Lomax the Songhunter

Of course Alan Lomax deserves to be praised for his contributions to American culture. Of course he had some VERY serious flaws, and this show politely indicates some of them. He has also been the subject of very unfair criticism, which the director wisely avoids.

However, I found it immensely disturbing how much footage was devoted to seeing Alan Lomax as he was shortly before he died, with his mind no longer what it had been. For example, the opening shot of his daughter reading his own words to him was painfully gratuitous. He obviously couldn't understand what was going on, but the camera lingered (dare I say, stared?) on him, and far too often throughout the film. If these scenes could be edited out, it would be worth a 9, maybe even 10.

There is much that is good here, though. I particularly liked the scenes where the crew visit people Lomax had recorded many years before in Spain and Italy. And the description of Cantometrics was easy to follow, if a bit simplistic. Maybe something on the Global Jukebox, his last big project?

For years, I've heard about Alan Lomax and his folk recordings for the Library of Congress but it wasn't until I saw this documentary on the PBS series P.O.V. that I even had an inkling of what he did. This film is as good a start as any to learn about this important researcher and his preservation efforts among various folk artists around the world. We go to Italy, Spain, and, Ireland to hear various work songs and we see Lomax himself sing some of his favorites. He is shown in various times in his life up to just before he died in 2002 when he could hardly speak. And Pete Seeger recounts of his own discovery by Lomax. So if you love to hear unique music of various cultures, I suggest you definitely seek this one out.