A poem is a naked person

A poem is a naked person

DVD - 2016

Filmmaker Les Blank considered this free-form feature documentary about singer-songwriter Leon Russell, filmed between 1972 and 1974 while Blank was living at the Russell/Shelter records recording studio compound on Grand Lake of the Cherokees in NE Oklahoma, but unreleased due to creative differences and music clearance problems, to be one of his greatest accomplishments. Includes scenes of Russell and his band and others performing, both in concert and in the studio.

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DVD/781.66092/Russell
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Subjects
Russell, Leon.
Rock musicians > Biography.
Musical films.
Documentary films.
Biographical films.
Filmed performances.
Genres
Documentary films
Biographical films
Filmed performances
Published
[New York] : The Criterion Collection [2016]
Language
English
Other Authors
Les Blank (film director), Leon Russell (film producer)
Edition
DVD special edition ; DVD edition ; full screen
Item Description
Originally produced as a motion picture in 1974
Special features: Harrod Blank and Leon Russell (the director's son sits down with the musician to talk about the film's long journey, from its production in the early 1970s to its release in 2015); Les Blank (excerpts from 2013 screening of the film); "A film's forty-year journey" (37 min. documentary features interviews with director Les Blank's son Harrod Blank; sound recordist and assistant editor Maureen Gosling; and Jim Franklin, the artist prominently featured in the film); "Out in the woods" (short documentary shot by Maureen Gosling during the two-year filming process at Gand Lake O' the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma, presented along with excerpts from letters she wrote to family); Trailers. Insert features an essay by critic Kent Jones.
Physical Description
1 videodisc (90 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in
Format
DVD; Region 1; NTSC; full screen (1.33:1); monaural.
Production Credits
Photography and editing, Les Blank
ISBN
9781681431185
Contents unavailable.
Review by Library Journal Review

Never released theatrically and rarely seen since its 1974 completion, renowned independent documentarian Blank's first feature-length film captures Oklahoma rocker Leon Russell recording, performing, and palling around with famous friends such as George Jones and Willie Nelson in the early 1970s. Blank forgoes story and structure in this visually and aurally appealing but only occasionally comprehensible portrait of Russell at his commercial peak and bursting with musical ideas. While there is much to savor, including riveting live performances and insightful interviews, there is also plenty of what some viewers would consider pretentious filler, for example, an oddly filmed scene of artist Jim Franklin painting Russell's empty pool. Worthwhile extras include several featurettes about the making of the original film and its recent resurrection. VERDICT More entertaining and engaging than it is informative, this rare rock and roll artifact will appeal to Russell's most ardent followers as well as art film fans and students. [See Trailers, LJ 2/1/16.]-Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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