The Ritchie Blackmore Story

Although Ritchie Blackmore has played in several bands, including the Outlaws, this documentary concentrates on his work in Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Blackmore's Night. The guitarist here narrates his own biography, with contributions from collaborators and admirers, including Queen's Brian May and Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. After taking childhood guitar lessons, Blackmore eventually graduated to session work with heavy hitters like Gene Vincent in the 1960s. With Deep Purple, he formed his first real band. Although the lineup would fluctuate over the years, the primary players included Jon Lord on keyboards, Roger Glover on bass, and Ian Paice on drums (Lord, who passed away in 2012, appears in archival footage). After kicking Rod Evans out of the band, they set out to find someone who could, as Blackmore puts it, “scream like Arthur Brown.” Ian Gillan fit the bill, and he sang on Deep Purple's biggest albums. Unfortunately, Gillan and Blackmore also clashed, a problem that also plagued Rainbow, the group Blackmore later formed, as the guitarist took issue with singer after singer. Even though this portrait clearly means to burnish the musician's reputation, Blackmore emerges as his own worst enemy as it becomes evident that his control freak tendencies created an uncomfortable environment for Rainbow singers Graham Bonnet (whose hair didn't suit Blackmore's tastes) and Ronnie James Dio (who spent more time with his wife than the band). In recent years, Blackmore has worked with his wife, Candice Night, with whom he has made 10 records of Renaissance rock under the moniker Blackmore's Night. Directed by Alan Ravenscroft, this somewhat hagiographical portrait is presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)