The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins

Enormously entertaining half-hour documentary that not only showcases late Texas bluesman Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins's famous talent for improvisation (the only recognizable compositions here are snatches of 'Meet Me in the Bottom', a version of Buddy Moss's 'Oh Lordy Mama', and Sonny Boy Williamson's 'Good Morning Little Schoolgirl') but--maybe just as importantly--gives the viewer a glimpse of black life in the rural American South. The musical performances, stories, and incidental footage of Centerville, Texas are fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of Hopkins playing with songster Mance Lipscomb; a few years later, in Bruce Cook's indispensable tome "Listen to the Blues", Lipscomb declared simply that "I can't play with Lightnin' no more" because Hopkins was such a difficult personality. Obviously a must for country blues aficionados (to see how the form survived, authentic and virtually unchanged, well into the 1960s), "The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins" will be of interest to more general audiences as well.

A portrait of the great Texas bluesman, Lightnin' Hopkins. The film includes interviews and a performance by Hopkins.

Those not well-acquainted with the blues may be forgiven for not knowing Hopkins. But this short film will introduce you to the man: Rolling Stone magazine included Hopkins at number 71 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. That is respectable, if you consider just how many great guitarists are out there.

But what makes this film good is not even Hopkins, but his world. Without any sort of narrative or political angle, Blank turns his camera on the poor, mostly-Black neighborhood near Houston. This is an interesting commentary on race and class, not so much for its struggle... but just how happy most of these people seem. They have nothing, but the music makes them joyous.

Good film. Les Blank always present his subject as much as they should be. Lightnin' Hopkins was presented while doing what he does best, playing the blues and telling stories.

This documentary presents a good perspective into the life of a bluesman as well as rural black America.

American documentary filmmaker Les Blank with Skip Gerson follows Blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins in rural Texas. I can listen to this music all day. I don't know if I really get to the heart of the man but one does get a sense of this place. It has a rodeo. It has some fishing, a little fish. It has plenty of local colors. Maybe they could have done a cook out with his family and friends. That's usually good times and good filming. Let the liquor flow and let's party it up. It's not necessarily the blues but let's blow it up for the finish.

This early 31 minute film by Les Blank captures what's terrific about Blank's style. The love and admiration he feels for his subjects, his willingness not to sugar coat the dark sides (like Hopkins' drinking), and the embrace of music and food as exemplars of the joys of existence.

It's hard not to smile watching Blank's work. The home-spun approach to his film-making – hand drawn titles, an avoidance of anything slick or fancy in his style, no narrator to create distance, makes it feel like you're watching a friend's home movies about a subject they're really excited about.

But the art lies in the fact that these 'home movies' uncannily capture people, places and whole cultures with an immediacy and vibrancy that too few documentaries have. I also like that Blank makes his films just as long as he feels they needs to be, without worry. If that means one film is 20 minutes and another 180, that won't bother him. Blank is following his gut, with no look to how it's 'supposed' to be done.

By the end of this film, I wanted to run and buy a stack of Lightnin' Hopkins recordings. That's a pretty good endorsement.