By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Country: united_states
Year: 2004
Running time: 103
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424200/combined
Georgette says: “While making the PBS series, ‘The Blues,’ Martin Scorsese was inspired to put together the one-time only concert ‘Salute to the Blues’ which became the film LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE directed by Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY.) Although there are twenty-six headline acts in the show, the back-up musicians are headliners in their own right. Among these are Dr. John, Greg Allman, Levon Helm, Keb Mo, and others.
“The concert honors the past hundred years of the blues, starting with Angelique Kidjo performing the African song Senie Zelie. The songs are performed pretty much in chronological order with the exception of the last few pieces, ending with B. B. King doing Sweet Sixteen.
“Before each performance there was a short interview with or about the originator of the song, and these interviews and performances were also interspersed with archival footage and photos. The artists are all storytellers, and the interviews alone would have been a great movie.
“All of the performances were outstanding, but there were a couple that were beyond description. Odetta singing the Jim Crow Blues through her tears. Later we see how tough she can be, which makes her emotion even more poignant. Then there is the incomparable India Arie singing the Billie Holiday song ‘Strange Fruit’ while photos of lynchings are on the screen. One particularly chilling photo was of a huge white crowd with a shadow of a lynched body over the crowd. The juxtaposition of the horrific pictures and meaning of the lyrics against the beauty of the melody, voice, and poetry of the lyrics was truly jarring.
“Larry Johnson is a Blues man that I didn’t know. As he walked onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall in his gold brocade suit, he looked like the happiest man in the world. He had applied for a janitorial position at that very place, and was turned down. Yes, he is a very happy man.
“The ever-feisty Ruth Brown was there, and didn’t think that she would be. She had had a stroke, and lost her ability to speak for a while. Hubert Sumlin performed weeks after having a lung removed. As someone said as the group photo was being taken, ‘We’re the survivors.’
“The mutual respect and admiration was apparent, as was the pure joy the artists had performing with each other.
“Dr John talked about Shemekia Copeland’s style. Shemekia is the late Johnny Copeland’s 24-year-old daughter who can wail with the best of them. Dr John said that she doesn’t sing female blues, but more like Big Mama Thornton blues, more like a man instead of a female. He said, ‘I’m weak for strong women and I love Shemekia.’
“Buddy Guy talked about working with Howlin’ Wolf, who Buddy considered his teacher. Buddy’s goal was to make Howlin’ Wolf sound good. He never expected to go out on his own. There was archival footage of Buddy on stage doing just incredible things with the guitar and his body. He said that he’d do splits and play the guitar behind his head. Then the camera turned to the audience and there was an awestruck Jimi Hendrix. Buddy performed Hendrix’s Red House. Then Anjelique Kidjo convinced him to come back to back her on Voodoo Child. They were great.
“I have to mention the camera work. I couldn’t figure out how they could get the shots that they did. Almost every shot was a full head shot. There was one incredible shot taken from floor level looking up at the underside of Buddy Guy’s guitar. His fingers were flying and the spotlight was being cut by the neck of the guitar. Just gorgeous.
“In one shot I did see a camera on a cranelike arm that extended pretty deeply into the stage area. So that’s how they did it.
“I love this film and it gets 5 howlin’ blue cats from me.”
| Lightning in a Bottle (USA; 103 min.) directed by: documentary |
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