The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith

In spite of its title, this documentary is really more about Eugene Smith than the Jazz Loft, with long, meandering episodes that have nothing to do with the loft whatsoever (including Smith's Pittsburgh assignment, his country home, his wartime photography, etc.). But even as a photographer biopic, it's fairly weak -- edited ADD style (like most docs today), and much as it doesn't let its jazz audio clips breathe, it also moves on from each photograph too quickly to allow the viewer to linger on it and take it in. A lot of hot air from talking heads, and I've never seen so few African American faces in a film about jazz--indeed, if it wasn't for Monk showing up late in the film, you might think jazz was a primarily white artform. The bright spot in the film is the brief dive into Monk's rehearsals with Hall Overton in preparation for the Town Hall Concert--the only time when the film actually pays attention to any subject matter long enough to give the viewer any insight into it.

He had extraordinary passion that never burnt out.

The miracle is that Smith was there at all, at the beginning, before the place started to happen, and documenting it at all. He was driven by his own heart, not on any assignment or expecting any payment. The documentary gives me a glimpse of what it would have been like to have been there. I could be wrong, but I believe all the footage, tapes etc. Were lying dormant for decades. I am thankful somebody recognized their extraordinary value, and I appreciate the enormous skill it took to bring the vision to fruition. I appreciate seeing Smith in his darkroom too. I will watch several times. Thank you.

Go ahead and rate this less than a "10" if the subject matter doesn't suit your tastes, but as documentaries go, it doesn't get any better than this. From the painstaking piecing together of myriad photos, videos, audio recordings, documents, first-hand interviews, to capturing the essence and significance of a point in time and space in music history, and the lives of those behind it, this is a perfect film. And if you happen to love music and are even somewhat interested in the evolution of jazz it's incredibly entertaining.