James Brown: Soul Survivor (2003)

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

You just never know about certain personalities until you learn about their life and what they went through to achieve stardom. This American Masters documentary offers a unique glimpse into the life and legend of James Brown with commentary from various figures who either worked with him or were influenced by his style of music. Brown impresses with his supreme confidence, both a blessing and a curse depending on his mood at any given time and who he had to work with. I would never have taken him for a religious man but he doesn't shy from thanking God for his talent and showmanship, and often tried to use his influence to steer youngsters toward working hard and relying on themselves to make something of their lives. Of course there's a fine sampling of music on display here as well. I was surprised to learn that the business with the cape was inspired by professional wrestler Gorgeous George; any time I see the Godfather of Soul get draped with one of those during his concerts it just cracks me up. It's so over the top yet so James Brown if you know what I mean. No matter what you think of him or whether you like his music or not, this is a very informative documentary that opens the viewer to a different perception of the man and his music. See it.

This is a pretty good overview of The Godfather's career, and gives a fine idea of what shaped the man and his music. They interview the right people, including Marva Whitney, Lyn Collins, Bobby Byrd, Afrika Bambaata, Fred Wesley, Al Sharpton, and of course Mr. Dynamite himself. The file footage from the segregation era, and the brief recreations are worked in well around the interviews and concert footage.I only wished that some of the interviews were a bit longer and more in-depth. Bobby Byrd and Lyn Collins give some tantalizing glimpses into the controlling, dominating side of James Brown. It would also have been nice if the film was longer and discussed more of his bands, sidemen and personnel changes. Certainly a shame that Maceo's name is never even mentioned throughout. But this is a fairly short career overview, more a bio of the man than any real examination of the music, and should serve as an interesting introduction to the world of James Brown.The bonus features are recommended: part of JB's set recorded at the House of Blues in 2002; Soul Brother No. 1 singing It's A Man's World with Luciano Pavarotti at a 2002 fundraiser for Angola; some rehearsal footage.