Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix (1973)

*** (out of 4)

This documentary was made and released three years after the death of Jimi Hendrix and it really shows what a masterful talent he was. When viewing this today people might not get its full impact because it features clips from various concerts that have since been released complete and on their own. With that said, it's important to remember that for a time this here was the only way to see much of this footage. Eric Clapton, Paul Caruso, Billy Cox, Pete Townsend, Mick Jagger, Little Richard and Lou Reed are just some of the people who talk about who Hendrix was and what he was able to do with his guitar. Through the interviews you really get a great sense of what other artists thought of his talent and it's interesting hearing them talk so shortly after his death. Many of the stories are very entertaining and especially the reactions from them in regards to the first time they saw Hendrix and his talent. We also get an interview with Hendrix's own father who discusses his sons early days and how he got to playing guitar to begin with. Overall this is a very entertaining documentary that tells you some good stories about the legend but the majority of the running time come from various concert and television performances. No matter how many times you watch him perform you really can't believe that he was actually human and pulling off all of this music. Fans of Hendrix will probably own many of these shows in a complete form but this documentary is still very good for those unfamiliar with the work of Hendrix or those who just want to kick back and enjoy the music.

I'm not even a Hendrix fan. I'm probably a cloth-eared nincompoop but his records always sounded like jam-session guitar paired up with atonal screeching.

But when a musical documentary cold opens with Pete Townshend, I'm hooked. What follows are interviews with Hendrix himself, other musicians, a roadie or two, a former girlfriend, various hangers-on, and countless others. This is the 70s so most of them are higher than a kite, of course. We also get some tender reminiscing from his dad.

Hendrix was basically a mild-mannered busker with other-worldly guitar-playing talent and a sharp sense of giving the audience a show. The concert footage captures just how dynamic a performer he was. Even as a non-fan I always enjoy this documentary. What a waste to have lost him so soon.

Made several years after the death of Jimi Hendrix, this film looks back at his career through the eyes of his family, peers, friends and fans. Recollections and anecdotes are broken up by various live performances and interviews with Hendrix himself.

I have never taken the time to find out whether I am a fan of Hendrix or not; sure I like everything I have heard but that is different from being a fan. However watching this film made me more interested in hearing more from him because of how well put together it is. Ignoring the subject for a minute, the strength of the film is in the structure and delivery. The film is not trying to factually capture Hendrix from cradle to grave but rather look at him as an entertainer and a man. To do this we get live footage of him mixed with plenty of contributions from others who knew him. To make the point that these contributions are good, the edit overlaps several people telling the same stories and I liked the way this worked.

The film also manages to keep focused while also allowing the contributors to speak personally and from their own experiences of him – not in glib sound bites but mostly in natural chatting and recollections. These are worked well to produce a narrative flow, building on what we know about the man and his music. Structure wise it is an impressive biography and you could nearly watch the film for this alone. Of course the film itself is not about the way it is put together but rather about the title character. Here the film is also strong as we see him on stage and instantly get what it was that people like/liked about him. He has a great stage presence and is recognisable as being a creative force. However the use of interviews etc also shows him to be quite a quiet and shy type and I liked this aspect of his character and the way the way the film brought it out.

For fans then, it is a given that you will enjoy this but it will also work for the casual viewer with a passing interest in his music; this is what I was and the film drew me into the man more than I had been. I think it is unlikely anyone would watch it for structure alone, but I must comment that it is this that is another reason why the film works as well as it does.

Have been watching this movie since the mid-1980's on home video. For quite a long time this and Rainbow Bridge were really the only selections a Hendrix fan could purchase in terms of home viewing until the 1990's when the full-length performances of Monterey Pop, the Isle of Wight, Woodstock and Berkeley were made available.

Unlike the original Rainbow Bridge theatrical release, where Hendrix is a featured performer for 20 or so minutes, the 1973 film Jimi Hendrix focuses entirely on Hendrix. Mostly on Hendrix as a musician and a performer, and mostly on the period of his life between late 1966 to his death in 1970.

Since the film was made within a few years of Hendrix passing, recollections of him are fresh. The interview subjects are a selection of groupies, fellow musicians - some famous, some not - who either played with him or saw him play, roadies, journalists, hangers on and the like. Virtually all of whom personally knew Hendrix and were speaking about their interactions with him from recent memory. There is an equal amount of performance footage as there is interview footage. Hendrix at Monterey in 1967. Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969. Hendrix at Berkeley in 1970. Hendrix at the Isle of Wight in 1970.

All of which amounts to a balanced documentary of what made Hendrix memorable, which was his songwriting/performing. There are some references made via the interviews about the groupie scene and the drug scene, but nothing approaching a tabloid tell-all. No blathering conspiracy babble about Hendrix being murdered as opposed to how he reportedly died. No urban legends about Hendrix taking LSD a million times a day. The focus throughout by and large remains on the music Hendrix made.

My only criticism would be actually wanting more performance footage than was included in the initial theatrical release, rather than the one or two tunes from each of the concerts mentioned above. However, this is small potatoes.

Watched this docu again last night on DVD. Saw it some 30+ years ago on film. I was class of '69 (Jimi's cousin, Nona Hendrix, was in my grade 12 class) and remember when Jimi and his band came through my town(East Van rules). Jimi was from Seattle, some 145 miles south) I always rue the day I DIDN't go to the concert. I went to all the biggies EXCEPT this one, and I have never forgiven myself. WHY? I worked that night. I had every vinyl, worn the grooves off Electric Ladyland twice. The 60's re visited...This '73 docu captures the mood VERy well. Comments from impossibly young Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton (who I saw perform last week in NZ..even BETTER than he was in '69 the last time I saw him)... Jimmy Page, Eric, and JIMI were our holy trinity of guitar gods way back when...this was a T R I P down memory lane for me...the talk of drugs and race issues....subjects which never go away..we're still dealing with it today...but back to the music.....Jimi's fusion of blues/rock/jazz....wondrous to us so long ago, and still sounding 'fresh as a daisy' to this alumnus of the class of '69 see this DVD.... I give it an 8.8