Underplayed Gems

Lomax the Songhunter (2004)

Lomax the Songhunter poster
Directed by
Rogier Kappers
Genre
documentary film
Country
Netherlands, United States
Runtime
1h 32m
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 4 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This documentary follows Alan Lomax as he travels the world recording folk music before mass culture erases it. The film shows Lomax near the end of his life and hears from the musicians and relatives he encountered on his journey.

reflectivenostalgicmelancholiccontemplativeintimateadmiringbittersweetreverent

What happens

Lomax the Songhunter is a 2004 documentary film about Alan Lomax, a man who, after World War II, was determined to record folk music from United States and all over the world before it was blown away by mass consumer culture. Son of John Lomax, the man who discovered Lead Belly (and bailed him out of prison) and introduced Woody Guthrie to the world, Alan shared his father's passion for music and was not intimidated by his massive accomplishments. The film, which finds Alan near death and barely able to make himself understood, traces Alan's journey across the globe, stopping to hear testimonials from many of the people or relatives of the people he recorded. It also contains interviews from Lomax's friends and colleagues, including Pete Seeger, who did some cataloging for Lomax. Lomax the Songhunter was written and directed by Rogier Kappers and aired on PBS's Point of View series in 2006. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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