|
Now on Blu-ray
from MVD Visual
NEW ORLEANS MUSIC IN EXILE
(2006)
A 113-minute film about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans music community starring Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, Marcia Ball, Eddie Bo, Theresa Andersson, Kermit Ruffins, The Iguanas, ReBirth Brass Band, Cowboy Mouth, Jon Cleary, Papa Grows Funk, Papa Mali, World Leader Pretend, beatinpath, Stephen Assaf, and many others.
| |
|
 |
 |
| Front |
Back |
Mouse over the thumbnails above
to switch the cover at the left. |
| |
|
"The result is a haunting, exhaustive retelling of the devastation musicians faced in the aftermath of Katrina and their efforts to cope with lives suddenly turned topsy-turvy. The primary subjects are the musicians who formed the lifeblood of the club scene in New Orleans: R&B singer Irma Thomas, British-born pianist Jon Cleary, trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, the Rebirth Brass Band, and others."
- Eric Deggans, Los Angeles Review of Books
"As with the vast majority of the nearly two dozen music-themed films he's made in a career now stretching back three decades, Robert Mugge's leisurely and peripatetic NEW ORLEANS MUSIC IN EXILE is all about the music…an intimate and eye-opening meditation on the resiliency of the artists and the magnitude of the loss, informed by the helmer's familiarity and friendships with key subjects."
- Eddie Cockrell, Variety
"Lovingly shot and directed by Robert Mugge, the film shows New Orleans legends such as Dr. John, Cyril Neville and Theresa Andersson revisiting their hometown, assessing the storm damage and trying to rebuild their personal and creative lives despite the mass destruction of the storm… The sense of despair is palpable and many of the musicians appear dazed and sleepy, as if they've given up on ever returning to their former lives… The music is as warm and human as the people who create it. Contrasted with the destruction of New Orleans, the strength of the musicians is even more amazing… The film is a tragic yet triumphant story of the human spirit and the ability of artists to transcend their problems. It serves as an inspiration to us all."
- Steve Hammer, NUVO (Indianapolis)
"Within days after Katrina leveled New Orleans in late August 2005, Mugge's documentarian instincts kicked in: 'I was immediately in touch with the Starz Entertainment Group saying, There's an incredible story here. It's maybe as big a music-related story as has happened in our lifetimes. Here is arguably our most important city, culturally speaking, lying to a great extent in ruins. There's a real question whether government and others are going to rise to the task to save it and to save this culture. And we have the opportunity to get right in there now and tell this story.'"
- Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes
"'I'm glad I focused just on music and the musicians,' Mugge says. 'But you could have turned a camera in any direction and there would be something worth shooting. You could go up to anybody and they would have a story to tell.'"
- Chris Davis, Memphis Flyer
