6.7
The story of the Black queer origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.
Little Richard
Self (archive footage)
John Waters
Self
Mick Jagger
Self
Billy Porter
Self
Tom Jones
Self
Paul McCartney
Self (archive footage)
Nona Hendryx
Self
Valerie June
Self
Nile Rodgers
Self
Fredara Hadley
Self
Alan Freed
Self (archive footage)
Elvis Presley
Self (archive footage)
Pat Boone
Self (archive footage)
John Lennon
Self (archive voice)
Keith Winslow
Self
Director
Lisa Cortés
May 6, 2023
7
I admit to not really knowing so much about this enigmatic and flamboyant man, and I found this effort from Lisa Cortes to be quite an engaging and enlightening introduction. Using a mix of actuality and some soundbites, we are presented with an observational documentary of an outwardly gay man who can truly claim to have "invented" rock 'n roll - with over a dozen, instantly recognisable, toe-tappers to his name. As ever, we have the usual music industry shenanigans, his flirtations with sex, drugs, booze and ultimately, his rediscovery of religion as possibly his only lifeline. It's a well paced analysis but I could have been doing with more of his actual performances - especially as his songs tended to be so very short. It's still quite astonishing that so much footage does still exist and the use of the early material really does work well to illustrate not just how captivating he was as an entertainer, but also how effective he - and his music - was at offering some (limited) conduits for racial and sexual integration at a time when segregation was still rife and homosexuality still very much illegal. A fascinating insight not just into this man, but into the times in which he flourished; of the influential role his music played around the USA at the time, and well worth a watch.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00