Red, White & Blues

Documentary about the path of the blues from the USA to the UK.

Mike Figgis’ documentary is about the colors of the blues, about the USA and Britain, about the relationship between original and reproduction. His thesis: Everything that sounds “blue” was conceived by the African-American godfathers of the genre; it was successfully adapted by smart white Brit boys. To support his point he works through an impressive series of interviews: Among others Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, and Georgie Fame share their anecdotes and analyses, while a blues super-group jams in London’s Abbey Road Studios.