The following are accompanied by these 7 excellent works to enter the blues world of directors:
"Feel Like Going Home"
Director: Martin Scorsese/Duration: 83 minutes
Director's statement: I have always felt that I have something in common with blues music - this culture of telling stories through music fascinates and fascinates me. . Blues has great appeal and is the foundation of American popular music.
Overview: For blues guitarist Corey Harris, this is a real long-distance journey: from Mississippi in the United States, across the Pacific Ocean, to Mali in West Africa. The purpose of his trip: to find his roots, the roots of the blues. Under Scorsese's guidance, he began to explore the footsteps of blues legends John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. He wants to find the soul of blues music, because this musical form is closely linked to the fate of African immigrants in North America.
The film not only features performances by Willie King, Taj Mahal, Otha Turner and Ali Farka Toure, but also precious shots of John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Son House.
[The Feeling of Home] focuses on exploring the African origins of blues, and its meaning therefore far exceeds the blues music itself.
The types of music involved are very diverse. Scorsese's work is heavier than the others. Corey Harris is the protagonist, and the interviews with the musicians are a bit dry, which slightly limits the watchability of the film.
Director’s Comment: Scorsese’s preference for documentaries has continued throughout his directorial career. This violent poet participated in the famous 1970 film [Love and Peace: Uztok Music] Woodstock, followed by Italianamerican (1974), one of Scorsese's favorite documentaries about his parents; Scorsese directed [The Last Waltz] (1978) is called "the most beautiful rock movie ever";
In 1995, commissioned by the British Film Institute, he completed a four-hour documentary [American Movies:
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies], to celebrate the centenary of film art, and later he filmed [My Italy My Voyage to Italy, a tribute to Italian cinema, was released in 2001 and won the "Film History Award" from the National Board of Review.
"The Soul of a Man"
Director: Wim Wenders/Length: 103 minutes
Director's statement: Yes This music means the world to me. The America I know through them is truer than any book I've ever read or any movie I've seen. In this film,
I tried to write poems instead of making documentaries to describe the feelings these music and characters once brought to me.
Overview: In "The Musical Soul of Man", Wenders pays tribute to his three favorite blues singers in his own way. Since Blind Willie Johnson and Skip James lived so long ago that they did not leave any video data, Wenders found two actors to play the roles of these two blues legends and "imitation" their lives using 35mm film. The black-and-white images shot by a panning camera deliberately imitate the style of documentary lenses of the time.
As for J. B. Lenoir, Wenders was lucky enough to find a documentary film shot by a Swedish director couple. These two documentary films shot for a Swedish TV station in the early 1960s have never been broadcast. Pass. In addition to these expansion packs, "The Musical Soul of Man" will also feature scenes of many contemporary singers covering classic old songs, including Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed, Eagle Eye Cherry, Nick Cave and the "Bad Seeds" band, " The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion" band, Cassandra Wilson, Garland Jeffreys, Los Lobos and other rock stars.
Director’s Comment: Wenders has a long relationship with music, including Ry Cooder’s guitar in [Paris, Texas] (1984), and the guest appearance of rock star Nick Cave in [Under the Berlin Sky] (1987), 1999 In [Million Dollar Hotel], which he collaborated with the U2 band in 2008, the role of pop music in his works cannot be ignored. In addition, he has experience in many documentaries, including "The Light on the Water", "Searching for Ozu" and music documentaries "Buena Vista Social Club" (1999),
"Glory of Cologne" (Ode to Cologne, 2000), this time [The Musical Soul of Man] is his third music documentary.
"The Road to Memphis"
Director: Richard Pierce/Length: 93 minutes
Director's statement: "A Century of Blues" The series gives us a chance to celebrate one of the last authentic American art forms—before it disappears almost entirely, before it is devoured by the rock generation it fostered. Hopefully what we have done is not too late.
Overview: Pierce's "Road to Memphis" is lively and interesting, telling the history of Beale Street blues from a musical and political perspective. What is rare is that the director did not rehearse any scene, but only used the camera to Direct recording, the creativity and tension gained in this way are extremely valuable. "The New Yorker" magazine commented on the film: "[Road to Memphis] truly represents the vicissitudes of these musicians and their original feelings."
In the film, the King of Blues B.B. King talked about Racial discrimination in the early years, talked about the disappearance of black music, talked about black radio programs, talked about Sam Philipps' legendary Sun Studios, talked about the political liberation movement, and finally talked about how the blues was discovered by a white man-a white guy with nothing. , he grew up under the influence of Memphis blues, and later became a world superstar, he is: "Elvis Presley". And the film also wants to prove this: Elvis Presley, as the first white man to introduce black music and one of the founders of rock music, his music was inspired by Memphis, which is today known as the "City of Elvis Presley" place, originating from the former black blues singers in this city.
Director's Comment: Richard Pierce is a rare director in this series who started out as a documentary. He won Oscars for the four documentaries he participated in as a photographer, including the famous music documentary. [Love and Peace: Documentary of the Uzstock Music Festival] (Woodstock, 1970). The first feature film [Heartland] won the Golden Bear Award at the 1979 Berlin Film Festival.
Warming by the Devil's Fire
Director: Charles Burnett/Starring: Tommy Redmond Sickles Tommy Redmond Hicks
Director's statement: I once took the blues as a natural part of the outside world.
However, many years later, I discovered that blues has become a source of inspiration for me. The meaning, humor, and irony behind this music reflect the entire human condition. I've always wanted to make a story about the blues that not only tells the content and essence of the blues, but also outlines its form. In short, this is a blues movie that gives viewers a concrete impression of the blues.
Overview: In the 1950s, a teenager and his family met by chance in Mississippi, which started the emergence, development and resolution of the musical gap between the two generations. On the one hand, there were heavenly and holy "gospel" songs. , on the other side is the "blues" music that is regarded as the devil's groan.
Director's Comment: Charles Burnett, a former trumpet player, is a well-known black director in the American independent film industry.
His representative works include "Killer of Sheep" (Killer of Sheep, 1977), [My Brother's Wedding] (1983) and [To Sleep with Anger] (1990), all low-cost independent productions, mostly based on intra-family conflicts.
"Godfathers and Sons"
Director: Mark Levin
Director's statement: When we were filming Sam Lay and When his band was playing, they were performing Muddy Waters' classic "I Got My Mojo Workin'." I closed my eyes and was transported back to when I was 15 years old and listening to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band record for the first time in my best friend's basement. That day changed my life, and 35 years later, that music still shakes my soul. That kind of shock is the feeling I wanted to capture in this film.
Overview: Chicago hip-hop stars Chuck D (member of Public Enemy) and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess, heir to Chess Records) decided to pursue the blues glory that the city once had. Join forces to produce an album that brings together the older generation of blues singers and the new generation of hip-hop singers. In addition to performances by Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Magic Slim, Ike Turner and Sam Lay, the film also exposes for the first time a large number of material clips from Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and "The Paul Butterfield" Blues Band.
"Red, White & Blues" Red, White & Blues
Director: Mike Figgis
Director's statement: Why is blues such a black music? So popular in Europe? I'm very interested in this. To do this, I not only invited traditional blues musicians, but also some new generation figures to participate. I hope that the recording clips of standard blues music and related discussions in the film can give us some inspiration: why did blues come to Europe at a specific time, and then, after being recreated in Europe, became the most popular music form in the world?
Overview: This film is based on the British music trend of the 1960s. This trend reinterpreted the blues and then brought it back to the United States. The film progresses in parallel between two parts: one is the live part recorded exclusively for the film. The performance was performed at the famous Abbey-Road-Studios. The singers include Morrison, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck and Lulu, who have given the blues a new meaning. ;The other part is historical footage from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
In addition, the film also includes interviews with representatives of various genres of British music in various periods, including Eric Clapton, Lonnie Donegan, Chris Farlowe, Eric Burdon, John Mayall and Steve Winwood.
The director's previous films include the Oscar-winning film Leaving Las Vegas (1996), as well as
Stormy Monday (1990) and the blockbuster ’s [Time Code] (2000).
"Piano Blues"
Director: Clint Eastwood
Director's statement: Blues has always been a part of my musical life, and After my mother brought back all the Fats Waller records, piano blues became a special part of it. I also pay great attention to the role of music in my films. This documentary gave me the opportunity to make a film that goes directly to the theme of music, which I have not been able to do in my previous films.
Overview: In this film, Eastwood expresses his long-standing preference for Piano Blues. In addition to interviews and performance clips, the film uses a large number of precious historical documents, including Piano Blues. Famous players include Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball, among others.
Director’s Comment: Eastwood himself is a pianist, and has scored and composed interludes for many of his own works, including three Oscar-winning films [Mystic River], [Covered Bridge and Lost Dreams] ], [Unforgiven], and [Space Cowboy],
[True Crime, 1999], [Absolute Power] (1997),
Heartbreak Ridge (1986) and Bronco Billy (1980).
Let’s take a look at what the directors themselves said:
Director’s Narration 1
Martin Scorsese: If I were a guitarist
"If I had become a guitarist, a real guitarist, then I would probably not be a film director now."
When I was a kid, there seemed to be always something in the air. There is music floating. Music wafted from the street, from the radios of passing cars, from restaurants and corner stores, from the apartments across the street, everywhere. At home, my mother would often hum and sing for her own amusement - I distinctly remember her singing while doing the dishes. My dad loved tinkering with his mandolin, and my brother Frank played the guitar. In fact, my dad is really a guitar fan, and the first music I heard was Django Reinhardt and his "Hot Club of France Quintet".
In that era, the radio played everything from Italian folk songs to country ballads to Western songs.
My uncle collected a lot of records, from "Gilbert and Sullivan" to swing. He was one of the first people I talked to, perhaps because of my love for music. Keep our distance.
I remember one day, probably in 1958, I heard a song by chance, and it felt like nothing I had ever heard before. I will never forget the feeling when I first heard the guitar in the song. The music seemed to be calling me to listen to it. I immediately found a pencil and wrote down the title of the song. The song was called "See See Rider" and the singer was Lead Belly.
I immediately ran to 49th Street, where I found an old Lead Belly record, a folk album that included "See See Rider," "Roberta," "Black Snake Moan" and a few other songs. . I listened to this record obsessively, and Lead Belly inspired something in me.
Director’s Statement 2
Wim Wenders: Music changed me
“Without music, I would probably be a doctor now. Music It gave me confidence,”
The ones I want to thank most are the singers and bands of my generation, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Kinks. When I was 18 years old, they invented electronic rock music based on traditional American country blues music. I thought: If they can do it, so can I!
When I was a child, my mother always had the radio on all day long, playing German pop songs, but I had no interest in these songs. I don't know when one day, I finally got a record player in my living room. By then, I had collected a lot of records. I hid these treasures under a good friend's bed. My first LP was The Kinks’ debut album and I still have it, and it’s still in mono! Although my home has been robbed twice, usually only CDs and LPs were robbed, and no one touched them. Now I still have more than 3,000 LPs at my home in Los Angeles.
I played the saxophone and clarinet, but soon realized I lacked talent in these areas. I never play in front of other people, and I only play jazz. In fact, I originally wanted to be a painter, and the members of The Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles all went to art school, and they were all art students who gave up halfway. This inspired me and I decided to interrupt my studies of medicine and philosophy and go to Paris to study painting. My mother always regretted this. She always wanted me to be a doctor and wear a white coat. After I had been making movies for many years, my mother still lamented how her son had not become a doctor. But my father’s reaction to this was much calmer than I expected. He is a surgeon himself, which is why I studied medicine.
He said to me: "I have known for a long time that you are not a doctor."
My favorite album is "Their Satanic Majesties Request" by the Rolling Stones,
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There is a song "2000 Men" in it. Charlie Watts played percussion for this song.
Maybe he doesn't know now that he was so good at the beginning. For me, whenever I can’t continue writing, I listen to "2000 Men" and I immediately start writing like a god. This song is literally my panacea for writer's block.
I am very grateful to Charlie Watts for this.
Director’s Statement 3
Clint Eastwood: Play the Piano and Tell Stories
“I particularly like the people who play the piano in my films : They sat down by the piano, started telling stories, and then got up and left, leaving only the music lingering in our hearts."
While I was filming [Any Which Way You Can, 1980]. ), Fats Domino happened to go to Wyoming for an open-air performance. He sat at the grand piano and began to play one of his works, "I Want to Walk You Home." Suddenly, everyone stopped and looked toward the mountain. There were more than a dozen elk standing there motionless, with their heads facing the direction of the music. As soon as Domino stopped playing, they quickly moved away. The elk were mesmerized by this music! It seems it's not just humans who enjoy the blues. Everybody likes the blues.
In my eyes, music in movies is like punctuation in sentences, emphasizing the rhythm of the entire movie. Of course, a soundtrack should enhance the plot, not overwhelm it, and sometimes silence can be more powerful.
For me, writing a theme song for a movie depends on what style the storyline requires. A lot of the films I've made, I've been very lucky to use jazz and blues, two of the great American art forms.
Music has been a "constant" in my life since I was a child. After Fats Waller passed away, my mother took all of his albums home, saying that she might not be able to buy them anymore. From that point on, I started practicing piano to his records while also trying to imitate the tunes of other jazz and blues musicians of the era. I taught myself a bit of stride piano, and I also know how to write a three-chord, eight-syllable piece. I became interested in boogie-woogie, jazz and bebop. I also told stories while playing the piano, which was much earlier than making movies.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of performing on the same stage as Jay McShann at Carnegie Hall. I was playing "After Hours" by Avery Parrish, which I hadn't played in a long time. The original plan was for me to play half of the part, and then Jay McShann would take over. Before the performance, I said to him, "I don't know if I can remember it all... you have to come!" But as it turned out, he didn't come on stage, and I Before I knew it, I was talking about the end of the song. Later he said to me: "Well, you play well, so I think I should let you continue."