No two ways about it: April’s a great month for the Criterion Channel, which (among other things; more in a second) adds two recent favorites. We’re thrilled at the SVOD premiere of Hamaguchi’s entrancing Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, our #3 of 2021, and Bruno Dumont’s lacerating France, featuring Léa Seydoux’s finest performance yet.
Ethan Hawke’s Adventures in Moviegoing runs the gamut from Eagle Pennell’s Last Night at the Alamo to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, while a 14-film John Ford retro (mostly) skips westerns altogether. And no notes on the Delphine Seyrig retro—multiple by Akerman, Ulrike Ottinger, Duras, a smattering of Buñuel, and Seyrig’s own film Be Pretty and Shut Up! That of all things might be the crown jewl.
See the full list of April titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
—
3 Bad Men, John Ford, 1926
Aar paar, Guru Dutt,...
Ethan Hawke’s Adventures in Moviegoing runs the gamut from Eagle Pennell’s Last Night at the Alamo to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, while a 14-film John Ford retro (mostly) skips westerns altogether. And no notes on the Delphine Seyrig retro—multiple by Akerman, Ulrike Ottinger, Duras, a smattering of Buñuel, and Seyrig’s own film Be Pretty and Shut Up! That of all things might be the crown jewl.
See the full list of April titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
—
3 Bad Men, John Ford, 1926
Aar paar, Guru Dutt,...
- 3/25/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
"An underground art form that decent church-going folks stayed well-away from." Film Movement has debuted an official trailer for Deep Blues, a music documentary from 1992 that has been fully restored and is getting an official re-release this year. This originally premiered at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, and opened later that year giving a chance for all of these artist's to be re-discovered. "In 1990, commissioned by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, veteran music film director Robert Mugge and the music scholar Robert Palmer ventured deep into the heart of the North Mississippi Hill Country and Mississippi Delta to seek out the best rural blues acts currently working." The film follows music critic Robert Palmer and director Robert Mugge as they travel around and tell the insightful story of Delta blues and North Mississippi hill country blues. This new restoration opens at the Metrograph cinema in NYC and will be available in virtual...
- 10/1/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
An official selection at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, Robert Mugge’s music documentary Deep Blues has now been restored and is arriving this fall. In 1990, commissioned by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, veteran music film director Mugge and renowned music scholar Robert Palmer ventured deep into the heart of the North Mississippi Hill Country and Mississippi Delta to seek out the best rural blues acts currently working. Ahead of release at Metrograph and in Virtual Cinemas on October 13 via Film Movement, we’re pleased to debut the new trailer.
Starting on Beale Street in Memphis, they headed south to the juke joints, lounges, front porches, and parlors of Holly Springs, Greenville, Clarksdale, Bentonia, and Lexington. Along the way, they visited celebrated landmarks and documented talented artists cut off from the mainstream of the recording industry. The resulting film expresses reverence for the rich musical history of the region, spotlighting local performers,...
Starting on Beale Street in Memphis, they headed south to the juke joints, lounges, front porches, and parlors of Holly Springs, Greenville, Clarksdale, Bentonia, and Lexington. Along the way, they visited celebrated landmarks and documented talented artists cut off from the mainstream of the recording industry. The resulting film expresses reverence for the rich musical history of the region, spotlighting local performers,...
- 9/28/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Though New York moviegoing is (sort of) getting back to normal, we’ve only now filled one of the biggest spots: Metrograph have announced a return of their theater and commissary on October 1, while Metrograph At Home programming will continue through their site and Metrograph TV app.
The lineup, currently handled by new programmer-at-large Nellie Killian, doesn’t seem to have missed a step: there’s the cool factor of Żuławski’s Possession restored in 4K, the auteurist cred of a four-film Eastwood series, new releases like Bulletproof and Labyrinth of Cinema, the high art of an Amos Vogel tribute—precisely what we’ve missed for, God help us, 18 months.
Health and safety guidelines can be found here, and a highlight of October programming below.
Opens October 1
Possession (1981)
New 4K Restoration of Andrzej Żuławski’s Hallucinatory Masterpiece
Banned upon its original release in 1981, Andrzej Żuławski’s stunningly choreographed nightmare of...
The lineup, currently handled by new programmer-at-large Nellie Killian, doesn’t seem to have missed a step: there’s the cool factor of Żuławski’s Possession restored in 4K, the auteurist cred of a four-film Eastwood series, new releases like Bulletproof and Labyrinth of Cinema, the high art of an Amos Vogel tribute—precisely what we’ve missed for, God help us, 18 months.
Health and safety guidelines can be found here, and a highlight of October programming below.
Opens October 1
Possession (1981)
New 4K Restoration of Andrzej Żuławski’s Hallucinatory Masterpiece
Banned upon its original release in 1981, Andrzej Żuławski’s stunningly choreographed nightmare of...
- 9/9/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
“Last of the Mississippi Jukes” is Robert Mugge’s exploration of Mississippi juke joints, the rustic, often dilapidated music venues where, early in the last century, itinerant blues musicians played for plantation workers and others, creating a powerful new music… Continue Reading →...
- 10/5/2016
- by shadowandact
- ShadowAndAct
R.L. Burnside first recorded at age 40, remained obscure until 65, and was a legend at 75. Born on November 23, 1926 in Oxford, Mississippi, he spent most of his life in his rural native area, where he worked as a sharecropper as late as 1979, though he lived in Chicago and Memphis for short periods. His appearance in the Robert Mugge/Robert Palmer 1992 documentary movie and soundtrack album Deep Blues and his acclaimed 1994 Fat Possum album Too Bad Jim seemed to come out of nowhere to catch the attention of not only blues fans but also the underground rock crowd. But R.L. (pronounced "Rule" by his friends) had been on an Arhoolie compilation LP in 1967, and as his fame rose, several pre-Deep Blues albums reappeared with wider distribution.
Where did Burnside's striking style come from? The decline of the Mississippi sharecropping system and the region's subsequent economic slump led to many railroad lines being discontinued.
Where did Burnside's striking style come from? The decline of the Mississippi sharecropping system and the region's subsequent economic slump led to many railroad lines being discontinued.
- 11/22/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
- With the forthcoming releases of Control and I'm Not There - the folks over at Time Out (London) brought their collective of film and music critics together to chart the top films pertaining to music legend. The Top 50 list manages to make no mention of a recent Hollywood-ized bio-tales of Ray Charles and Johnny Cash (thank you!) and from the chunk of films that I have seen the positioning seems a propos. Todd Haynes' who has his Dylan creation coming out soon tops this list with one of my favorite films from the helmer in Superstar: the Karen Carpenter Story. Personally I would have found space another Da Pennebaker film in Depeche Mode 101 and Grant Gee's Meeting People is Easy - a brilliant Radiohead doc. Here's the top 50 list -1 Superstar: the Karen Carpenter Story (Todd Haynes, 1987)2 Don't Look Back (Da Pennebaker, 1967)3 Gimme Shelter (David Maysles/Albert Maysles/Charlotte Zwerin,
- 10/8/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
Filmmaker Robert Mugge has, during the past 25 years, established himself as the cinema's foremost music documentarian, with a career that includes more than 20 features chronicling individual performers (Al Green, Sun Ra, Ruben Blades) and various musical styles (blues, reggae, bluegrass, etc.). His latest effort, "Rhythm 'n' Bayous", receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at the Screening Room in New York, is an entertaining portrait of the music scene in Louisiana and a valuable addition to an ouevre that has become the cinematic equivalent of the work of important ethnomusicologists like Alan Lomax.
The film apparently began as a chronicle of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bus tour through New Orleans and southwestern Louis-iana. But the restless filmmaker abandoned his initial mission and instead went on a far-ranging journey throughout the state, recording more than two dozen roots music performances in nightclubs, concert halls and churches, spotlighting such genres as Cajun, blues, rock, gospel, zydeco and something referred to as "swamp pop." Although some of the performers might be familiar -- Dale Hawkins ("Susie Q"), Frankie Ford -- it's safe to say that the vast majority on display here will be unknown to general audiences. Historical and musical context is provided via comments by a variety of experts and fans.
Mugge's low-budget style --the film was shot in 16mm -- is not particularly distinctive, and on purely cinematic terms, "Rhy-thm" is lacking in more than a few respects. But there's no denying his deep interest and passion for his subject, and the film serves a valuable function in recording for posterity the work of little-known but wonderful musicians and exposing them to audiences not inclined to wander through the back roads of Louisiana. Among the musical highlights are the Easter Rock Church choir's mournful performance of "When the Saints Go Marching In", pianist Henry Butler's powerful rendition of "Deep River" and a number by the Hackenberry Ramblers, the world's longest-lasting music group, who have been performing together since 1933.
RHYTHM 'N' BAYOUS
Cowboy Booking International
Director-producer-editor: Robert Mugge
Co-producer: Tim Healey
Executive producer: : Denise Gutnisky
Director of photography: David Sperling
Color/stereo
Running time -- 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The film apparently began as a chronicle of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bus tour through New Orleans and southwestern Louis-iana. But the restless filmmaker abandoned his initial mission and instead went on a far-ranging journey throughout the state, recording more than two dozen roots music performances in nightclubs, concert halls and churches, spotlighting such genres as Cajun, blues, rock, gospel, zydeco and something referred to as "swamp pop." Although some of the performers might be familiar -- Dale Hawkins ("Susie Q"), Frankie Ford -- it's safe to say that the vast majority on display here will be unknown to general audiences. Historical and musical context is provided via comments by a variety of experts and fans.
Mugge's low-budget style --the film was shot in 16mm -- is not particularly distinctive, and on purely cinematic terms, "Rhy-thm" is lacking in more than a few respects. But there's no denying his deep interest and passion for his subject, and the film serves a valuable function in recording for posterity the work of little-known but wonderful musicians and exposing them to audiences not inclined to wander through the back roads of Louisiana. Among the musical highlights are the Easter Rock Church choir's mournful performance of "When the Saints Go Marching In", pianist Henry Butler's powerful rendition of "Deep River" and a number by the Hackenberry Ramblers, the world's longest-lasting music group, who have been performing together since 1933.
RHYTHM 'N' BAYOUS
Cowboy Booking International
Director-producer-editor: Robert Mugge
Co-producer: Tim Healey
Executive producer: : Denise Gutnisky
Director of photography: David Sperling
Color/stereo
Running time -- 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Filmmaker Robert Mugge has, during the past 25 years, established himself as the cinema's foremost music documentarian, with a career that includes more than 20 features chronicling individual performers (Al Green, Sun Ra, Ruben Blades) and various musical styles (blues, reggae, bluegrass, etc.). His latest effort, "Rhythm 'n' Bayous", receiving its U.S. theatrical premiere at the Screening Room in New York, is an entertaining portrait of the music scene in Louisiana and a valuable addition to an ouevre that has become the cinematic equivalent of the work of important ethnomusicologists like Alan Lomax.
The film apparently began as a chronicle of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bus tour through New Orleans and southwestern Louis-iana. But the restless filmmaker abandoned his initial mission and instead went on a far-ranging journey throughout the state, recording more than two dozen roots music performances in nightclubs, concert halls and churches, spotlighting such genres as Cajun, blues, rock, gospel, zydeco and something referred to as "swamp pop." Although some of the performers might be familiar -- Dale Hawkins ("Susie Q"), Frankie Ford -- it's safe to say that the vast majority on display here will be unknown to general audiences. Historical and musical context is provided via comments by a variety of experts and fans.
Mugge's low-budget style --the film was shot in 16mm -- is not particularly distinctive, and on purely cinematic terms, "Rhy-thm" is lacking in more than a few respects. But there's no denying his deep interest and passion for his subject, and the film serves a valuable function in recording for posterity the work of little-known but wonderful musicians and exposing them to audiences not inclined to wander through the back roads of Louisiana. Among the musical highlights are the Easter Rock Church choir's mournful performance of "When the Saints Go Marching In", pianist Henry Butler's powerful rendition of "Deep River" and a number by the Hackenberry Ramblers, the world's longest-lasting music group, who have been performing together since 1933.
RHYTHM 'N' BAYOUS
Cowboy Booking International
Director-producer-editor: Robert Mugge
Co-producer: Tim Healey
Executive producer: : Denise Gutnisky
Director of photography: David Sperling
Color/stereo
Running time -- 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The film apparently began as a chronicle of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bus tour through New Orleans and southwestern Louis-iana. But the restless filmmaker abandoned his initial mission and instead went on a far-ranging journey throughout the state, recording more than two dozen roots music performances in nightclubs, concert halls and churches, spotlighting such genres as Cajun, blues, rock, gospel, zydeco and something referred to as "swamp pop." Although some of the performers might be familiar -- Dale Hawkins ("Susie Q"), Frankie Ford -- it's safe to say that the vast majority on display here will be unknown to general audiences. Historical and musical context is provided via comments by a variety of experts and fans.
Mugge's low-budget style --the film was shot in 16mm -- is not particularly distinctive, and on purely cinematic terms, "Rhy-thm" is lacking in more than a few respects. But there's no denying his deep interest and passion for his subject, and the film serves a valuable function in recording for posterity the work of little-known but wonderful musicians and exposing them to audiences not inclined to wander through the back roads of Louisiana. Among the musical highlights are the Easter Rock Church choir's mournful performance of "When the Saints Go Marching In", pianist Henry Butler's powerful rendition of "Deep River" and a number by the Hackenberry Ramblers, the world's longest-lasting music group, who have been performing together since 1933.
RHYTHM 'N' BAYOUS
Cowboy Booking International
Director-producer-editor: Robert Mugge
Co-producer: Tim Healey
Executive producer: : Denise Gutnisky
Director of photography: David Sperling
Color/stereo
Running time -- 107 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A spellbinding documentary about the Mississippi blues, ''Deep Blues, '' hosted by former New York Times music critic Robert Palmer and commissioned by British rocker Dave Stewart, is veteran filmmaker Robert Mugge's best film to date.
Not merely a record of a musical tradition, the film is actually a discovery, both of extraordinary musicians who have never seen the inside of a recording studio -- including the nearly legendary Junior Kimbrough -- and of a reblossoming of a music with clearly discernible African roots.
It is in Los Angeles for a one-week run at the Grande as part of the AFI USA Independent Showcase, but further exposure, via cable, public television, video, or even further theatrical distribution, could well prove profitable.
The film opens on the gentrified streets of Memphis' old blues quarter, where Palmer and Stewart meet and talk about the background of the musicians they are going to record. The pair then travel to the back hills of Northern Mississippi, a region long scanted by record makers in favor of the Delta region to the south.
It is here that the film makes its most intriguing stops, not just at Kimbrough's jumping, backroads juke joint -- where the guitarist performs an astonishing number, part propulsive, part haunting -- but at the home of guitarist Booker T. Lawry. At a large picnic, we see Jessie Mae Hemphill's Fife and Drum band, a trio whose performance layers elements of traditional American music over a stong African base.
As the film progresses, Palmer explains in a non-pedantic manner the folk, social and religious roots of the music, some trends of which combine in the appearance of young Lonnie Pitchford, who demonstrates the primitive ''diddleybow'' and performs a classic Robert Johnson song, a song taught him in youth by the legendary bluesman's stepson, Robert Junior Lockwood.
This easy melding of performance and history marks the film, which follows the Mississippi south to the Delta region, and concludes with a look at the performers of Greenville, Clarksdale, and other famed towns in the musically and agriculturally fertile region.
These performers, including Roosevelt Barnes and Big Jack Johnson, who perform in relatively large clubs in full-size bands, get the movie's most extended playing times.
The film's notes promise a soundtrack album, a welcome addition given the lack of exposure many of these musicians have received. Meanwhile, the movie -- which features excellent sound recording -- should serve as their best calling card.
DEEP BLUES
Radio Active Films and Oil Factory Ltd.
Producers Eileen Gregory, John Stewart
Executive producer David A. Stewart
Director-editor Robert Mugge
Writer, interviewer, music director Robert Palmer
Director of photography Erich Roland
Sound recording William Barth
Line producer Robert Maier
Color
With: Junior Kimbrough, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Roosevelt ''Bubba'' Barnes, Big Jack Johnson, Lonnie Pitchford
Running time -- 91 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Not merely a record of a musical tradition, the film is actually a discovery, both of extraordinary musicians who have never seen the inside of a recording studio -- including the nearly legendary Junior Kimbrough -- and of a reblossoming of a music with clearly discernible African roots.
It is in Los Angeles for a one-week run at the Grande as part of the AFI USA Independent Showcase, but further exposure, via cable, public television, video, or even further theatrical distribution, could well prove profitable.
The film opens on the gentrified streets of Memphis' old blues quarter, where Palmer and Stewart meet and talk about the background of the musicians they are going to record. The pair then travel to the back hills of Northern Mississippi, a region long scanted by record makers in favor of the Delta region to the south.
It is here that the film makes its most intriguing stops, not just at Kimbrough's jumping, backroads juke joint -- where the guitarist performs an astonishing number, part propulsive, part haunting -- but at the home of guitarist Booker T. Lawry. At a large picnic, we see Jessie Mae Hemphill's Fife and Drum band, a trio whose performance layers elements of traditional American music over a stong African base.
As the film progresses, Palmer explains in a non-pedantic manner the folk, social and religious roots of the music, some trends of which combine in the appearance of young Lonnie Pitchford, who demonstrates the primitive ''diddleybow'' and performs a classic Robert Johnson song, a song taught him in youth by the legendary bluesman's stepson, Robert Junior Lockwood.
This easy melding of performance and history marks the film, which follows the Mississippi south to the Delta region, and concludes with a look at the performers of Greenville, Clarksdale, and other famed towns in the musically and agriculturally fertile region.
These performers, including Roosevelt Barnes and Big Jack Johnson, who perform in relatively large clubs in full-size bands, get the movie's most extended playing times.
The film's notes promise a soundtrack album, a welcome addition given the lack of exposure many of these musicians have received. Meanwhile, the movie -- which features excellent sound recording -- should serve as their best calling card.
DEEP BLUES
Radio Active Films and Oil Factory Ltd.
Producers Eileen Gregory, John Stewart
Executive producer David A. Stewart
Director-editor Robert Mugge
Writer, interviewer, music director Robert Palmer
Director of photography Erich Roland
Sound recording William Barth
Line producer Robert Maier
Color
With: Junior Kimbrough, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Roosevelt ''Bubba'' Barnes, Big Jack Johnson, Lonnie Pitchford
Running time -- 91 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 11/15/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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