Blues Film Collection:Warming By the Devil's Fire (2003)

Director: Charles Burnett Genres: Music, Performing Arts, Documentary Origin: USA Certificate: PG Running Time: 106 min

synopsis

Guided by the phenomenal talent of Martin Scorsese as Executive Producer, The Blues consists of 7 feature-length films that are both personal and impressionistic, viewed through the lens of 7 world famous directors who share a passion for blues music. In the tradition of 'The Buena Vista Social Club' and 'Standing in the Shadows of Motown', The Blues films chart the evolution of blues music, from its roots in Africa to its inspirational role in today?s music. As opposed being merely historical overviews or straight documentaries of the blues, the films aim to celebrate and promote the diverse impressions and influences blues music has exerted on artistic and musical forms of expression around the world. Director Charles Burnett presents a tale about a young boy's encounter with his family in Mississippi in the 1950s, and intergenerational tensions between the heavenly strains of gospel and the devilish moans of the blues. Says Burnett: "The sound of the blues was a part of my environment that I took for granted. However, as years passed, the blues slowly emerged as an essential source of imagery, humour, irony, and insight that allows one to reflect on the human condition. I always wanted to do a story on the blues that not only reflected its nature and its content, but also alludes to the form itself. In short, a story that gives you the impression of the blues."