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thirtytwotwenty
Reviews
The Search for Robert Johnson (1992)
Great bio-doc effort
A very good bio-doc effort to untangle the life and myths of blues legend Robert Johnson. This is a challenging task, as not a lot is known about Johnson except through his music and through lore. There is speculation at times, but this is inevitable. It still uncovers a lot, from his rejection by his family (blues was the work of the devil) to the darkness of his lyrics and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
I would have preferred the original music of Johnson, but narrator John Hammond does a very satisfactory job in his renditions. Relatively minor players "Honeyboy" Edwards and Johnny Shines give classic delta blues performances that stand out. Appearances by Eric Clapton and Keith Richards help to emphasize Johnson's lasting impact on blues and rock.
Johnson was never interviewed, and his performance was never captured on film. Beside his music, all that are left are oral accounts, peppered by exaggeration and myth. An accurate, objective bio may be impossible to achieve. But The Search for Robert Johnson comes about as close as might be expected, and has great entertainment value as well.
Cops (1989)
More propaganda than reality
At first, this show is entertaining, and the behavior of some of the suspects is fascinating. But after a while, you come to see that everything is presented in black-and-white: There are no bad cops, and the suspects are inborn fools or just plain evil. As the show presents itself as a documentary or "reality," this one-sidedness is irritating and takes credibility away from the producers. Hundreds of episodes and I doubt there has been a single incident of abuse or graft, yet they try to present Cops as spontaneous and natural. Police can be "bad boys," too, and trying to disguise this makes this show more propaganda than reality.