Les Blank Movies
A theater student at Tulane University and a communications major at U.S.C.-Los Angeles, Les Blank became a professional filmmaker at the age of 29, when he co-directed the documentary featurette Dizzy Gillespie. Blank has since articulated his fascination with music, food, and ethnic culture in a series of offbeat full-length documentaries, bearing such titles as Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers (1979) and In Heaven There Is No Beer? (1984). After completing 1981's Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, Blank followed Herzog to South America. It was here that Blank assembled his most famous film, Burden of Dreams (1982), a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Herzog's Fitzcarraldo. Making a rare foray into television in 1983, Blank directed the free-wheeling adaptation of Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. The subject of numerous major museum retrospectives, Les Blank has been honored with the Maya Deren Life Achievement Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2007
David Lee Hoffman is a man who has devoted his life to tea. Hoffman is an importer who brings unusual varieties of tea to discerning drinkers in the United States, specializing in teas that have been grown organically and picked and dried by hand by growers who use experience and instinct as their guides. However, the bulk of Hoffman's most prized teas are grown by independent farmers in China, where the growth of industrialization and an increased demand for higher-yield cash crops is helping to put such planters out of business. Filmmakers Les Blank and Gina Leibrecht offer an in-depth portrait of Hoffman and the growers he works with in the documentary All in This Tea, which demonstrates how handcrafted teas are produced and how Hoffman struggles to educate drinkers about the finer points of a beverage that few have experienced in its most sublime form. All in This Tea was screened in competition at the 2007 San Francisco International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1997
In this first tape of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte traces the roots of the musical form that has come to be called Latin music. From its origins in Africa and Spain, Belafonte details the evolution of the rhythms that would eventually be carried across the sea on slave ships. Featuring archival clips of early Latin superstars, the video sets the historical stage for a thorough exploration of this passion-filled musical form. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Belafonte, Gloria Estefan, (more)
- 1997
In the second tape of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte leads the viewer on a tour of the blossoming of Latin music in the Cuban and Caribbean cultures. Featuring performances by some of the best known Latin performers including Tito Puente, Desi Arnaz, and Ruben Blades, this volume sets the stage for the explosion of Latin flavored music into the world of popular culture. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Estefan, Dizzy Gillespie, (more)
- 1997
In this final volume of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte chronicles the rise to fame and fortune of Latin-influenced performers. As in the first two volumes, Roots of Rhythm, Vol. 3: To the Top of the Charts features the performances of some of the leading lights in the field of Latin music including Dizzy Gillespie, King Sunny Ade, the Miami Sound Machine, and many more. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Belafonte, Gloria Estefan, (more)
- 1995
In this documentary Yugoslav filmmaker Dusan Makavejev reminisces about his career, his personal life, and the troubles of his former nation. Included are clips from his dramatic features, newsreel footage, and contemporary footage of the war-torn countryside. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This American documentary profiles the colorful life of middle-aged artist Gerald ("The Maestro") Gaxiola who 20 years ago forsook the daily grind of a normal job to become "a Western cowboy," a persona he has cultivated ever since. Gaxiola has created numerous objets d'folkart in that time ranging from painted landscapes to 72 Van Gogh-inspired paintings to detailed, realistic sculptures. Though he has produced many works, and has even dabbled in performance art, Gaxiola refuses to sell his art because he believes that "art is a religion, not a business," and fears that he will be "corrupted" should he sell any of it. As a result, Gaxiola has very little money, but this does not stop him from creating, nor does it stop him from launching periodic paint pellet gun attacks on such "institutionalized" artists as Christo and the late Warhol. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Wild Wheels is a fascinating documentary about automobile fanatics who own a bizarre array of specially designed cars and motorcycles such as the Hippomobile, the Grass-Car, and the Cowasaki. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Ann and Marc Savoy have brought their love of their Cajun heritage into their marriage. The talented couple share their Cajun traditions with others through their music and artistry. Marc Savoy is an accomplished accordion maker as well as player. Ann Savoy's music speaks of the stories she also tells in her book Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People. With the Savoys as guides, the viewer goes on a journey through Cajun country, to enjoy the music, dance, food, and storytelling traditions that characterize the unique Cajun culture of Southwest Louisiana. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this documentary, a group of Americans who have joined a bus tour of Europe run by Globus Gateway are followed for the two weeks the group traveled around the continent, debarking at regular intervals at museums, historic buildings, and restaurants. Despite the temptation to poke fun at this "lazy" way to see the sights and the people who choose it, the filmmakers chose to feature a more sympathetic and humane perspective, and another story begins to emerge which illustrates the point of view of its residents that Europe is increasingly beginning to look like an enormous theme park especially designed for tourists. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1991
A cooking video that focuses on Cajun and Creaole cooking. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1990
Afro-Cuban music throughout the world is profiled in this video tracing its path from African and Spain into the Caribbean, the United States and onto the rest of the world. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1989
This program features a look at the black culture and blues traditions of Texas. Nowhere do blues run deeper than in Deep Ellum. In the 1930s and 1940s, blues musicians performed for African-Americans, as well as curious white outsiders, including gangsters like Pretty Boy Floyd. Archival photographs and film clips show great musicians, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, entertaining the crowds. Cigarette Blues presents the band Sonny Rhodes and the Texas Twisters. Their act in a California nightclub is interspersed with variations on a blues theme by the audience and the musicians. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
This lively documentary takes the viewer deep into the Cajun and Zydeco musical world of Louisiana, and features interviews and performances from some of the best known musicians, as it traces the history of both musical forms using archival footage from the 1930s onward. That history is inextricably intertwined with the history of the people who settled Louisiana, and the documentary illuminates that story with interviews from historians and folklore specialists. Among the many musicians featured are Clifton Chenier, Queen Ida, and Wayne Toups. These two musical forms were almost obliterated by the influx of U.S. popular music when rural Louisiana became less isolated after World War Two, but they underwent a revival in the 1960's which has continued to this day. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Doucet, Marc Savoy, (more)
- 1989
A musical documentary that features the culture and music of the Serbian-American communities of Chicago and California. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1988
Les Blank is the director of all of the films in this collection. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1987
This anthology includes "Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins," "God Respects Us When We Work" and many others. These are director Les Blank's own favorites. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1983
Tommy Jarrel brings to life the people and atmosphere of North Carolina as he tells tales and fiddles his time away. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1982
This documentary includes an interview with German filmmaker, Werner Herzog. ~ All Movie Guide
