In 1990, commissioned by award-winning musician, songwriter, producer, innovator and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart, veteran music film director Robert Mugge and renowned music scholar Robert Palmer ventured deep into the heart of the North Mississippi Hill Country and Mississippi Delta to seek out the best rural blues acts currently working. Starting on Beale Street in Memphis, they headed south to the juke joints, lounges, front porches, and parlors of Holly Springs, Greenville, Clarksdale, Bentonia, and Lexington. Along the way, they visited celebrated landmarks and documented talented artists cut off from the mainstream of the recording industry. The resulting film expresses reverence for the rich musical history of the region, spotlighting local performers, soon to be world-renowned, thanks in large part to the film, and demonstrating how the blues continues to thrive in new generations of gifted musicians.
Featuring performances by Booker T. Laury, R.L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Junior Kimbrough, Roosevelt “Booba” Barnes and the Playboys, Big Jack Johnson, Jack Owens with Bud Spires, and Lonnie Pitchford.
For thoughts on Deep Blues, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Blu-Ray of Deep Blues is sourced from a new 4K restoration in its original 1.33:1. This is a gorgeous transfer that all but eliminates any blemishes to the print outside of the occasional white specks, tiny cuts and other small blemishes. There does not appear to be any issues with compression artifacts or any other such digital anomalies. You do get to see some fine detail in the outfits of the subjects and in some of the background elements of the natural environments. Colors present with a wonderful vividness that pops off the screen. The transfer retains impeccable film grain support throughout with nothing looking artificial and no overwhelming instances of spiking. When you consider the vintage of the film and the presumed condition of the source material, it is pleasing to see the material looking so strong. This presentation does a stellar job of giving life to this scene.
Audio Quality
The new Blu-Ray is presented with a newly restored LPCM 2.0 stereo track that suits the material as well as you would want. The interviews are a major focus of this feature, and they mostly hold up quite well considering some of the conditions of capturing these subjects out in the world surrounded by patrons, friends and family. Some of the information is a bit muddled due to some of the limitations of the equipment and the chatter of the crowded locations, but mostly things remain clear. The numerous musical performances maintain a nice fidelity that really resonate deep inside of you. There are a few brief moments where there is a fluctuation in the audio that seems to stem from limitations of the source material, but these are fleeting and not a major issue. Restoring documentaries of an older era can be a bit tricky, but this track delivers in almost every way you could hope. English SDH subtitles are provided for those who desire them.
Special Features
This Blu-Ray set includes a multi-page booklet featuring an essay by author Anthony Decurtis. The essay provides a great analysis of the film, the way in which it captures history and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Director Robert Mugge provides a decent commentary track in which he discusses how the film came about, the locations where they captured the footage, working with the musicians, concepts they changed in the middle of shooting and more. It should be noted that Mugge does not talk consistently, as he often stays silent for several minutes after he is done discussing the background of the particular scene you are watching.
- Deep Blues Behind The Scenes: A 23-minute piece with Loonie Pitchford, R.L. Burnside, Dave Stewart and Booker T. Laury as you get more stories and performances from them while also seeing more of the director working with the interview subjects.
- Trailers: The three-minute trailer for Deep Blues is presented here which does a nice job of selling the film. There are also trailers provided for I Am The Blues and White Riot.
Final Thoughts
Deep Blues is an impressive documentary that strives to go beyond a surface-level exploration of this rich subject. While the entirety of Memphis blues cannot be contained in one film, this examination stands as a valuable time capsule for this period in its history as it archives interviews with many important fixtures within the community. Whether you are wanting to learn more about the scene or simply experience some great music, this documentary has you covered. Film Movement Classics has released a Blu-Ray that features a terrific A/V presentation and a couple of good supplements. If this sounds interesting in the slightest to you, be sure to give it a shot. Recommended
Deep Blues is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Film Movement Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.