Leadbelly

Leadbelly isn't a great movie, but it does a good job of conveying a sense of the man, and the lead performance is very strong.

Director Parks doesn't quite carry off the sense of how alien a world the old segregated South was, and the movie has a bit too much of a this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened quality to it, rather than shaping Leadbelly's story to make a great movie.

But overall the movie is engaging, entertaining, and educational, and you get a sense of why he was such an influence on today's music. It's an enormous shame that the Weavers never credited him in "Wasn't that a time."

If all you knew of Roger E. Mosley was as Tom Selleck's chopper pilot sidekick, T. C., on '80s TV's "Magnum, P. I.," then it may come as a surprise how good he is playing the title role in this fictionalized story of the legendary bluesman Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. Leadbelly, directed by Gordon Parks. Covering a span of more than 20 years, from his 20s to 40s, the master songwriter and guitarist hones his craft while serving prison sentences slaving away on Southern chain gangs. He's even pardoned by an outgoing Governor, largely because of his popular musicianship, but as he tries to make his way back to his ancestral home, he is still not able to be completely free of the painful chains that have bound him. Some fine acting by several of the leads, and Mosley adds much of his own vocals (with the only slightly less legendary Brownie McGhee, who had played with Leadbelly in the 1940s, adding guitar), but it's equally worth noting that most Southern whites are depicted as racist, one-dimensional morons (not that that's unfair, necessarily; it's not *their* story, and therefore they are only notable for their incessant and relentless cruelty). I couldn't decide between 7 or 8 stars out of 10, and the lower number reflects the failings of the studio more than the film. (Hollywood still could barely conceive of a serious dramatic movie cast populated predominantly with people of color, but equally appealing to mostly a Caucasian moviegoing audience, despite it having witnessed the success of "Sounder" just 2-3 years earlier.) Oh well; at least, in a post Marvel's "Black Panther" world, that thinking no longer predominates.

Not only was this one of the most insightful biographical films I have ever seen, it was also a most poignant and revealing documentation of turn of the century social attitudes. This is truly a great film that I especially recommend to blues and rock and roll afficiandoes. Leadbelly in my opinion played a major part in the history of music and this movie plays a significant part towards documenting his story.

As a music video this film works well with generous amounts of the title character's songs and a guitar picking contest that is the equal of "Deliverance", in my humble. However as a serious biopic of a musician of genius it falls considerably short mostly due to Ernest Kinoy's rather superficial script, which is long on knife fighting and tomcatting around in bordellos and "Cool Hand Luke" wannabe chain gang stuff but alarmingly thin on why Leadbelly became a blues singer instead of, say, a farmer or a pimp or why many of his most famous songs, like 'Goodnight Irene" and "Midnight Special", seem to have as much folk influence as blues. So enjoy the concert but if you want to know more about this important figure in American culture you'll have to do some reading. C plus.

Marvellously atmospheric piece, loaded with great music, full of the air and vibe of blues legend Leadbelly's life and times. Color, energy, wonderful cinematography with washed-out colors suggesting heat and years of sun; truly great soundtrack. Every blues and rock fan should see it.