Search - The Soul of a Man: A Film by Wim Wenders on DVD

Content Advisory: Watch With Your Teen Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 05/11/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 7 mins Studio: Sony Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Culture & Society, Music, Social History, Music History

Part of The Blues documentary series on PBS, The Soul of a Man is written and directed by Wim Wenders and narrated by Laurence Fishburne. This installment explores the work of the filmmaker's personal musical heroes: Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, and J.B. Lenoir. Through reenactments and archive footage, Wenders tells the personal stories of these highly influential and often underappreciated artists. Their musical legacy is interpreted through live performances by contemporary musicians like Bonnie Raitt, Cassandra Wilson, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Lucinda Williams, Beck, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. He also incorporates rare clips from two 16 mm films shot during the '60s by Steve and Rönnog Seaberg. The Soul of a Man was originally broadcast by PBS on September 29, 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Laurence Fishburne - Narrator
Keith B. Brown
Chris Thomas King
J.B. Lenoir
Skip James

Wim Wenders directed this ambitious installment of the documentary series The Blues: A Musical Journey, which intercuts new and old musical performances, interviews, and dramatic recreations staged in the manner of a silent drama to tell the story of three pioneering blues artists: Blind Willie Johnson, Skip James, and J.B. Lenoir. The Soul of a Man has been given a sharp and attractive transfer to disc in letterboxed format at the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The audio has been mastered in two separate mixes -- a surround sound mix in Dolby Digital 5.1 and a two-channel version in PCM stereo. The program is in English, with no multiple language options or subtitles included. This DVD release also includes five bonus performances shot for the film, including Lou Reed's hypnotic extended take on "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" and a hip-hop style reworking of " "John the Revelator" from Chris Thomas King. An outtake from one of the "silent" sequences from the film is also included, as well as an on-screen interview from Wenders, a biography and filmography for the director, an optional commentary track from Wenders, a menu option that allows users to access individual performances, and a trailer for the film series. While The Soul of a Man is a bit longer and more deliberately paced than it needs to be, this DVD certainly makes the most of the film's many virtues. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide