Signatures of the Soul (1984)
• October 4th, 1984 • 1h 0min
Documentary
Overview
Tattooing — "the world's oldest skin game" — is the subject of this iconic documentary. Writer/director Geoff Steven scored a major coup by signing Easy Rider legend Peter Fonda as his presenter. Travelling to Aotearoa, Samoa, Japan and the United States, the doco traces key developments in tattooing, including its importance in the Pacific, prison-inspired styles, and the influence of 1960s counterculture. Legendary tattooists feature (including Americans Ed Hardy and Jack Rudy), while the closing credits parade some eye-opening full body tattoos.
Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!
Trailer
Similar Movies
Meat Joy
Released on: 1964-05-29
Documentary
"Meat Joy is an erotic rite — excessive, indulgent, a celebration of flesh as material: raw fish, ch...
I'm in Love with Pippa Bacca
Released on: 2020-03-08
Documentary
Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, better known as Pippa Bacca, was a 34 years old Italian artist. S...
Salt of the Earth
Released on: 2022-10-20
Documentary
An Australian icon found on every supermarket shelf, and coating every game day pack of hot chips. B...
Mondongo II: Portrait of Mondongo
Released on: 2024-03-14
Documentary
“This is a film about the end of a friendship. It wasn’t meant to be. Fifteen years ago, they painte...
Buzz
Released on: 2025-02-28
Documentary
The anti-Slumdog Millionaire in documentary form, "Buzz" charts the tumultuous rise of India's most ...
Grandpa Called It Art
Released on: 1944-07-15
Documentary, History
This MGM Passing Parade series short takes a look at changing definitions of art in the United State...
Quilty: Painting the Shadows
Released on: 2019-10-10
Documentary
This fascinating exploration of the creative process follows one of Australia's leading contemporary...
Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime
Released on: 2017-06-14
Documentary, TV Movie
Celebrating Billy Connolly's 75th birthday and 50 years in the business, three Scottish artists - Jo...
Survival in Berlin-Neukölln
Released on: 2017-11-23
Documentary
About Stefan Stricker, who calls himself Juwelia and has been running a gallery on Sanderstraße in B...
This Little Land of Mines
Released on: 2019-07-18
Documentary
During the Vietnam War, the US bombed Laos more heavily than any other country had been bombed befor...
The Changing Face Of Salford Collection
Released on: 1970-01-01
Documentary
Between 1968 and 1970, J M Goodger, a lecturer at the University of Salford, made a film record of t...
White Walls Say Nothing
Released on: 2017-05-02
Documentary
Buenos Aires is a complex, chaotic city. It has European style and a Latin American heart. It has os...
Cecil Taylor: All The Notes
Released on: 2005-01-01
Documentary, Music
Cecil Taylor was the grand master of free jazz piano. "All the Notes" captures in breezy fashion the...
Art City 2 Simplicity
Released on: 2002-01-01
Documentary
Travelling around the country, Art City: Simplicity takes viewers on a revealing trip into the studi...
Hanging by a Thread
Released on: 2025-09-09
Documentary
Filmmaker Tobias Hermansen, known for Dreamscape and Mentally Unavailable, has battled depression fo...
Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki
Released on: 2017-11-14
Documentary
A look at legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki following his retirement in 2013.
The Devil's Trap
Released on: 2017-03-18
Documentary
A 25-year-old former cult member seeks out his family in a closed world of neon crosses, deadly alco...
Sk8face
Released on: 2024-06-28
Documentary
Tells the history of skateboard art and its evolution through the decades, as iconic and rebellious ...