USA,
1995, 35 min
Shown in 1995
CREDITS
- dir
-
Les Blank
- prod
-
Tom Luddy, Les Blank
- cam
-
Les Blank
- editor
-
Marianne Yusavage
- premiere
-
World Premiere
-
COMMENTS
Shown with The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins and Dizzy Gillespie. Les Blank was the subject of a tribute in 1995.
OTHER
At the start of his brand-new documentary on master Afro-Cuban drummer and composer Francisco Aguabella, Les Blank throws us right into the heat and passion of a 1985 Aguabella gig at Cesar’s Latin Palace in San Francisco. The drum comes alive under Aguabella’s hands, spinning rhythms that are thrilling, hypnotic—that speak directly to the soul. For Aguabella, who migrated to the U.S. in 1957, drumming is an integral part of his santería religion—he’s a master of the batá, a special ceremonial drum. So while he’s played with pop musicians from Peggy Lee to Paul Simon, drumming for him remains a sacred passion. Blank’s film explores Aguabella’s drumming styles and religion and features interviews with associates such as Katherine Dunham and Israel “Cachao” López. But it’s the music that speaks the most freely—and Blank’s film has plenty of it.
—Kurt Wolff
FACTOID #95
Later to find fame with the amnesia-tinged film noir update Memento, British director Christopher Nolan was nominated for the SKYY Prize in 1998 for his first feature Following. Nolan shot the film about a writer who stalks strangers, on weekends over the course of a year on a budget of $6,000.
