth Gordon.
Director of Photography: Roderick Santiano.
Edited by: Seth Gordon.
Released by: First Independent Pictures.
Country of Origin: USA. 78 min. Rated: PG-13.

Not often associated with each other, punk rock and the Mormon Church may not be such diametric opposites after all in George Whiteley's debut documentary, which focuses on Arthur "Killer" Kane, former bassist for the cross-dressing punk progenitors, the New York Dolls. After the Dolls' 1975 implosion, each band member found success in the music industry, expect for Kane, who lingered in comparative obscurity. Battling alcoholism, he hit rock bottom in 1989 after a failed suicide attempt, only to be saved by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. New York Doll chronicles Kane's faith, his desire to return to the spotlight with the Dolls, and the eventual realization of his dream at the Morrissey-curated Meltdown Festival in 2004.

Kane doesn't look out of the ordinary, proving that the droll man sitting next to you on the bus may actually be a rock legend. He is a completely engaging subject, even for those new to the Dolls and punk rock in general, mainly due to his charm. With absolutely no pretension, what you see is what you get, and it's hard not to root for him. As a former transvestite bass player, Kane isn't the picture of the cliché Mormon, and it's interesting to watch him reconcile his wild rock star past with his newfound religion (one of his main complaints with the Church is that his sex life is no longer "wham bam thank you ma'am"). And explaining what it felt like to find religion, Kane compares it to "an LSD trip from the Lord."

New York Doll mainly concentrates on the Mormon aspects of Kane's life and the Dolls' reunion show, pushing out other seemingly pertinent information, specifically the Dolls' history, which is given a truncated treatment. Even though various pillars of the punk rock community, such as Iggy Pop and the Clash's Mick Jones, espouse the band's importance, it is still hard to fully grasp the Dolls' impact on pop music. The film is most effective when the three surviving Dolls come together to play (guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan died in 1991 and 1992 respectively).Their electrifying performance is briefly set to the vocals of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, giving them an almost godlike reverence. But the best part of the film comes when Kane reunites with Dolls' lead singer David Johnasen and he looks truly happy. Molly Eichel
October 28, 2005