Take Me to the River (FILM REVIEW)
Take Me to the River
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Soul Music Retrospective Revisits Memphis
Roots of the Rhythm
and Blues Sound
A lot of great soul music came out
of Memphis in
the Sixties and early Seventies. Stax Records launched the careers of acts like
Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes and Booker T. and the MGs while its cross-town rival
Hi Records had Al Green, Ann Peebles and O.V. Wright. Take Me to the River is a reverential retrospective which is a combination tribute to
the city’s impressive legacy and a tip of the cap to some up-and-coming artists
still recording in the region.
The movie marks the directorial debut of Martin Shore,
who tapped Terrence Howard to narrate the documentary. The Oscar-nominated
actor also raps and sings in the picture which features the reflections of hip-hop
icon Snoop Dogg who pays tributes to the trailblazers that paved the way for
him.
But what makes the movie worth its while is hearing such soul
greats as Booker T., Mavis Staples, David Porter and Charlie Musselwhite wax
romantic about the good ole days. We learn that the bands were often integrated
at a time the rest of Memphis
was still strictly segregated.
Some of the reminiscing relates how the local cops would deliberately
profile and harass them as they exited the studio after late-night sessions, being
not only racist but jealous of the groups’ newfound fame and fortune. We also
hear about how the assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis cast a pall over the entire town that
ultimately took a toll on the music business, too. Stax executive Al Bell
refers to his company’s early demise as an economic lynching.
An overdue homage to a city that for close to a decade was home to
the second largest black business in America.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Rated PG
for smoking, mild epithets and mature themes
Running time: 98
minutes
Distributor: Abramorama
To see a trailer for Take
Me to the River, visit:
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