- Actors: Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Hammond, Gayle Dean Wardlow, Robert Burton McCormick
- Directors: Chris Hunt
- Producers: Chris Hunt, Caz Gorham
- Format: Black & White, Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC
- Language English
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Sony
- DVD Release Date: 31 Oct 2000
- Run Time: 72 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- ASIN: B000050IKX
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
62,702 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
- #97 in Film & TV > Music DVDs > Blues
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The mystery surrounding Robert Johnson's life and death is about as famous, or indeed infamous as his music, and the now legendary 29 tracks he recorded. Also legendary how The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin et al, covered many of his songs way back, and at one point, Eric Clapton, being such an ambassador for both the man and his music, wouldn't speak to anyone who didn't know who Robert Johnson was.
Most of my peers' on the local 'Granddad Rocks' circuit around here not only know who the man is, but also why he was and still is so important in shaping the sound of the music scene even today; and any excuse for not having an album with those 29 tracks on in the collection just isn't good enough - if you're a rocker, it's a MUST!
So too this DVD. TV documentary suited as it most certainly is, for the price you may as well have a copy sitting on the shelf as wait until it turns up on the Biography Channel; because you know as well as I do, us Granddad Rocks generation boys rarely, if ever, get ANYTHING on the Biography Channel worth getting excited over, so don't hold your breath, click and buy one.
It's a pretty good and well filmed and hosted doc, and at least the host, John Hammond, is a guitarist who's reading from the same page as you and I, and his enthusiasm in finding Robert's trail is as keen and fresh as our own would be were we in his shoes.
Thankfully, some of the people who knew Johnson personally are interviewed here, which is always great and a joy to see, and let's face it, like us, they aren't going to be there forever, so it's a good job this film was made whilst they were.
For many years I made a lot of empty excuses about why I didn't have Robert Johnson's album in my rack, simply because I didn't realise the profound effect he had on our musical heritage. Then, I bought the album, and now it's an absolute favourite. Along with this DVD you will have just about everything you need to know about this Legendary Musician, and if you've read through this far you're obviously interested enough to know more, so click the button, you won't regret it I'm telling you.
Most of my peers' on the local 'Granddad Rocks' circuit around here not only know who the man is, but also why he was and still is so important in shaping the sound of the music scene even today; and any excuse for not having an album with those 29 tracks on in the collection just isn't good enough - if you're a rocker, it's a MUST!
So too this DVD. TV documentary suited as it most certainly is, for the price you may as well have a copy sitting on the shelf as wait until it turns up on the Biography Channel; because you know as well as I do, us Granddad Rocks generation boys rarely, if ever, get ANYTHING on the Biography Channel worth getting excited over, so don't hold your breath, click and buy one.
It's a pretty good and well filmed and hosted doc, and at least the host, John Hammond, is a guitarist who's reading from the same page as you and I, and his enthusiasm in finding Robert's trail is as keen and fresh as our own would be were we in his shoes.
Thankfully, some of the people who knew Johnson personally are interviewed here, which is always great and a joy to see, and let's face it, like us, they aren't going to be there forever, so it's a good job this film was made whilst they were.
For many years I made a lot of empty excuses about why I didn't have Robert Johnson's album in my rack, simply because I didn't realise the profound effect he had on our musical heritage. Then, I bought the album, and now it's an absolute favourite. Along with this DVD you will have just about everything you need to know about this Legendary Musician, and if you've read through this far you're obviously interested enough to know more, so click the button, you won't regret it I'm telling you.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
24 reviews
160 of 165 people found the following review helpful
John Hammond Retraces RL's Life in the Delta
21 Jan 1999
Did Robert Johnson really sell his soul to old Scratch at the crossroads? John Hammond, Jr. explores the life and times of this legendary bluesman. Hammond, a fine blues musician himself, travels through the small towns of the Mississippi Delta and interviews several of Robert Johnson's contemporaries and acquaintances, including Johnny Shines. Hammond even tracks down a woman who claims to have been Johnson's wife. Most of the interviewees are in the later years, giving the documentary a living history feel. The documentary is filled with Johnson's music, much of it performed by Hammond, in Delta settings. It is quite stirring to see Hammond playing Crossroads at the crossroads. If you are a fan of the Delta blues, this is a must have film.
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful
A Must Have For Any Blues Collector
11 Dec 1999
If you are a fan of the blues you MUST have this tape, no question about that.
One thing I like about this film is that it is as authentic as original. The is a marked difference in the interview segments when comparing this film with Cant You Hear The Wind Howl. In this film John Hammond Jr is interviewing the woman Robert Johnson cries out for, Annie Mae... in this film when JH Jr plays the song to her she has an expression that she hears a voice from the grave and is visibly affected by the music. In the other film she is inviewed but appearing more relaxed and prepared for discussing Robert Johnson. The corner dueling scene between John Hammond and Johnny Shines is excellent, its as close to the real thing as I will probably see.
This is a most excellent documentary, I hope it is able to find its way to DVD, for blues fans it is a must have documentary.
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful
A wonderful DVD bringing together many people who at least tangentially, knew Robert Johnson.
5 Sep 2006
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This DVD offers a wealth of information about the life of Robert Johnson. We meet a girlfriend of Robert Johnson, who claims she knows where his actual burial ground is, and another girlfriend who had a song written about her by Robert (and who hears it for the first time on the DVD). A man is interviewed who claims to be Robert Johnson's son, along with a birth certificate showing that in fact this may be the case. Johnny Shines talks about how they would play the game of "cutting heads" in Helena, with Robert stealing away the audience every time. We get the insight that the person who poisoned Robert Johnson's drink admitted as such to one interviewer, after first presenting an alibi for a question which was never asked. We are also presented with three possible grave sites of Robert Johnson, though none of them can proven to be incontrovertible as such. In short, there is a lot of good information on this DVD about the enigmatic bluesman known as Robert Johnson (and pseudonyms in various other places). This DVD is clearly a window into the past which will slowly disappear as the years go on......Hammond does us all a great service by documenting Robert Johnson's life and that of his contemporaries.
The one complaint I would have is that at times Hammond (an excellent blues singer in his own right) himself is singing RJ's songs, and at the bottom of the screen it will have the name of Robert Johnson along with the songs title. This may leave those with little knowledge of the blues to conclude it is actually Robert Johnson who is singing, when in fact it is not. Also, there are montages throughout the film when they will be talking about Robert Johnson while at the same time showing pictures of blacks in bars and juke joints, without saying that in fact Robert Johnson is not in the photograph, as there are only two known photographs of him, and each one of these show him alone in the picture. To the novice blues fan, they may not know this and think they are actually seeing Robert Johnson, and I think this fact should have been made clear in the film.
Even with the above provisos, this was an excellent documentary on Robert Johnson's life....Hammond clearly has a deep love for the blues and the early musicians of the delta.
**** 1/2 stars.
The one complaint I would have is that at times Hammond (an excellent blues singer in his own right) himself is singing RJ's songs, and at the bottom of the screen it will have the name of Robert Johnson along with the songs title. This may leave those with little knowledge of the blues to conclude it is actually Robert Johnson who is singing, when in fact it is not. Also, there are montages throughout the film when they will be talking about Robert Johnson while at the same time showing pictures of blacks in bars and juke joints, without saying that in fact Robert Johnson is not in the photograph, as there are only two known photographs of him, and each one of these show him alone in the picture. To the novice blues fan, they may not know this and think they are actually seeing Robert Johnson, and I think this fact should have been made clear in the film.
Even with the above provisos, this was an excellent documentary on Robert Johnson's life....Hammond clearly has a deep love for the blues and the early musicians of the delta.
**** 1/2 stars.
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