Frank Zappa

Acting

Frank Zappa

Born December 21, 1940 · Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Died December 4, 1993 · aged 52

Frank Vincent Zappa  (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. Zappa produced almost all of the more tha…

Known For

HeadHead · 1968
Head
★ 6.21968
MovieComedyMusic
In this surrealistic and free-form follow-up to the Monkees' television show, the band frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing humor and anti-establishment social commentary.
ZappaZappa · 2020
Zappa
★ 7.22020
MovieMusicDocumentary
With the help of more than 10,000 dedicated Zappa fans, this is the long-awaited definitive documentary project of Alex Winter documenting the life and career of enigmatic groundbreaking rock star Frank Zappa. Alex also utilizes in this picture thousands of hours of painstakingly digitized videos, photos, audio, writing, and everything in between from Zappa's private archives. These chronicles have never been brought to a public audience before, until now.
An Evening with Frank Zappa During Which... The Torture Never StopsAn Evening with Frank Zappa During Which... The Torture Never Stops · 2008
An Evening with Frank Zappa During Which... The Torture Never Stops
★ 5.82008
MovieMusicDocumentary
A "thing" created by Frank Zappa from two concerts filmed live at the Palladium, New York City, on Halloween 1981. With Ray White, Steve Vai, Bobby Martin, Tommy Mars, Ed Mann, Scott Thunes & Chad Wackerman.
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 MotelsThe True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels · 1988
The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels
★ 7.31988
MovieDocumentaryComedy
A one-hour documentary on the making of Frank Zappa's bizarre 1971 comic musical. Vintage private footage from Frank's personal archives plus behind-the-scenes of the actual shooting and recording. With Ringo Starr, Theodore Bikel, Keith Moon and such songs as "Sleeping in a Jar," and "Strictly Genteel." The inside history of the first feature-length film to be shot on video in 6 days.
200 Motels200 Motels · 1971
200 Motels
★ 5.11971
MovieFantasyComedy
"Touring makes you crazy," Frank Zappa says, explaining that the idea for this film came to him while the Mothers of Invention were touring. The story, interspersed with performances by the Mothers and the Royal Symphony Orchestra, is a tale of life on the road. The band members' main concerns are the search for groupies and the desire to get paid.
Frank ZappaFrank Zappa · 1971
Frank Zappa
1971
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Produced for Dutch television and directed by Roelof Kiers, this documentary offers an observational portrait of musician and composer Frank Zappa in the early 1970s. Filmed at Zappa’s home and during rehearsals and performances with the Mothers of Invention, the program combines interviews, backstage scenes, and concert footage recorded at the Fillmore West featuring Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan. Alongside performances and informal conversations, Zappa reflects on his musical influences, creative methods, and views on American culture and politics while working on projects such as 200 Motels.
Marc-André Hamelin @ Ruhr Piano Festival 2025Marc-André Hamelin @ Ruhr Piano Festival 2025 · 2025
Marc-André Hamelin @ Ruhr Piano Festival 2025
2025
MovieMusic
In Duisburg, Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin—world-renowned for his exceptional technique—delivered a standout performance at the Ruhr Piano Festival, to great acclaim from both audiences and critics alike. The program featured works by Joseph Haydn, John Oswald, Nikolai Medtner, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, as well as one of his own compositions, “Boîte à musique.”
Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to SicilyFrank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily · 2014
Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
★ 7.42014
MovieMusicDocumentary
In the feature documentary, Summer 82 – When Zappa Came to Sicily, filmmaker and Zappa fan Salvo Cuccia tells the behind-the-scenes story of Frank Zappa's star-crossed concert in Palermo, Sicily, the wrap-up to a European tour that ended in public disturbances and police intervention. Cuccia had a ticket to the concert but never made it. Thirty years later, collaborating with Zappa's family, he re-creates the events through a combination of rare concert and backstage footage; photographs; anecdotes from family, band members, and concertgoers; and insights from Zappa biographer and friend Massimo Bassoli. The story is also a personal one, as Cuccia interweaves the story of Zappa's trip to Sicily with his own memories from that summer.

Filmography

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Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to SicilyFrank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily · 2014
Frank Zappa – Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
★ 7.42014
MovieMusicDocumentary
In the feature documentary, Summer 82 – When Zappa Came to Sicily, filmmaker and Zappa fan Salvo Cuccia tells the behind-the-scenes story of Frank Zappa's star-crossed concert in Palermo, Sicily, the wrap-up to a European tour that ended in public disturbances and police intervention. Cuccia had a ticket to the concert but never made it. Thirty years later, collaborating with Zappa's family, he re-creates the events through a combination of rare concert and backstage footage; photographs; anecdotes from family, band members, and concertgoers; and insights from Zappa biographer and friend Massimo Bassoli. The story is also a personal one, as Cuccia interweaves the story of Zappa's trip to Sicily with his own memories from that summer.

Music

Frank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The MovieFrank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The Movie · 2015
Frank Zappa & The Mothers: Roxy: The Movie
★ 6.82015
MovieMusicDocumentary
A Frank Zappa show goes way beyond a mere concert – it is an experience…a flight of improvisation, musicianship, and cerebral cynicism. An unparalleled Composer and Guitarist, Zappa redefined rock n roll paradigms by introducing into the mix his favorite influences from classical music, jazz, blues, Doo-wop, traditional and non-traditional music. And he did so with unparalleled humor and audacity. But it was the music itself that influenced generations of musicians and, quite frankly, blew minds. Roxy: The Movie, filmed over three nights in December 1973, at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, CA, is a powerful display of this experience, and reveals what made him such a pioneering musical revolutionary.

Director

Frank Zappa: A Token Of His ExtremeFrank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme · 2013
Frank Zappa: A Token Of His Extreme
★ 6.12013
MovieMusicDocumentary
Frank Zappa: A Token of his Extreme is the 1974 television special recorded at Kcet in Hollywood that was produced by Zappa and aired only in France and Switzerland. The program, as thoroughly tweezed and produced by Zappa for his own Honker Home Video label, includes the following musical performances by Zappa and his band: T”he Dog Breath Variations/ Uncle Meat,” “Montana,” “Florentine Pogen,” “Stink-Foot,” “Pygmy Twylyte,” “Room Service,” “Inca Roads,” “Oh No,” Son of Orange County,” “More Trouble Every Day” and “A Token of My Extreme.” In the words of Zappa himself as he said it on The Mike Douglas Show in 1976, “This is put together with my own money and my own time and it’s been offered to television networks and to syndication and it has been steadfastly rejected by the American television industry.

Editor

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968 · 2024
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: Live at Whisky a Go Go 1968
2024
MovieMusic
Shot on July 23, 1968, this historical 16mm footage of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, CA has been newly restored from the Vault! The film has been newly synced to the 2023 mixes, marking the first time it's ever been seen with audio. Frank Zappa never had the opportunity to see this footage synced to the music. Now you do. The film was shot in increments and features silent performance footage of The Mothers along with scenes involving The Freaks and the premier of The GTO's (Girls Together Outrageously). In the audience were Flo & Eddie (The Turtles), John Mayall, Elliot Ingber (The Fraternity Of Man), Alice Cooper and members of the Rolling Stones.

Music