Wild Man Blues

Wild Man Blues
Film poster
Directed by	Barbara Kopple
Produced by	Jean Doumanian
Starring	Woody Allen New Orleans Jazz Band
Cinematography	Tom Hurwitz
Edited by	Lawrence Silk
Production companies	Sweetland Films Magnolia Productions
Distributed by	Fine Line Features
Release date	January 1997 (1997-01)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	French, English, Italian

Wild Man Blues is a 1997 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple, about the musical avocation of actor/director/comic Woody Allen. The film takes its name from a jazz composition by Jelly Roll Morton (with Louis Armstrong often credited as co-composer due to his influential arrangement), recorded by Morton, Armstrong, and many others. Wild Man Blues is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested) because the film includes several profanities.

Theme

The film depicts Allen's love of early 20th century New Orleans music by preserving performances on the 1996 tour in Europe by his New Orleans Jazz Band. Allen has played clarinet with this band for over 25 years.

The film ends with a family lunch that is attended by Allen, his wife, sister and parents. Allen asks that his parents offer reflections about him as a aspiring musician during his youth. Instead, his mother instead offers significant criticism. She criticises his choice of career, his character and his decision to marry an Asian woman. In response, Woody criticises his mother for repeatedly beating him as a child, and sending him to Hebrew school (which Allen refers to as "time wasting junk"). The lunch ends abruptly after Allen describes the event as "the lunch from hell".

Musicians

• Dan Barrett, on trombone
• Simon Wettenhall, on trumpet
• John Gill, on drums and vocals
• Greg Cohen, on bass
• Cynthia Sayer, on piano
• Eddy Davis, band director, and on banjo
• Allen, on clarinet

Although their European tour is the primary focus, the film was also notable as the first major public showcase for Allen's relationship with Soon-Yi Previn.

Formats published

Since the deletion of its original, contemporaneous VHS releases, the film has had only an afterlife on DVD. In April 2012 the film was featured as a bonus disc on an Australian box set of Allen's films, and similarly appeared as an extra in a UK Region 2 box set in July 2014. Although the film is not available as a standalone DVD in any of the main English-speaking countries, it has been released singly in various Region 2 pressings around Europe, with relevant (optional) subtitles.

• The film soundtrack was released on RCA Compact Disc and later digitally

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 86% approval rating based on 37 reviews. Roger Ebert stated "[Kopple] might seem an unlikely choice for this material, but no doubt her track record gained Allen's trust." Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide commented "Die-hard Woody Allen fans will be grateful for even these small glimpses of their idol at his most unguarded, but the less-devoted would be better off renting ANNIE HALL." Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote 'In her unexpectedly delightful documentary about Woody Allen as jazz musician, Barbara Kopple demonstrates cinema verite at its most seductive. Her Wild Man Blues invites its audience to take a grand tour of Europe, listen to jauntily exhilarating music and regard Mr. Allen in a colorful new light." Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club stated "...Wild Man Blues nicely conveys a sense of its subject's dedication to his craft... Those interested in Allen simply because he's Allen will want to see Wild Man Blues, but in the end, Kopple has been given a couple of interesting subjects (New Orleans jazz in its current state and Woody Allen), and her film fails to get at the heart of either."

External links

• Wild Man Blues at IMDb