Louie Bluie

An obscure gem...
This is an early documentary by director Terry Zwigoff ("Crumb", "Ghost World") that focuses on an old time music/blues player named William Howard Armstrong. Armstrong was 75 at the time this film was shot, but he was still capable of some blistering playing. We get to see him play the fiddle, the guitar, the banjo, the ukelele, and some hybrid instruments. He appears with the players he has been with for years and years.

Interspersed between the musical shots are slice-of-life vignettes where we get to hear our hero trading philosophy and folksy wisdom, along with some very ribald stories, with his compadres. We also get to look at some of his colorful, "realist" (artist's own description) paintings of African-American life. But the real treat for me was a treasure he has kept locked up since he created it. It's a "prostitute's bible" with folktales, how-to guides, anecdotes (personal and otherwise), cut-out magazine photos, and some...

'Louie Bluie' finally on DVD!
I've been waiting years for the wonderful little documentary 'Louie Bluie' to make an appearance on DVD. I am overjoyed that it is finally going to be part of the Criterion Collection!

Terry Zwigoff is best known for 'Ghost World', 'Crumb' and 'Bad Santa', but before he made those films he directed this charming and fascinating 1985 documentary. It follows Howard Armstrong (Louie Bluie) a pioneer string band musician who was still going strong in the 1980s. Lovers of the blues will instantly fall in love with Howard's astounding musical abilities and the film serves up a lot of musical scenes. But it also devotes time to Armstrong's opinions on women, art and other subjects. 'Louie Bluie' is a timeless film that provides a valuable snapshot of a kind of musician that just isn't around anymore.

The new director-approved special edition DVD contains:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer (1.33:1), approved by director Terry Zwigoff...

Buy This Movie!!!!!!
Louie Bluie is the greatest documentary about old time music ever made. It is amazing that these musicians were captured on film and preserved at all but with Louie Bluie we get a window into what it was like to be a 1920's Blues musician and we witness a handful of the greatest Blues & Jazz musicians of the 1920's & 30's that ever lived, Howard Armstrong, Ted Bogan, Yank Rachel and Banjo Ikey Robinson as they hang out, B.S. and play music with one another. There is nothing else like it. It's both heartbreaking and hysterical to watch these guys in the twilight of their lives as they fade out of existence nearly unnoticed. Thank God Terry Zwigoff noticed!!!
If you are interested in Old-Time Music at all and don't own this DVD you MUST buy it!!!
NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click to Editorial Reviews