Spirits in the Forest

2019 film directed by Anton Corbijn

Spirits in the Forest

Theatrical release poster

Directed by|

* Anton Corbijn
* John Merizalde
* Pasqual Gutierrez

Starring|

* Depeche Mode
* Indra Amarjagal
* Daniel Cassus
* Liz Dwyer
* Cristian Flueraru
* Carine Puzenat
* Dicken Schrader
* Korben Schrader
* Milah Schrader

Cinematography|

* Jeremy Snell
* Kristian Zuniga

Music by| Depeche Mode
Distributed by| Trafalgar Releasing

Release date

* 21 November 2019 (2019-11-21)

Running time

| 81 minutes[1]
Language| English
Box office| $2,531,785[2] – $4,500,000[3]

Spirits in the Forest – A Depeche Mode Film is a live concert film, documentary, and album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, directed by award-winning filmmaker and long-time artistic collaborator Anton Corbijn.[4] The film chronicles the final concert of the band's Global Spirit Tour at the Waldbühne in Berlin, Germany, as well as the stories of six fans of the band. The film was released to cinemas worldwide on 21 November 2019.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] A DVD & Blu-ray featuring the full concert titled LiVE SPiRiTS was released on 26 June 2020.

## Background

[edit]

As part of a promotion for the release of their album Spirit, Depeche Mode announced that a contest would be held in which one fan or celebrity would take over Depeche Mode's Facebook page every day for a year.[13] A press release stated that winners would post to the band's seven million followers their own "personal anecdotes, videos, concert photos, covers of the band’s songs, or other Depeche Mode-related content." Celebrities who contributed to the takeover include Trent Reznor, Linkin Park, Tony Hawk, Richard Blade, and Chris Hardwick, as well as Charity: Water. From these contest winners, six fans were chosen to be featured in the film.[5] The production crew travelled to each of the six fans' hometowns to film, then continued their stories as they journeyed to see the final concert of the Global Spirit Tour, which took place at the Waldbühne in Berlin, Germany.[4] In addition to the fans' stories, the film incorporates footage from the final two shows of the Global Spirit Tour, both of which took place at the Waldbühne, on 23 and 25 July 2018. The setlist played featured a wide array of songs from throughout their career including multiple from their most recent album, Spirit, as well as songs that haven't been played in over a decade such as "Useless" and "The Things You Said" from Ultra and Music for the Masses.

In September 2019 it was announced that the film would debut globally for one night only, on 21 November 2019.[14] Initially expected to screen at 2400 cinemas worldwide,[14] the number was later revised up to 2800.[3] On 29 October 2019, a preview of the film was hosted at the Curzon Mayfair in London, featuring a Q&A session with director Corbijn. The six fans who are the main characters of the film were announced as Indra Amarjagal from Mongolia; Daniel Cassús, a Brazilian living in Berlin; Liz Dwyer from the U.S.A.; Christian Flueraru from Romania; Carine Puzenat from Perpignan, France; and Dicken Schrader from Colombia.[11][12]

A home release on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray was released on 26 June 2020. It is Depeche Mode's eighth live album and continues the tradition of recording and releasing performances from at least one show each tour. One week prior to the 26 June 2020 release date, many of the fans followed in the movie filmed an unboxing of the DVD box set for the Depeche Mode YouTube channel. The live version of "Cover Me" was released on YouTube on 22 June 2020 to anticipate the upcoming release. A livestream of the full concert aired on the LiveNation YouTube channel on 25 June 2020.

## Track listing

[edit]

Live Spirits Soundtrack

Live album by

Depeche Mode

Released| 26 June 2020
Length| 1:56:00
Label| Columbia
Depeche Mode chronology
| Spirit
(2017)  | Live Spirits Soundtrack
(2020)  |  Memento Mori
(2023)

|
|

Live Spirits Soundtrack – DVD & CDNo.| Title| Original release| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Intro"| N/A| 2:29
2.| "Going Backwards"| Spirit| 6:12
3.| "It's No Good"| Ultra| 4:56
4.| "A Pain That I'm Used To"| Playing the Angel| 4:29
5.| "Useless"| Ultra| 5:32
6.| "Precious"| Playing the Angel| 4:56
7.| "World in My Eyes"| Violator| 5:31
8.| "Cover Me"| Spirit| 5:08
9.| "The Things You Said"| Music for the Masses| 3:47
10.| "Insight"| Ultra| 5:37
11.| "Poison Heart"| Spirit| 3:26
12.| "Where's the Revolution"| Spirit| 4:54
13.| "Everything Counts"| Construction Time Again| 8:07
14.| "Stripped"| Black Celebration| 5:04
15.| "Enjoy the Silence"| Violator| 7:24
16.| "Never Let Me Down Again"| Music for the Masses| 6:21
17.| "I Want You Now"| Music for the Masses| 4:32
18.| "Heroes"| Cover| 6:27
19.| "Walking in My Shoes"| Songs of Faith and Devotion| 8:29
20.| "Personal Jesus"| Violator| 6:17
21.| "Just Can't Get Enough"| Speak & Spell| 6:48
Total length:| 1:54:00

## Reception

[edit]

### Spirits in the Forest

[edit]

Spirits in the Forest received generally positive reviews from both movie and music critics alike. The film has an aggregate score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.[15] Jim Amos of Forbes praised the film and said it was the new standard for concert films stating that "The new film, SPIRITS in the Forest, is something entirely different however, turning the concert film genre on its ear."[16] Many critics compared the film to their 1989 film, 101, as it also follows the fans as well as the band. David Ehrlich of IndieWire felt that the film captured "The experience of watching it dovetails with that of going to a live show and being surrounded by thousands of strangers who share your same love" since it follows both the fans and the band closely.[10]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| 4/5
Reflections of Darkness| 7.3/10

## Box office performance

[edit]

Sources vary on the total gross of the movie's one-night release, with one claiming about US $2.5m[2] while another claims US $4.5m.[3] It reached Number 3 on the box office charts in Mexico and Number 2 in both Germany and the UK.[3]

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Live Spirits Soundtrack | Chart (2020)  | Peak
position

|

Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] | 4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] | 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] | 2
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[20] | 14
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] | 20
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] | 16
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] | 27
French Albums (SNEP)[24] | 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] | 1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[26] | 2
Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] | 7
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[28] | 5
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[29] | 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[30] | 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] | 6

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for Live Spirits Soundtrack | Chart (2020)  | Position

|

Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] | 110
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33] | 76
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[34] | 80

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Amazon.de: Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest [OV] ansehen | Prime Video". Amazon Germany.
2. ^ a b "Spirits in the Forest (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
3. ^ a b c d Clarke, Stewart (9 December 2019). "'Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest' Sounds a Box-Office High Note (EXCLUSIVE)". MSN. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
4. ^ a b "Synopsis". Spiritsintheforest.com (official film website). Retrieved 18 October 2019.
5. ^ a b Grow, Kory (19 September 2019). "Depeche Mode Doc 'Spirits in the Forest' to Weave Fans' Stories With Concert Footage". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
6. ^ Amos, Jim (18 November 2019). "Why Depeche Mode's 'SPIRITS In The Forest' Is The New Gold Standard For Concert Films". Forbes. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
7. ^ Benitez-Eves, Tina (13 November 2019). "'Depeche Mode: SPIRITS in the Forest' Documentary Offers a New Perspective on Fan Life". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
8. ^ Niasseri, Siassan (21 November 2019). "Kritik: Depeche Mode – "Spirits In The Forest": Den Fans ein großes Denkmal" (in German). Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
9. ^ Clarke, Steward (9 December 2019). "'Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest' Sounds a Box-Office High Note (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
10. ^ a b Ehrlich, David (21 November 2019). "'Spirits in the Forest' Review: Anton Corbijn's Depeche Mode Concert Doc Puts the Fans First". IndieWire. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
11. ^ a b Atkinson, Jesse (1 November 2019). "Anton Corbijn's New Film is an Ode to The Band That Changed Your Life". Gigwise. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
12. ^ a b Thorpe, Vanessa (2 November 2019). "A huge band, with a cool crowd from a ringside seat? Head for the cinema". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
13. ^ Monroe, Jazz (9 February 2017). "Depeche Mode Let Fans Run Facebook Page for a Year". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
14. ^ a b "Official Trailer Unveiled For 'Depeche Mode: SPIRITS In The Forest' Coming To Cinemas Worldwide On November 21" (Press release). Trafalgar Releasing. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
15. ^ "Depeche Mode: Spirits in The Forest". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
16. ^ Amos, Jim (18 November 2019). "Why Depeche Mode's 'SPIRITS In The Forest' Is The New Gold Standard For Concert Films". Forbes. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
20. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 27.Týden 2020 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
21. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
23. ^ "Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
24. ^ "Lescharts.com – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
26. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 27. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
27. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
28. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
29. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
30. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
31. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Depeche Mode – Spirits in the Forest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
32. ^ "Rapports annuels 2020 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
33. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2020" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
34. ^ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2020" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 4 February 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Spirits in the Forest at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Depeche Mode

* Martin Gore
* Dave Gahan

* Andy Fletcher
* Vince Clarke
* Alan Wilder

Studio albums|

* Speak & Spell
* A Broken Frame
* Construction Time Again
* Some Great Reward
* Black Celebration
* Music for the Masses
* Violator
* Songs of Faith and Devotion
* Ultra
* Exciter
* Playing the Angel
* Sounds of the Universe
* Delta Machine
* Spirit
* Memento Mori

Live albums|

* 101
* Songs of Faith and Devotion Live
* Recording the Angel
* Recording the Universe

Compilation albums|

* People Are People
* The Singles 81→85
* Catching Up with Depeche Mode
* Greatest Hits
* The Singles 86–98
* Remixes 81–04
* The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1
* Remixes 2: 81–11

Singles|

| 1980s|

* "Dreaming of Me"
* "New Life"
* "Just Can't Get Enough"
* "See You"
* "The Meaning of Love"
* "Leave in Silence"
* "Get the Balance Right!"
* "Everything Counts"
* "Love, in Itself"
* "People Are People"
* "Master and Servant"
* "Blasphemous Rumours" / "Somebody"
* "Shake the Disease"
* "It's Called a Heart"
* "Stripped"
* "A Question of Lust"
* "A Question of Time"
* "Strangelove"
* "Never Let Me Down Again"
* "Behind the Wheel"
* "Little 15"
* "Personal Jesus"

|

1990s|

* "Enjoy the Silence"
* "Policy of Truth"
* "World in My Eyes"
* "I Feel You"
* "Walking in My Shoes"
* "Condemnation"
* "In Your Room"
* "Barrel of a Gun"
* "It's No Good"
* "Home"
* "Useless"
* "Only When I Lose Myself"

2000s|

* "Dream On"
* "I Feel Loved"
* "Freelove"
* "Goodnight Lovers"
* "Enjoy the Silence 04"
* "Precious"
* "A Pain That I'm Used To"
* "Suffer Well"
* "John the Revelator" / "Lilian"
* "Martyr"
* "Wrong"
* "Peace"
* "Fragile Tension" / "Hole to Feed"

2010s|

* "Personal Jesus 2011"
* "Heaven"
* "Soothe My Soul"
* "Should Be Higher"
* "Where's the Revolution"
* "Going Backwards"
* "Cover Me"

2020s|

* "Ghosts Again"
* "My Cosmos Is Mine"
* "Wagging Tongue"
* "Speak to Me"
* "My Favourite Stranger"
* "Before We Drown"
* "People Are Good"

Video albums|

* The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg
* Some Great Videos
* Strange
* 101
* Strange Too
* Devotional
* The Videos 86–98
* One Night in Paris
* Touring the Angel: Live in Milan
* The Best of Videos Volume 1
* Tour of the Universe: Barcelona 20/21.11.09
* Live in Berlin
* Video Singles Collection
* Spirits in the Forest

Tours|

* Black Celebration Tour
* World Violation Tour
* Devotional Tour
* Exotic Tour/Summer Tour '94
* Touring the Angel
* Tour of the Universe
* The Delta Machine Tour
* Global Spirit Tour
* Memento Mori World Tour

Tribute albums|

* I Sometimes Wish I Was Famous
* For the Masses
* A Broken Frame & An Extended Broken Frame by Marsheaux

Related|

| Articles and books|

* Discography
* Awards and nominations
* Videography
* Peter Gordeno
* Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn (book)

|

Bands|

* Yazoo
* The Assembly
* Erasure
* Recoil
* VCMG
* Soulsavers
* Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience

Albums|

* 1 + 2
* Hydrology
* Counterfeit EP
* Bloodline
* Unsound Methods
* Liquid
* Counterfeit²
* SubHuman
* Selected
* MG
* Paper Monsters
* Hourglass
* The Light the Dead See
* Angels & Ghosts
* The Third Chimpanzee
* Imposter

* v
* t
* e

Anton Corbijn

Feature films|

* Control (2007)
* Linear (2009)
* The American (2010)
* A Most Wanted Man (2014)
* Life (2015)

Documentaries|

* Devotional (1993)
* One Night in Paris (2002)
* Live in Berlin (2014)
* Spirits in the Forest (2019)

Music video compilations|

* Strange (1988)
* Strange Too (1990)

Photography books|

* 1-2-3-4 (2015)
* Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn (2020)

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