Les Paul: Chasing Sound! (2007)
The legendary Les Paul, father of the solid-body electric guitar, inventor of overdubbing and multi-track recording, king of the ‘50s pop charts and architect of rock ‘n’ roll, tells his own rags-to-riches story in a performance-documentary by filmmakers John Paulson and James Arntz, with a wall-to-wall soundtrack of the greatest hits from "Tiger Rag" to "My Generation."
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Reviews
I wanted to but couldn't!
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
I am certainly ignorant when it comes to music. Unlike my love for films, I have a lot to learn about the music world, so I really was happy I saw this biography (of sorts) about Les Paul. Now of course I've heard of him, know he was a great guitarist and had guitars named after him...but aside from that my knowledge is pretty scant on the man--which is a shame considering what an innovator he is. Quite simply, rock 'n roll wouldn't exist or at least would have taken a very different route getting there without him.Paul was in his 90s when this film was made and he was in amazingly good health and spirits. Seeing him up on stage playing with many greats was inspiring because of this. And, because of this, he was able to tell his own life story during much of the film. Some of the many amazing things he did was come up with the electric guitar, popularize multitracking and played just about every genre of music there was--pop, jazz, the blues and perhaps even classical! He was amazingly versatile. And, although he didn't appear to need the money, he continued to work and be very productive. Apparently this came from good genes, as they showed film of him at his mother's 100th birthday (she lived an additional year)! While all this is VERY fascinating and inspiring, the film was not perfect. When it came to his personal life, the film was a bit scant. It played more like a tribute with some biographical details--not a true biography. His first marriage was never mentioned and the breakup of his marriage to Mary Ford was only mentioned in passing--and should have been explained. And, his relationships in the last four decades of his life aren't talked about at all. Still, for a novice like me, it was an exceptional program and a nice tribute to a fascinating man. Oh, and if you get a chance to see it, get a load of the hat he's wearing while he's playing the song "Vaya Con Dios" with his then wife, Mary.