St. Louis Blues (1958)
“There are only two kinds of horns: Gabriel’s and the devil’s!”
Synopsis: |
Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
Review: … and offering up plenty of fine musical numbers. Unfortunately, Cole isn’t quite up to the task of such a major acting role; he’s clearly at his most comfortable when singing and playing the piano (a personal favorite is his rendition of “Morning Star”). The storyline, while based on facts — Handy was indeed quite religious, and his father even more so — is thin and poorly structured, with sudden-onset blindness appearing as an odd and inexplicable narrative crutch. With that said, film fanatics may still be curious to check this one out, simply for its historical value as a film with black actors in all leading roles, and for the musical performances. Redeeming Qualities and Moments: Must See? Links: |