......superbly crafted portrait......Interviews with Johnson's contemporaries and modern-day musicians are deftly combined with hauntingly lyrical re-dramatizations of Johnson's life.....Blues artist Keb' Mo' in a sublime performance of movement and grace.....Offers an invaluable insight into how music can shape our culture, breathe life into myth, and give rise to a legend.
Various feature films and documentaries have touched on Johnson's remarkable story, but none has done so as honestly or poetically as Can't You Hear The Wind Howl? It does so, in part, by juxtaposing archival footage with acted dramatizations....a risky approach for any documentary....(but) they never intrude on the documentary tone of the film or its veracity. Instead, they give the story a flesh-and-blood quality it would not have otherwise.
Documentarian Peter W. Meyer revisits Highway 61 and other strange byways to deliver a loving mytho-biography.
Wind transcends its genre of "docudrama," providing the well-researched information we'd expect from a conventional documentary with the dramatic impact we could hope for from a Hollywood film.
Strong film....breaking from the strict documentary format, Meyer's film mixes vintage footage with new material that evokes rough, Depression-era America.
It sheds powerful light on a figure who has long remained in the dark. The presence of such musicians as Johnny Shines and Honeyboy Edwards are a big part of what makes Wind blow so strong.
Enthralling.....film neatly explains who Johnson was.
Now, with that culture almost gone, works like Meyer's become even more valuable. Framed by the stories and views of his peers, Johnson's brief haunted life gains a different kind of authority.
Director Peter Meyer delivers an essential documentary on the life of blues legend Robert Johnson......Meyer's 10-year labor of love is a must-see.
Excellent introduction to the life, music, and mythology of one of the most influential artists in American music.
This acclaimed film is a one-of-a-kind documentary.
This documentary is terrific -- as good as can be done, actually, considering only two known photos of Robert Johnson exist to show what he looked like. Turns out that was all the filmmakers needed. For the rest, they turned to other elderly musicians and friends who knew Johnson way back when, the talented Keb' Mo' to play Johnson in some re-enactment scenes, and Danny Glover to tell the story. And of course, the music. That indelible music.
Looking uncannily like the mysterious Johnson, Keb' Mo' appears in new footage Meyer masterfully blends with archival film of the era.
Filmmaker Peter Meyer has created a documentary on the life of Johnson, no mean feat since there are only two known photographs of Johnson in existence. Gone is the Ken Burns, flood the screen with old photos option, so in Meyer's film, he relies on Johnson's music and the recollection of select contemporaries to enhance the bluesman's legend. For those curious about perhaps the most influential musician of modern times, Wind is a must see.
Peter Meyer presents a vivid portrait of this enigmatic figure, revealing the man behind the myth. Danny Glover delivers an enthusiastic narration and bluesman Keb' Mo' uncannily portrays Johnson.
The stories are fascinating, and the music is great. This well-made film is highly recommended.
Wind is an important piece of American musical history.
This is a beautifully made film.
I watched this fascinating documentary last night, and cannot get the images out of my head. I am especially impressed with the interviews Peter Meyer manages to get, including Johnny Shines (who passed away shortly after the filming concluded), Honeyboy Edwards, Robert Jr. Lockwood (who remembers and plays a very rare portion of one of Johnson's unrecorded songs), Henry Townsend, and former girlfriend Willie Mae Powell (for whom Robert wrote 'Love In Vain') in her first filmed interview. It is amazing to be able to look into the eyes of these great artists, and see in each a haunted look as they relate their firsthand experiences with Robert Johnson. The effect is eerie and very powerful. Peter Meyer has done great work in finding, listening to, and capturing these priceless voices before they are gone forever.
