Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Reel Deal Movies That Matter Review> Janis: Little Girl Blue a documentary on Janis Joplan by Amy Berg

Janis: Little Girl Blue directed by Amy Berg: Janis died at age 27 in a LA motel room of a heroin overdose in the middle of a recording session for a new album. Amy Berg knows we all know that. So her Janis does not overly dwell on the “Behind the Music” dark backstory. Instead she gives us a vibrant Janis who got out of Port Arthur, TX, as soon as soon as she could. First Austin TX for college, next San Francisco (where I became friends with her while both of us were living in North Beach). Berg covers the essentials and includes some very much neglected facts. She has on camera Janis’s black lesbian lover from her coffee house singing days who fills in missing information; she interviews Big Brother members, lovers like Country Joe McDonald and ends with her last and perhaps most important love, a hippie hobo traveling the world.  Berg made the right decision by making the core of her film Janis performing live . I suspect that the only place Janis felt whole and happy was singing on stage. It is evident in the collection of live performances Berg’s brings to us. Kudos to Berg and her fellow producer Alex Gibney for capturing the magic that was Janis live. I think you will love it !


Here is a clip from Little Girl Blue






Note; Amy Berg also made one of the most important documentaries of the year . It was on the sexual harassment of teenage boys in Hollywood, It opened and disappeared , I would say it was industry censorship. Look for it  




(cc) Jim fouratt reeldealmovies@gmail.com




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