Cadillac Records
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Movie Reviews of Cadillac Records
Movie Review: In The Prime Of The Chicago Blues Explosion
Summary: 4 Stars
It seems almost anti-climatic to be reviewing this particular film, Cadillac Records, about the rise of Chess Records and its driving force, owner Leonard Chess, in the maelstrom of the Chicago blues explosion of the 1940's and 1950's. Why? Over the past year or so, along with the usual left wing political books by the likes of Leon Trotsky and James P. Cannon that are the core items that I review in this space, I have been fervently doing a personal search for, and reflection on, the roots of American music. And nothing is more central to an exploration of the American songbook than the various expressions of the blues from its roots in the black quarters of plantation society down South, through to the immense process of black urbanization in the mid-20th century and with it the electrification of the blues and further on the use of that genre to form the basis for Rock `n' Roll that was central to much of the musical history of the last half of that century.
Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Howin'Wolf, Chuck Berry and the divine Ms. Etta James are all names that should be familiar to knowledgeable blues fan and whose fame and fortune, rises and falls form the core of this film. They are also names prominent among those that have been reviewed in this space so this is a real treat. The Chess Record saga is narrated by the actor who plays the producer, "talent hunter", songwriter and musician Willie Dixon, a huge force in the expansion of Chess Records and Chicago blues in general. And this is as it should be. Willie Dixon wrote for both Muddy Waters (the classic "Hoochie Coochie Man", among others) and Howlin' Wolf (the most famous being "The Red Rooster", a song later covered by The Rolling Stones, enthusiastic blues aficionados, and one of my first exposures to the raw electric blues sound. Thanks, Willie). He was also at Chess when the music shifted away from the Chicago blues to the `jump' of rock `n' roll driven by the likes of Chuck Berry who could "crossover" to all those white teenagers like me trying to break out of the music of our parents' generation. He was also there when Ms. Etta James came on the scene with her R&B style that also was an attempt to do that same crossover with a black woman singer.
According to the notes to this film it is based on a true story, that of Leonard Chess and the blues stars mentioned above. How much truth there actually is included in the script is beyond the scope of this review. I would note that one of the segments of Martin Scorsese's PBS multi-part Blues homage in 2003 dealt with the role of Chess Records as part of the total blues picture and featured Leonard Chess's son, Marshall, a record producer in his own right. Some of his comments do not exactly jibe with the presentation of the facts in this film. That is a subject for further research and discovery.
Some important themes, nevertheless, are explored in the film, even if obliquely. The relationship between a young hustling Jew (and his brother, not noted in the film) from Poland trying to make a buck in America and young blacks trying to get out from under the rural "Jim Crow" South in mid-20th century America. The question of interracial sex, both male and female when that was very, very taboo. Martial infidelity, a constant problem in the music industry (and elsewhere). Exploitation of blacks, both financially and musically, by the white-dominated music power structure, including Leonard Chess. The touchy question of black identity and self-respect, addressed very nicely in the tensions between Muddy, as a representative "Uncle Tom", and Howlin' Wolf (or Chuck Berry), as the "New Black Man", coming out of new black consciousness of the civil rights struggle blazing away during that period. Addressing those issues should keep us busy for a while.
Let's finish up with a few kudos, though. A musical tribute to a record company and a famous record producer could have been a piece of fluff. While, as noted above, the film raised a number of questions about what really went on back then the heart of the movie is driven by the blues and the need to express oneself in that genre, whether as a job or a way of life. The performers carried the day. The camaraderie and falling out between Muddy and Little Walter is worked nicely. The struggle's of Etta James (Beyonce is rather fetching here, by the way, as Etta) to break through as an artist works. And so on.
The Cadillac automobile formed a symbol for Americans, black and white, back in these days. The artists presented here deserved their Cadillacs. More enduring though, as noted at the end of the film, all the main players here have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. I challenge anyone to argue against those inclusions. Watch this film and then get on the Internet and download the music. Yes, that's the ticket.
Movie Review: Spinning Blues Into Gold!
Summary: 4 Stars
CADILLAC RECORDS(2008)---Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Cedric The Entertainer, Beyonce Knowles, Columbus Short, Emmanuel Chriqui, Eamonn Walker.
A film that tells the story of the legendary blues record label, Chess/Checker Records. As with most films of this kind, there is some blending of "artistic license" and the historical facts. However, as a devoted "blues freak", whose first album purchase was by a Chess/Checker artist, I found that, for the most part, the story is told with a great deal of factual accuracy and a minimum of "dramatic enhancement". The label was started by Leonard Chess(nee,Czyz) and his brother Phil, two immigrant Polish Jews. The unifying theme of the film is the relationship that developed between Leonard and Muddy Waters(aka, McKinley Morganfield). Leonard owned a bar called the Macomba Lounge on Chicago's South Side that catered predominantly to blacks and featured black musicians. As a result of owning the nightclub, Leonard began to realize that the real money was to be made by recording the artists who played the blues music that his customers came to hear. From the insurance money he got as a result of an "unfortunate" fire that burned down the Macomba, Chess started his record label. Chess became the home of a virtual, "Who's Who", of Chicago blues artists, many of whom had migrated north from the cotton fields of their native south. By "plugging in" and amplifying the blues music they had brought with them, they effected a revolution in the genre. In addition to Muddy Waters, who was perhaps the single most important figure in that revolution, artists who recorded for Chess included: Etta James; Howlin' Wolf(aka, Chester Burnett); Little Walter Jacobs, who was one of the first to amplify his blues harmonica playing, and is generally regarded as the greatest blues harpist ever; Bo Diddley(aka, Ellas McDaniel); and, the Father of Rock & Roll Guitar, Chuck Berry. In addition to these performers, Chess was blessed by having on board a gentleman by the name of Willie Dixon, who was the "house bass player" and, much more importantly, wrote the bulk of the songs recorded by Waters, Wolf, Jacobs, et. al.---his list of writing credits is simply stunning---and far too lengthy to list here. Suffice it to say that the bulk of what became the basic "blues canon" was written by two men: Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson. The time frame of the story is compressed, but the story is told accurately and it doesn't gloss over some of the uglier aspects of the story. It is well-known that Chess took a "paternalistic" approach to his artists---he "took care of them", doling out money whenever they needed to pay the rent or buy a home or needed bail money to get out of jail. He also was in the habit of buying his artists a new Cadillac when they had a #1 record, hence the title of the film. But, he also cheated many of them when it came to paying the artist's royalties they were entitled to, and the film depicts that aspect of the "Chess story" candidly. With the rise of rock & roll, and the so-called "British Invasion" of the 60's, Chess was eventually forced to sell the label and died of a heart attack shortly thereafter, which is where the film ends. Some of the Chess artists experienced "career revivals" when the British blues musicians who worshiped them, and grew up listening to their records, brought them to Europe to tour and hired them to open their shows in the U.S. The various actors portraying the principals all give effective, convincing portrayals. Adrien Brody is quite good as Chess, and Jeffrey Wright and Beyonce Knowles are particularly good as Muddy Waters and Etta James, respectively. The only real criticisms I have of the film are: 1)Instead of using the actual recordings of the various artists, the actors portraying them do the singing and, while they all do a credible job, given their historical importance, I think it would have been better to have them "lip-synch" the original recordings; and 2)no mention whatsoever is made of Bo Diddley, who was one of the seminal figures of early rock&roll---he also wrote many songs that became "blues standards", e.g., "Who Do You Love"; "Mona"; "I'm a Man"; etc. This seemed to me an incredible omission. But, those cavils aside, this is a "must-see" film for any fan of the blues or for anyone who might like to know more about the genre and the performers who put "the blues" on the musical map.
Movie Review: they forgot about the truth--but they do deliver a solid gold gem of a movie
Summary: 4 Stars
Cadillac Records tells the story of Chess Records, a recording company founded by the two Chess brothers. Chess Record helped make Etta James, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf and so many more artists famous or even living legends; and that's wonderful. The plot moves along at a good pace although this is not the way things happened in real life and that's a shame. For example, there were two Chess brothers but in this film we only see one of them, Leonard Chess. The plot is also a bit complicated since there are several principle actors in this film. Nevertheless, Cadillac Records is a story about music and race relations; it provides a great deal of insight into just how well good music brought about positive change in American society. The cinematography is excellent and the choreography for the crowded fight scenes really shines. The acting is outstanding.
The movie itself begins with a brief shot of Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) who narrates at times to tell the entire story as a flashback. We quickly meet Leonard Chess (Adrian Brody), an ambitious young man who wants to get ahead in this world. Leonard first opens a club in Chicago; but just about the time he meets a few budding artists including Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Little Walter (Columbus Short) and Jimmy Rogers (Kevin Mambo), Leonard's nightclub mysteriously burns down. Leonard takes the insurance money and buys space for a recording studio--and after a few bribes to some disc jockeys he gets his first recordings from these artists onto the airwaves. Their careers take off like soaring jets and Chess Records clearly will be around to stay. Leonard also starts a tradition that if a singer makes a hit record he will reward them with a Cadillac. Over time other budding artists including Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer), Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles) become part of the "family" that is Chess Records.
It's fascinating to watch the movie; we see how fatherly Leonard Chess is to his team. For example, Chess always makes sure that Muddy Waters has some money to get by long after Muddy's records have stopped selling. Unfortunately, however, we also see Leonard begin to cheat on his wife Revetta (Emmanuelle Chriqui) with Etta James; and Muddy Waters and other musicians sometimes accuse Leonard of taking advantage of them. In addition, these musicians carry enough weapons on them to make me think this is some kind of gangster movie cloaked in the guise of a musical! There's much more action in this movie, too.
But the plot is really not the true message of this film. It's particularly important to tell this story because so few people remember who Muddy Waters was; they may not own any of his albums and I myself had never heard of Howlin' Wolf or Willie Dixon. I enjoyed some incredible acting as the movie shows the creative and interpersonal tensions between them that must have built up over years of working together so closely.
The DVD has a couple of featurettes about the film and how they made it happen. There are deleted scenes and we get an optional commentary with writer/director Darnell Martin.
Cadillac Records may not be the most truthful take on the history of Chess Records; but it packs a punch and it's quite enjoyable. You'll learn a lot about some great musicians, all of whom broke ground in their day. I highly recommend this for music aficionados and musicals in general.
Movie Review: Likeable Film But.....Got To Deal With The Facts
Summary: 4 Stars
As with many pop music history enthusiasts looking forward to this film I myself was up and rearing to go when it finally came out on DVD.I mean Adrian Brody,Jeffrey Wright?MAN it had the makings for a classic and Beyonce',someone I feel suffers from mass self imposed over exposure,actually got me interested to see her performance as Etta James,even if obviously she is very wrong for the film in terms of waistline. So.....my dad rented it and decided after watching it,while it had it's good points it pressed the point of racial violence a little too heavy for his book;there is one scene here that is particularly unpleasant but I decided to give the DVD a whirl myself. Well...the violence didn't upset me as much as another point made by reviewers this doesn't have 100% historical accuracy. Then again......neither did other music doc's I've loved such as The Temptations. What you'll see in this movie is how the rough and tumble lives of these early R&B and rock n roll pioneers such as Muddy Waters,performed wonderfully by Wright but also Willie Dixon,Howlin' Wolf and of course Beyonce's Etta. Of course the character who gets the most sketched out is Columbus Short,a great actor as well as Little Walter,a character whose short fuse and self victimizing nature get's the most overall screen time hear and results in many the films most "R" rated moments.Whereas everyone else pretty much underplayed their roles. The films plot revolved primarily around the personal and professional tentions as Cedric The Entertainer as Dixon provides the occasional narration,all while music history is being made and rock n roll history is being created from the ground up as various blues styles are clashing with electricity and post war cultural standards are changing all the roles.I would've preferred to see more of that history making aspect played up.But this was a story about the people.That brings me to the main thing that may either draw you to or away from this;there's an undercurrent of negativity to this as civil rights and personal struglles are the main focus and the emphasis tend to be on mainly on the beginning of the whole "sex,drugs and rock n roll" aspects of the culture. Just a look at how the history of Chuck Berry,performed in a great puckish way by Mos Def and Etta James. Strangly where it should be intense the film ebbs;the lead character of the factually barnstorming Leonard Chess (whose brother Phil isn't even mentioned here,not to mention Chess staple Bo Diddly) is portrayed too nuanced by Brody.Not to knock a good actor but the role required a lot more emotionalism and loudness then it was given.But that may be picking nits. Many musical biopics such as this have taken huge factual leaps for the same of dramatic content. Sometimes it utterly ruins the film,sometimes it almost saves it and other times no one's going to give a care. With me it's 50/50.While I'd have loved to see an honest,fact based story about this subject there's always going to be the "entertainment factor" of the old Hollywood clishe. So it's good for what it is but for a truly accurate and often very entertaining look at the real history of Chess Records look for the PBS documentary 'Record Row:The Cradle Of Rhythm & Blues',narrated by Etta James herself.I have it on VHS but if you didn't happen to catch it-it's pretty rare these days,this will have to do.Movie Review: A compelling story, but just an "okay" movie
Summary: 4 Stars
"Cadillac Records"
(2009)
Let me start by saying that I am a huge, lifelong fan of Chess Records, particularly of Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter, as well as Sugar Pie DeSanto and others. Having a movie that celebrates this fabled, groundbreaking, immensely important, immensely influential blues powerhouse is a good thing. But, like almost all "historical" films and biopics, this is riddled with unnecessary factual errors and other shortcomings. Also, it just wasn't as great as it could have and should have been.
I think perhaps the biggest problem was with the portrayal of label co-founder Leonard Chess (and, um, hey, what happened to his brother, who also ran the label?). I think Adrien Brody, who I like and respect as an actor, was badly miscast in this role. He had none of the rough edges that I image a figure like Chess would have had, none of that big city ruggedness or tough-guy street smarts: it just wasn't there. He also seemed to have little chemistry with any of his fellow actors, and little feel for the role. I also imagine that a guy like Chess would have been immensely charming and likable, even when he was jerking you around, but I didn't get that from Brody's portrayal, either -- his Chess was saintly and businesslike, but not a guy you'd want to have a drink with, or record for. Ah, what someone like Paul Rudd could have done with this part!
Also, there's the tiresome Hollywood habit of mucking with the facts when making a "historical" film. Other reviewers have noted several problems... what stood out for me was the general timeline: the Beach Boys are famous before Elvis Presley; Little Walter is killed sometime (apparently) around 1965 (instead of '68, when he actually died) and the big wowzer ending is when Muddy Waters & Co. are invited to tour Europe in the late 'Sixties, after Chess Records had been sold and the whole shebang was long over (in fact, pioneering blues musician, Waters included, had been touring Europe for several years by then, and had already been lionized by the Rolling Stones and the British blues bands for half a decade... The film shows this happening much later than it really did.)
The whole messing up the facts thing baffles me. It seems that Hollywood screenwriters have given themselves a blank check to re-write whatever they want to in historically-oriented films, in the interest of "tweaking" the script, giving it more dramatic oomph, etc., and they will sarcastically remark that all of us who complain are just being too literal and taking things too seriously. The thing is, though, that details *do* matter, and if you don't want to stick to the facts, then why pick a historical topic for your film? If you think you've got a good story to begin with, shouldn't it be good enough to tell without blatantly distorting the facts? It's laziness on their part, not creative genius.
Anyway, "Cadillac Records" was fun enough, but it could have, and should have, been great. It's worth watching, and hopefully it will succeed in turning some folks onto the classic urban blues recordings of the 1950s. It got me to dig out some of my old LPs. (Axton, Planet Krankulon)