Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, October 27: MR DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN
Alex Gibney’s tribute to the Godfather of Soul debuted as a work-in-progress at Tribeca this Spring. Other fests include Camden and the upcoming IDFA.
As suggested by its title, Gibney’s film is concerned with exploring how the influential musician made it to the top rather than dwelling on his decline. To that end, he concisely dispenses with the basics at the top – Brown’s difficult upbringing, abandoned by both parents, a stint in prison, and time working as a shoeshine man – to instead focus on the steps the performer took on his path to success, from joining Bobby Byrd’s Famous Flames and playing the Chitlin’ Circuit to stealing the spotlight in 1964’s TAMI SHOW and breaking through to the mainstream on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, all represented here in fantastic, rare performance footage. Still, this troubled past and how he dealt with it reverberates through the film, not only in references made in period interviews with celebrities like Dinah Shore, but as a defining character trait. Brown viewed himself as a self-made man, as evidenced by his controversial support for Richard Nixon’s “Black capitalism,” discussed here, and in his song “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I’ll Get It Myself).” That he depended on others, particularly members of his band, is not ignored here – Gibney interviews quite a few – but it’s notable that for all their admiration for Brown, these collaborators also reference his ego, paranoia, and lack of generosity. That’s not to take away from the performer’s natural charisma, remarkable stage presence, social activism, or lasting impact on the music world, but Gibney offers an intriguing lens through which to view his life and career, and one that speaks to the distinctive challenges facing African American performers of his generation – perhaps best represented here in a spirited exchange between Brown and David Susskind on THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW.
what (not) to doc 