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Reviews (8)

a trip back in time
i had a lot of trouble trying to get this in my country,especally on original format(vhs)so i tracked down a copy on dvd,it was a trip back in time,it was a great doco,however i didnt think it was as good as i expected,but i still think its worth a look at,but i dont think its worth the high prices the vhs copys go for..

Awesome
As a former NYC master graffiti artist (circa 1971-74) I can attest to the fact that this movie is without peer. A historic document that brings back such strong memories of my very early youth sometimes I can't watch the whole thing without a brake.

stations of the elevated
after hearing stories of this movie i purchased this and was dumbfounded !! being an avid railfan, graffiti fan i was amazed how this movie is so obscure and not really heard of ... i personally like this better than "style wars" due to the rare footage of subway graffiti unavailable anywhere else "vandalism" at it heyday ...love it or hate it's art and here to stay !! although i personally think the movie should have strictly focused on the subway graffiti because who wants to see old burger king or suntan ads... alas graffiti on the subways no longer runs ...and this is a very rare look into very hard to find rare footage of the "subway art movement" it has gone the way of the buffalo....brings back that oldschool feeling ! sorry to say the mingus music comes second to the "heaven is life" "and earth is HELL" masterpiece running like it did thru the boogie down! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Jazz    3. Music Video - Jazz    4. Pop    5. Post-Bop   

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Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Music Video - Jazz    3. Post-Bop   

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Reviews (2)

Not bad!
This film is a trip for the true Mingus wanna-be.It is certainly not overly accessible, but please don't pass this by if you want to view Mr. Mingus in his own context.I loved every minute of this experience, especially chanting the poems along w/ the whole audience at the theatre I saw it in.For those who can't get enough of Mingus it's a treat.

Mingus, Ah...Um...
As a documentary, this is a mess.As a concert film, it isn't long enough.As an example of cinema concr�te, well, who knows...Read more

Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Jazz    3. Music Video - Jazz    4. Pop    5. Post-Bop   

Editorial Review

Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and rebel Charles Mingus is fascinating stuff. Mingus said of himself "I am half black man, half yellow man, but I claim to be a Negro. I am Charles Mingus, the famed jazz musician--but not famed enough to make a living in America." His statement summed up the conflict that plagued this musical genius his entire life: volatility, pain, prescience, and raw rage roiled inside a complex man, composer, bass player, and trombonist who transcended labels and refused to be pigeonholed into a single musical style--and who did not achieve real fame until late in his career. The documentary is full of well-preserved footage and contains interviews with many Mingus followers like Wynton Marsalis as well as performances by icons Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan. The film traverses past the musical legend with insight and information into Mingus's personal life, his civil rights activism, and his final triumph in the music world--just as his body began to deteriorate from Lou Gehrig's disease--to his eventual death in 1979. Mingus left a legacy composed of genius, vulnerability, brilliance, anarchy, and, as one friend noted, "the entire range of human emotion that is reflected in his music." Read more

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Reviews (13)

Brilliant musician - very good composer.
This documentary unapologetically has a mission: to elevate Charles Mingus' status to"great" composer. Whether he is or is not can be argued, but when compared with the likes of Duke Ellington who was unquestionably a great composer, he might move down just a notch. A "great" bass player? Unquestionably. Herein lies my complaint: not enough focus on Mingus the bass player. That being said, this documentary makes it clear that Mingus and music are one. The most introspective moments come in the form of home movies of Mingus sitting at the piano composing. One scene in particular has him playing "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on an old upright to his daughter. Clearly this documentary was a work of love put together by those who revere his music and want to keep it alive. Make no mistake, the music is great and this documentary is a worthy effort.

Great Mingus Footage, Bad Documentary
I must agree with the review entitled 'disappointed'.I am an avid collector of Mingus records and am familiar with much of his career.This attempt at a portrait of Mingus is poorly constructed and fails to provide even a basic overview of his life and music.There is no chronology as tantalising snippts of film jump from the seventies back to the fifties, with scarce an opportunity to listen to an extended piece.Rather than allow the rare concert footage and original recordings to 'speak for themselves', the filmmakers lean heavily on ponderous and repetitive interviews that either emphasise how volatile a personality was Mingus or how he was an American equivalent of a Schoenberg.There is virtually no discussion of any one of his many innovative recordings, and the film moves briskly through his 'golden period' of roughly '55 to '65 with little mention of his many great achievements.We are told repeatedly what a great composer and bassist Mingus was, and yet the film includes precious little footage of Mingus and his bands performing.As mentioned, the chronology of the footage is so poorly arranged that there is no sense of what a remarkable period of activity Mingus sustained during that ten year period in which the vast bulk of his classic recordings were made. Outstanding!
Definitely ranks up there with "Straight No Chaser" and "A Great Day In Harlem".The interviews with Mingus' sidemen are priceless, as are the discussions with Sue and Celia Mingus.A crucial documentary for serious fans. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Jazz    3. Movie   

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• Color
• Live
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Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Music Video - Jazz    3. Pop   

Features

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• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

The genious and mastery of Eric Dolphy
Although there is very little footage of Eric Dolphy (ED) in this informative documentry,the film still manages to capture the essence of this beautiful brother.It seems that ED knew what he wanted to do at aearly age.His level of commitment is truely endearing, as this isconveyed through interviews (early in the film) with relatives, musicinstructors, and acquaintences.ED could have given up his pursuits of amusical quest because as teenage he had applied to play with theL.A.Symphony, but was turned down do his "color". Fortunately forus ED persevere, and continued pursuits musical creativety. This abeautiful film about a beautiful individual. Truely one of the great jazzgaints, whose career was cut to short in part by a miss diagnosishypoglycemia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Avant-Garde Jazz    3. Documentary    4. Free Jazz    5. Jazz    6. Pop    7. Post-Bop   

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• Color
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Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Music Video - Jazz    3. Pop   

Editorial Review

Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and rebel Charles Mingus is fascinating stuff. Mingus said of himself "I am half black man, half yellow man, but I claim to be a Negro. I am Charles Mingus, the famed jazz musician--but not famed enough to make a living in America." His statement summed up the conflict that plagued this musical genius his entire life: volatility, pain, prescience, and raw rage roiled inside a complex man, composer, bass player, and trombonist who transcended labels and refused to be pigeonholed into a single musical style--and who did not achieve real fame until late in his career. The documentary is full of well-preserved footage and contains interviews with many Mingus followers like Wynton Marsalis as well as performances by icons Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan. The film traverses past the musical legend with insight and information into Mingus's personal life, his civil rights activism, and his final triumph in the music world--just as his body began to deteriorate from Lou Gehrig's disease--to his eventual death in 1979. Mingus left a legacy composed of genius, vulnerability, brilliance, anarchy, and, as one friend noted, "the entire range of human emotion that is reflected in his music." Read more

Features

• PAL

Reviews (13)

Brilliant musician - very good composer.
This documentary unapologetically has a mission: to elevate Charles Mingus' status to"great" composer. Whether he is or is not can be argued, but when compared with the likes of Duke Ellington who was unquestionably a great composer, he might move down just a notch. A "great" bass player? Unquestionably. Herein lies my complaint: not enough focus on Mingus the bass player. That being said, this documentary makes it clear that Mingus and music are one. The most introspective moments come in the form of home movies of Mingus sitting at the piano composing. One scene in particular has him playing "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on an old upright to his daughter. Clearly this documentary was a work of love put together by those who revere his music and want to keep it alive. Make no mistake, the music is great and this documentary is a worthy effort.

Great Mingus Footage, Bad Documentary
I must agree with the review entitled 'disappointed'.I am an avid collector of Mingus records and am familiar with much of his career.This attempt at a portrait of Mingus is poorly constructed and fails to provide even a basic overview of his life and music.There is no chronology as tantalising snippts of film jump from the seventies back to the fifties, with scarce an opportunity to listen to an extended piece.Rather than allow the rare concert footage and original recordings to 'speak for themselves', the filmmakers lean heavily on ponderous and repetitive interviews that either emphasise how volatile a personality was Mingus or how he was an American equivalent of a Schoenberg.There is virtually no discussion of any one of his many innovative recordings, and the film moves briskly through his 'golden period' of roughly '55 to '65 with little mention of his many great achievements.We are told repeatedly what a great composer and bassist Mingus was, and yet the film includes precious little footage of Mingus and his bands performing.As mentioned, the chronology of the footage is so poorly arranged that there is no sense of what a remarkable period of activity Mingus sustained during that ten year period in which the vast bulk of his classic recordings were made. Outstanding!
Definitely ranks up there with "Straight No Chaser" and "A Great Day In Harlem".The interviews with Mingus' sidemen are priceless, as are the discussions with Sue and Celia Mingus.A crucial documentary for serious fans. ... Read more