J'ai Ete Au Bal (I Went To The Dance)

Independent filmmaker Les Blank once again mines the rich vein of non-commercial music in this exhilarating (read "footstomping") paean to the Cajun and Zydeco music of Southern Louisiana. Blank, sharing filmmaking honors with Maureen Gosling and Chris Strachowitz opens his film with a bit of history: in the 1750s, the French-speaking Acadians were driven out of Nova Scotia, and migrated to the bayous of Louisiana. Once the melting pot began to boil in earnest, a new hybrid of French-American music was born: Cajun. A Blue Ribbon winner at the 1990 American Film & Video Festival, J'ai Ete Au Bal traces the evolution of Cajun and Zydeco music, from the early pioneers of the 1920s and 30s (Cleoma and Joe Falcon, accordionist Dennis McGee--who died late last year--Harry Choates, etc.) through the pivotal figures of the 50s (such as Iry Lejeune, and the bands who played "Swamp Pop"--the Cajun version of rock 'n roll), and up to modern times: Wayne Toups, Queen Ida, and the late zydeco king Clifton Chenier. Along the way, we are privy to a number of amazing and hilarious anecdotes, historical photos and film footage, and, of course, some darn good music. In theory, it is probably impossible to tell a tale from all different angles; Blank's particular gift is that his films are so rich and diverse that we come away believing we know and understand the whole story. That's a rare accomplishment in documentary filmmaking. Highly recommended. (Available from: Flower Films, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530.)