EXCERPTS FROM THE SOUND VIEW: INTRINSICALLY AMERICAN - MOVIES THAT GET THE BLUES

The Sound View is a monthly publication devoted to independent film. This feature editorial appeared in our December 2022 issue. It's always #free to read and free to subscribe. To read the entire issue, drop into THE SOUND VIEW DECEMBER 2022.

INTRINSICALLY AMERICAN: MOVIES THAT GET THE BLUES By. M. Hudson for The Sound View

The Blues, like Jazz, is an intrinsically American artform. It has informed and influenced many film makers in storyline, subject matter and atmosphere. When blues and the cinema collide, the results can vary. They can be lighthearted or deeply depressing, or just celebrate the power of the music telling the stories of the legendary, sometimes shadowy, figures who perform it.?

Probably one of the most famous and certainly funniest examples was the classic musical comedy?“The Blues Brothers”?(1980) directed by John Landis. Originally a Saturday Night Live skit for then cast members John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd, the concept was blown up into a full-length feature film. Storied blues and R & B artists such as John ee Hooker, James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin were given solo numbers amidst the comic misadventures of the Blues Brothers “band”. It was amazingly successful, and life imitated art when the fictional group subsequently went on the road for a series of sell out concert tours with the two comedians fronting a band of seasoned session musicians. A sequel,?“Blues Brothers 2000”?(1998), again directed by Landis, failed to repeat the magic, with John Goodman replacing the late Belushi. The same formula applied though, with an impressive lineup of blues luminaries including Lonnie Brooks, Junior Wells and Jonny Lang making guest appearances.

Another popular entrant in this genre was?“Crossroads”?(1986), directed by Walter Hill. Based on the legend of real-life bluesman Robert Johnson, it was written by John Fusco, himself a traveling blues musician. Attending Tisch School of the Arts at NYU he came up with the idea as the result of a screenplay writing assignment. The screenplay was sold to Columbia Pictures whilst Fusco was still a student! The legend of Johnson, of course, is that he sold his soul to the Devil at the mythical crossroads in exchange for his musical talent, fame and fortune. Eugene, a present-day student, played by Ralph Macchio, is fascinated by this and, long story short, finds himself in a guitar battle with rock virtuoso Steve Vai to save both his soul and that of his friend. Spoiler alert – things go better for Eugene than they did for the real Johnson… Dead at the age of 27, and rumored to have been murdered by a jealous husband.

Robert Johnson’s harrowing story is also told in the excellent documentary?“The Search for Robert Johnson”?(1992) directed by Chris Hunt, which first aired on Channel 4 in the UK.

There are a great many documentaries covering the blues and blues artists worthy of attention. Perhaps my favorite is a title I reviewed for this publication last year,?“The Howling Wolf Story”?(2003), directed by Don McGlynn. It features some electrifying performance footage of the barrel-chested stentorian vocalist that really tells you all you need to know. The blues in all its glory.

Another fascinating documentary is?“Big Fish Blues”?(2016), produced, directed and filmed by Leslye Abbey. In it, Abbey chronicles the blues scene in the early 1960’s through to the nineties in a place you wouldn’t normally associate with the genre. Not Texas. Not the Mississippi Delta. No, Long Island New York! Dozens of music clubs and venues supported a thriving scene, with artists such as Bo Diddley Jr, Sam Taylor, Gail Storm, Stevie Cochran and more using Long Island as their home base.

No discussion of blues documentaries is complete without the mention of the director Robert Mugge.?The prolific documentary filmmaker / musicologist from Chicago has a mightily impressive body of work, films covering such disparate genres as Jazz, R & B, Gospel, Zydeco, Latin, Reggae and, naturally, the Blues. His name alone is an assurance of quality, you really cannot go wrong with anything he has directed, but to highlight just one,?“Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads”?(1991) is pretty darn essential. Inspired by Robert Palmer’s (the author/critic, not the singer) book of the same name, it focused on the sub genres of Delta Blues and North Mississippi Hill Country Blues. It drew attention to and highlighted musicians like Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, introducing them to a wholly new contemporary audience. Indeed, such was the impact of the film that it was instrumental in launching the record label, Fat Possum, still active today, and recording those artists mentioned and many more besides. Palmer also narrated this wonderful deep dive into a previously neglected area.

There are plenty of other movies that feature this most American of genres, be they biopics, musicals or documentaries. This is just the tip of the ice cube.

As the great John Lee Hooker said…?“The blues is a feeling; you can’t get it out of no book.”?But I’d say these selections prove that you can get it out of a movie.