Cadillac Records

Cadillac Records

This is a movie from 2008 that it took me until last night to watch. It is a feckin' great music film. there haven't been many of those , of course but this is up there with "Ray" , The girl can't help it" , "walk hard", "Spinal Tap" and "the mighty wind".
Its the story of Chess records in Chicago from the late 40s to the mid sixties. Its the perspective that makes it great. These people, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Little Walter , Chuck Berry and Etta James are seen as artists. You also see them looking at these effette young Limeys, The Rolling Stnes, as they make a pilgrimiage to the house of their idols at the Chess studios in 1965. Its like the Aztecs seeing the Spanish coming or the indigeneous Australians seeing the white sails coming into the harbour. Its the perspective.
All the actors are great but the man who plays Howlin Wolf is spectacular. You want them to do a movie just on him. And Mos Def as Chuck berry is also superb.
The movie ends in 1967 and Muddy is on a plane to the UK with Willie Dixon . he is nervous as he doesn't know "what the fuck these people want".

These are the IMDB details on the film. I note some people dipute the historical accuracy. Hey its a Hollywood film! Also, there is that old newspaper mans line about myth and the truth and "lets print the myth".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1042877/