Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues - A Musical Journey

Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues - A Musical Journey

Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues - A Musical Journey
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Carl Lumbly, John Mayall, Mya, Taj Mahal
Cinematographer: John L. Demps Jr.
Cinematographer: Richard Pearce
Editor: Leticia Giffoni
Producer: Alex Gibney
Producer: Belinda Clasen
Producer: Belinda Morrison
Producer: Jeff Scheftel
Producer: Lisa Day
Producer: Margaret Bodde
Producer: Martin Scorsese
Producer: Melissa Robledo
Producer: Mikaela Beardsley
Producer: Robert Gordon
Producer: Samson Mucke
Producer: Susan Motamed
Producer: Ulrich Felsberg
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Box set, Color, Compilation, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 780 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-10-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony

Movie Reviews of Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues - A Musical Journey

Movie Review: Best SO FAR
Summary: 5 Stars

No one is going to be 100% pleased with this movie, but I personally appreciate the efforts of all to put it together and found it to be full of unexpected delights. I agree with one of the reviewers that the footage of Skip James is worth the the price of the entire set alone.
I also take issue with some reviewers that decried the inclusion of Lulu singing the blues - it was very soulful, and in fact, brings home the point that the English were paying attention to, and moved by the blues, when most of America was glued to sonic bubble-gum.
Those that whine and whimper endlessly about the lack of blues credibility
of some of the performers, historical errors, and personal preferences of the directors are probably just the sort who do little themselves to spread joy and wonder - the message of the blues for these people is a one-way street. For those that think this was boring...good luck, and fasten your seat belts, because you're in for a lifetime of boredom.

Summary of Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues - A Musical Journey

It may have been underrated when first broadcast on PBS on consecutive nights in the fall of '03, but executive producer Martin Scorsese's homage to the blues is a truly significant, if imperfect, achievement. "Musical journey" is an apt description, as Scorsese and the six other directors responsible for these seven approximately 90-minute films follow the blues--the foundation of jazz, soul, R&B, and rock & roll--from its African roots to its Mississippi Delta origins, up the river to Memphis and Chicago, then to New York, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Some of the films (like Wim Wenders's The Soul of a Man and Charles Burnett's Warming by the Devil's Fire) use extensive fictional film sequences, generally to good effect. There's also plenty of documentary footage, interviews, and contemporary studio performances recorded especially for these films.

The last are among the best aspects of the DVDs, as the bonus material features the set's only complete tunes. Lou Reed's "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" and the ElektriK Mud Kats' (with Chuck D. of Public Enemy) hip-hop-cum-traditional updating of Muddy Waters's "Mannish Boy" are among the best of them; on the other hand, a rendition of "Cry Me a River" by Lulu (?!) is a curious choice, even with Jeff Beck on hand. The absence of lengthier vintage clips, meanwhile, is the principal drawback. For that reason alone, Clint Eastwood's Piano Blues is the best of the lot; a musician himself, Eastwood simply lets the players play, which means we get extensive file footage of the likes of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Nat "King" Cole, as well as new performances by Ray Charles, Dr. John, and others. Overall, this is a set to savor, a worthwhile investment guaranteed to grow on you over the course of repeated viewings. --Sam Graham

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