#805: BLANK, Les: A Poem Is A Naked Person (1974)

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BLANK, Les (United States)
A Poem Is A Naked Person [1974]
Spine #805
Blu-ray

Les Blank considered this free-form feature documentary about beloved singer-songwriter Leon Russell, filmed between 1972 and 1974, to be one of his greatest accomplishments. Yet is has not been released until now. Hired by Russell to film him at his recording studio in northeast Oklahoma, Blank ended up constructing a unique, intimate portrait of a musician and his environment. Made up of mesmerizing 
scenes of Russell and his band performing, both in concert and in the studio, as well as off-the-cuff moments behind the scenes, this singular film — which also features performances by Willie Nelson and George Jones — has attained legendary status over the years. It's a work of rough beauty that serves as testament to Blank's cinematic daring and Russell's immense musical talents.

90 minutes
Color
Monaural
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2016
Director


Les Blank was 39 when he directed A Poem is a Naked Person.

Other Blank films in the Collection:

#737: Les Blank: Always For Pleasure (1968)
#287: Burden Of Dreams (1982)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Ten-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Kent Jones.

Commentary

None.

Conversation

Between musician Russell and Harrod Blank.

Excerpts

From a 2013 Q&A with Les Blank.

A Film’s Forty-Year Journey: The Making of “A Poem Is a Naked Person

A documentary featuring interviews with Harrod Blank, assistant editor and sound recordist Maureen Gosling, and artist Jim Franklin.

Out in the Woods

A short documentary by Gosling.

Trailers

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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