Called a "one night history of the blues," Antoine Fuqua's Lightning in a Bottle--filmed live on February 7, 2003 at New York's Radio City Music Hall--presents over two dozen blues classics performed by a wide array of artists ranging from Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown to Chuck D, while huge video walls project archival stills and clips of past blues masters (Son House, John Lee Hooker, etc.). Highlights include Natalie Cole's vibrant reading of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," Ruth Brown's (backed by Cole and Mavis Staples) "Men Are Like Streetcars" (with an amusing cameo by Bill Cosby), John Fogerty covering Leadbelly's "Midnight Special," blues guitarist Robert Cray backing Shemekia Copeland on "I Pity the Fool," and Buddy Guy accompanying Angelique Kidjo on Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child," as well as the master--B.B. King--serving up a signature "Sweet Sixteen." Not all of the contemporary artists fit the blues bill here (Macy Gray and former New York Dolls glam rocker David Johansen seem particularly out of place), nor do all the songs strictly qualify as nuthin' but the blues (the Neville Brothers' version of Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" and Solomon Burke's "Turn on Your Love Light" both rock the house, but blues they ain't). Still, these are minor quibbles: there's plenty here to satisfy fans of Delta, New Orleans, and Chicago blues, while also appealing to general music lovers as well. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, the disc also features five bonus performances and a brief interview with Fuqua. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
Lightning in a Bottle
(2004) 109 min. DVD: $24.95. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-4049-6271-9. Volume 20, Issue 3
Lightning in a Bottle
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: