The blues
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The blues |
| Original title | The blues |
| Country of production |
USA , Germany |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2003 |
| length | 780 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK without age restriction |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Martin Scorsese , Wim Wenders , Richard Pearce , Charles Burnett , Marc Levin , Mike Figgis , Clint Eastwood |
The Blues (also: Martin Scorsese presents The Blues ) is the name of a series of seven documentaries from 2003 on the history of blues music. Martin Scorsese acted as executive producer . Over 75 artists appear in the films. The 13 hour project was produced by Vulcan, Reverse Angle International, Capra Productions and Jigsaw Productions.
Overview
| title | Director | script | production | camera | cut | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feel like going home | Martin Scorsese | Peter Guralnick | Sam Pollard | Arthur Jafa | David Tedeschi | A journey to the roots of the blues. Director Martin Scorsese traces the roots of the Delta blues . He travels through the state of Mississippi with the musician Corey Harris and then travels to West Africa . Willie King , Taj Mahal , Othar Turner and Ali Farka Touré play old blues songs. Archival material from Son House , Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker is shown. |
| The Soul of a Man | Wim Wenders | Wim Wenders | Alex Gibney , Margaret Bodde | Lisa Rinzler | Mathilde Bonnefoy | Skip James , Blind Willie Johnson , JB Lenoir ; Audio commentary |
| The Road to Memphis | Richard Pearce | Robert Gordon | Robert Kenner | Richard Pearce | Charlton McMillan | With BB King on the banks of the Mississippi. The film introduces the Memphis Blues , the Beale Street music scene , musicians Rosco Gordon and Bobby Rush . |
| Warming by the Devil's Fire | Charles Burnett | Charles Burnett | Margaret Bodde , Alex Gibney | John N. Demps | Edwin Santiago | The film tells the made-up story of a boy who is torn between gospel and blues . With music by Big Bill Broonzy , Elizabeth Cotten , Reverend Gary Davis , Ida Cox , Willie Dixon , Jesse Fuller , John Lee Hooker , Lightnin 'Hopkins , Son House , Mississippi John Hurt , Vasti Jackson , Bessie Smith , Mamie Smith , Victoria Spivey , Sister Rosetta Tharpe , Dinah Washington , Muddy Waters , Sonny Boy Williamson |
| Godfathers and Sons | Marc Levin | - | Daphne Pinkerson , Marc Levin | Mark Benjamin | Bob Eisenhardt | Blues meets hip-hop ; With Marshall Chess, director Marc Levin explores the legacy of his father Leonard Chess for blues music. Chess is the co-founder of Chess Records , which produced the album Electric Mud . A meeting of some of the musicians who created this album will be arranged. Among the hip-hop artists include Chuck D of Public Enemy , Common & Kyle Jason . |
| Red, white and blues | Mike Figgis | - | Louise Hammar , Shirani Sabratnam | Barry Ackroyd , Mike Eley , John Lynch , Patrick Stewart | David Martin , Nigel Karikari | How the British reinvented the blues; Audio commentary. The film includes jam sessions and interviews with musicians Jeff Beck , Van Morrison and others. |
| Piano blues | Clint Eastwood | - | Clint Eastwood , Bruce Ricker | Vic Losick | Joel Cox , Gary D. Roach | Piano legends up close. Director Clint Eastwood is essentially concerned with pianists. He interviews Dr. John , Ray Charles , Jay McShann and Pinetop Perkins . |
Reviews
“Psychological support, party fun and spiritual giver of joy [… Scorsese] has suddenly become a central figure in blues marketing, but whether his project will level America's disregard for its own cultural heritage remains to be seen. 'The Blues' is an honorable, generous, educated citizen project that is unlikely to reach the majority - including the black US population. We don't care. This summer, a monthly blues film will start in German cinemas, and there is something for fans and skeptics alike to discover. "
"As if by the way, the series also illustrates the current debate about how commercial the nature of the blues actually was."
"Beyond short-lived sales increases, the project's lasting merit should be to have erected a monument to the art form that, along with jazz, is one of America's most important cultural achievements."
Separate materials, "Lightning in a Bottle", miscellaneous
The world premiere was on September 6, 2003 at the Venice International Film Festival outside the competition.
According to the Lexicon of International Films , all seven films were released on DVD in the Federal Republic of Germany on September 9, 2004. Not all of the films made it to the cinema (as of May 1, 2017).
Available separately and with the seven DVDs or VHS cassettes are: the 288-page book The Companion Book to the PBS series , a box set consisting of five CDs , a compilation on one CD, seven individual CDs for each of the films and twelve CDs about individual artists.
The concert recording Lightning in a Bottle by Antoine Fuqua can also be purchased separately in stores.
Awards and nominations
- Nomination in the category Best Long Form Music Video "various artists" for Margaret Bodde, Alex Gibney, Richard Hutton and Martin Scorsese
Cinema Audio Society USA 2004
- CAS Award in the Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television - Non-Fiction, Variety or Music Series or Specials category for Gary C. Bourgeois, Tateum Kohut and Steuart Pearce in the episode The Road to Memphis
Web links
- The Blues in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Lightning in a Bottle in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official site at PBS (English)
- Material at Reverse Angle
Individual evidence
- ↑ Booklet, p. 3.
- ^ Richard Oehmann: The origin of all pop music: Ois is blues. In: Telepolis . June 3, 2004, accessed November 5, 2008 .
- ↑ Christoph Fellmann: Definitely too loud. In: NZZ . July 22, 2004, accessed November 5, 2008 .
- ↑ Peter Kemper: Boy, I'd rather howl with a lonely old wolf. In: FAZ . April 24, 2004, accessed on November 5, 2008 ( April 24, 2004, No. 96 / page 40).
- ↑ IMDb , s. Web links.
- ↑ Feel Like Going Home. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ↑ The Soul of a Man. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ^ The Road to Memphis. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ^ Warming by the Devil's Fire. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Godfathers and Sons. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Red, White and Blues. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ^ Piano Blues. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Official website, s. Web links.
- ↑ cf. Fritz Göttler: Blues films in the cinema - dark night on a cold background. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . May 4, 2004, accessed November 5, 2008 .