Bix

This is a wonderful film in my light as it shows the true roaring 20's in full glory. It clearly depicts Beiderbeckes life and experiences, the viewer get's into the film. For some it may be hard to watch, as the entire film is a flashback from one of Bix's friends, and the flashbacks don't take a chronological order. If you miss the date and time, that are presented on the bottom of the screen from time to time, you can get lost easily. This movie hit home with me as Beiderbeckes music is not recognized by many, and probably never will be. Go rent this movie. In the words of Louis Armstrong, "Ain't none of them play like him yet."

While this film is wonderful at capturing the look of the "Jazz Age" it falls short on the script side. The performances are uneven and average at best and the story is close to incomprehensible at times - as well as fairly inaccurate re: Bix. I really wanted to like this film, but instead I found it to be long and boring. The music, on the other hand, is fantastic.

Avati seized on the life story of Bix Beiderbecke and filtered it through his unique interpretation and then mangled facts to serve this fictional view. The movie is interesting in as much as it is a rare insight into this side of the roaring twenties and the fascinating story of Bix Beiderbecke's meteoric rise and fall. But despite being plainly shown the fundamental inaccuracies in the script, Avati chose to inject wholly fictional scenes. These were not merely the normal adjustments to make the movie move smoothly and advance the plot, but fundamental distortions of the record. Thus, it is sad that this movie, which had the potential to really stand as the definitive work on Bix Beiderbecke, whose true life has more than enough elements to make a great movie, instead stands as yet another distorted vision.

Bix was filmed almost entirely on location in Davenport in 1991. The filmmakers, Pupi and Antonio Avati, are huge fans of Beiderbecke's music, and came to Iowa to make Pupi's dream film about Bix's life. The brothers even bought the family home in Davenport and owned it for many years after the filming. I am not sure about the status of the home now.

Most of the actors were cast from an open, cattle-call audition in the Quad-City area. A few exceptions included Bryant Weeks, who was a professional stage actor in Chicago at the time. I haven't seen him since. That might explain why most of the cast is uncredited. The Avatis wanted to use real people from the town where they were making the film. Because of the way credits work in Italian films, most of them did not receive a credit.

The film was edited oddly. It jumped around a great deal through Bix's life, making it difficult to understand the chronological details. However, Weeks delivers a gentle performance and the cinematography is beautiful. The sentimentality, paired with original scores of Bix's music, makes it worth seeing.

I have one good line in it too..

As an avid fan of Bix Beiderbecke, I was anxious to see this film, which I purchased on VHS through half.com years ago. I can't say it was a waste of money, as the film does have its moments. But if you are looking for a true depiction of Bix's life, sadly there is no such thing available (unless you count Brigitte Berman's excellent documentary BIX, available on Playboy video).

The filmmakers have visually made a concerted effort to make the film appear in the correct period. Their use of Davenport period landmarks deserves to be commended (as a Beiderbecke fan I was thrilled to see the interior of the actual Beiderbeck home). However, they have taken several liberties in other areas. Namely, the overuse of foul language (sure it existed then, but I don't think it was quite as prevalent) and a suggestive scene that does not seem plausible for that era.

Additionally, there are numerous blatant, historical inaccuracies in the film, but the filmmakers seem to have covered themselves by subtitling the film "An Interpretation of a Legend".

The acting in this film is not the best, but it could be much worse. The lead player, while not a horrible actor, seems to lack the depth of character to make Bix come alive. Personally, I can't get beyond Bryant Weeks' "pretty boy" image. The real Bix was ruggedly handsome but had a little edge.

What stands out in this film is the excellent music, faithfully recreated by diligent musicians like Tom Pletcher.

This film could have been so much better with a few changes. A proper film about the legendary Bix Beiderbecke is long overdue. Until then, this film serves as a pale representation. Watch it with the understanding that its 90% fiction and do yourself a favor and watch the Berman documentary instead.