Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman | ... | Self - Record Shop Owner | |
Dennis Coffey | ... | Self - Co-Producer, Cold Fact 1970 | |
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Mike Theodore | ... | Self - Co-Producer, Cold Fact 1970 |
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Dan DiMaggio | ... | Self - Bartender, The Brewery |
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Jerome Ferretti | ... | Self - Bricklayer |
Steve Rowland | ... | Self - Producer, Coming from Reality 1971 | |
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Willem Möller | ... | Self - Musician |
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Craig Bartholomew Strydom | ... | Self - Music Journalist (as Craig Bartholomew-Strydom) |
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Ilse Assmann | ... | Self - Former Apartheid Archivist |
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Steve M. Harris | ... | Self - Teal Trutone |
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Robbie Mann | ... | Self - RPM Records |
Clarence Avant | ... | Self - Former Chairman of Motown Records | |
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Eva Rodriguez | ... | Self - Rodriguez's Eldest Daughter |
Rodriguez | ... | Self (as Sixto Rodriguez) | |
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Regan Rodriguez | ... | Self - Rodriguez's Youngest Daughter |
In the early 1970s, Sixto Rodriguez was a Detroit folksinger who had a short-lived recording career with only two well received but non-selling albums. Unknown to Rodriguez, his musical story continued in South Africa where he became a pop music icon and inspiration for generations. Long rumored there to be dead by suicide, a few fans in the 1990s decided to seek out the truth of their hero's fate. What follows is a bizarrely heartening story in which they found far more in their quest than they ever hoped, while a Detroit construction laborer discovered that his lost artistic dreams came true after all. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
This is one of the best music docs ever made! The story about Sixto Rodriguez misfortunes and fortunes is almost to good to be true. It's like a fairy tale, only that this is real life. Swedish film maker Malik Bendjelloul treats the story with great respect and construct the film in a way almost like a thriller without a dead second and the end will not leave a single eye dry. Cinematographer Camilla Skagerstrom made an excellent job in creating a beautiful movie and the music (all by Rodriguez)makes a great soundtrack and it is hard to believe that this musical treasure was forgotten for so many years. Not only is this a strong personal portrait of a grate musician but it also makes you wonder about the mechanics of fame, success and the music industry.