A Well Spent Life
1971 · 44 min · ★ 6.7 · Documentary, Music
A musical portrait of Texas blues songster Mance Lipscomb.
Directed by Les Blank
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Mance Lipscomb Himself - E Elnora Lipscomb Herself
- H Hattie Franklin Herself
- A Alfred Franklin Himself
Make it a double feature
2h 20m together
Both from Les Blank.
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God Respects Us When We Work, But Loves Us When We Dance · 1968God Respects Us When We Work, But Loves Us When We Dance
★ 5.71968
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Les Blank's poetic documentation of 1967's Los Angeles Easter Sunday Love-In. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.
The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins · 1968The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins
★ 7.91968
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A musical portrait of Texas bluesman 'Lightnin' Hopkins. The film includes interviews and a performance by Hopkins. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.
Spend It All · 1972Spend It All
★ 7.01972
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Another short documentary of "Real Food, Roots Music, and People Full of Passion for what they do!", Spend It All is Les Blank's spirited look at the French-speaking Cajun community of southwest Louisiana. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
Hot Pepper · 1973Hot Pepper
★ 6.81973
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A musical portrait of Zydeco King Clifton Chenier, who combines the pulsating rhythms of Cajun dance music and black R&B with African overtones, belting out his irresistible music in the sweaty juke joints of South Louisiana.
Dry Wood · 1973Dry Wood
★ 6.51973
MovieDocumentary
Featuring the stories and music of seminal Cajun musicians "Bois Sec" Ardoin and Canray Fontenot, Dry Wood is a short, vibrant documentary portrait of life, food, music and festivity in the Louisiana Delta from the singular Les Blank. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.
Always for Pleasure · 1978Always for Pleasure
★ 7.41978
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A musical portrait of New Orleans' street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo in 1977: second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers and more. This glorious, soul-satisfying film is among Blank's special masterworks. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.
Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers · 1980Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers
★ 7.51980
MovieDocumentary
A zesty paean of praise to the greater glories of garlic. This lip-smacking foray into the history, consumption, cultivation and culinary/curative powers of the stinking rose features chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, and a flavorful musical soundtrack. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.
Sprout Wings and Fly · 1983Sprout Wings and Fly
★ 6.11983
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Set in the North Carolina Appalachians, Sprout Wings and Fly honors the fiddle playing of 82-year-old Tommy Jarrell of Toast, NC. Tommy was quirky, gregarious and generous, and this film shows him at his best, in fine fiddling form.
In Heaven There Is No Beer? · 1984In Heaven There Is No Beer?
★ 6.51984
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A joyous romp through the dance, food, music, friendship, and even religion of the Polka. The explosive energy and high spirits of the polka subculture are rendered with warmth and dedication to scholarship in this journey through Polish-American celebrations. Polka stars like Jimmy Sturr, Eddie Blazonzyck and Walt Solek are featured.
Gap-Toothed Women · 1987Gap-Toothed Women
★ 7.11987
MovieDocumentary
A charming valentine to women born with a space between their teeth, ranging from lighthearted whimsy to a deeper look at issues like self-esteem and societal attitudes toward standards of beauty. Interviews were conducted with over one hundred women, including model Lauren Hutton and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of the Cajun and Creole Cooking of Louisiana · 1990Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of the Cajun and Creole Cooking of Louisiana
★ 6.81990
MovieDocumentary
Les Blank marries his passion for spicy, down home food and his love for Cajuns and Creoles in this mouth-watering, exploration of the cooking, and other enthusiasms, of French-speaking Louisiana. Features tangy music, and food by Marc Savoy, Paul Prudhomme, and other greats.
Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella · 1995Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella
★ 6.11995
MovieDocumentary
When you think of Latin percussion, think of Francisco Aguabella. Perhaps the finest Afro-Cuban master percussionist still living, he has become synonymous with his instrument — one of the highest compliments a musician can receive. Indeed, what Carlos Santana is to the guitar, Aguabella is to the conga drum.
The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists · 1995The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists
★ 6.11995
MovieDocumentaryMusic
What happens when a dedicated husband and father quits his job, adopts the persona of a Western-Movie Singing Cowboy, takes on the entire art establishment (including Christo and Andy Warhol), and refuses to accept money for his art ? Meet Gerry Gaxiola, AKA The Maestro, an ex-wage slave who gave up everything to make art for art's sake. The Maestro's story could inspire a whole new generation of Van Goghs.
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Tattoo Uprising · 2019Tattoo Uprising
★ 10.02019
MovieDocumentary
An examination of the artistic and historical roots of today's tattoo explosion.
Innocents Abroad · 1991Innocents Abroad
★ 8.01991
MovieDocumentary
A warmly amusing look at a bus-full of American tourists on a whirlwind tour of Europe. The eclectic soundtrack includes Mozart, Bob Dylan, Sandy Denny, Jonathan Richman, others.
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse · 1991Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
★ 7.91991
MovieDocumentary
A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors' health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.
A Poem Is a Naked Person · 1974A Poem Is a Naked Person
★ 7.81974
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Les Blank's first feature-length documentary captures music and other events at Leon Russell's Oklahoma recording studio during a three-year period (1972-1974).
I Went to the Dance · 1989I Went to the Dance
★ 7.71989
MovieDocumentaryMusic
The definitive film on the history of the toe-tapping, foot-stomping music of French Southwest Louisiana. Includes many Cajun and Zydeco greats, featuring Michael Doucet and Beausoleil, Clifton Chenier, Marc and Ann Savoy, D.L. Menard, and many others.
Burden of Dreams · 1982Burden of Dreams
★ 7.61982
MovieDocumentary
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.
Fitzcarraldo · 1982Fitzcarraldo
★ 7.61982
MovieDramaAdventure
Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.
Always for Pleasure · 1978Always for Pleasure
★ 7.41978
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A musical portrait of New Orleans' street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo in 1977: second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers and more. This glorious, soul-satisfying film is among Blank's special masterworks. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.
Gap-Toothed Women · 1987Gap-Toothed Women
★ 7.11987
MovieDocumentary
A charming valentine to women born with a space between their teeth, ranging from lighthearted whimsy to a deeper look at issues like self-esteem and societal attitudes toward standards of beauty. Interviews were conducted with over one hundred women, including model Lauren Hutton and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe · 1980Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
★ 7.01980
MovieDocumentaryComedy
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Spend It All · 1972Spend It All
★ 7.01972
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Another short documentary of "Real Food, Roots Music, and People Full of Passion for what they do!", Spend It All is Les Blank's spirited look at the French-speaking Cajun community of southwest Louisiana. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
POV · 1988POV
★ 6.91988
SeriesDocumentary
The home for the world's boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action.
Chulas Fronteras · 1976Chulas Fronteras
★ 6.81976
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A complex, insightful look at the Chicano experience as mirrored in the lives and music of the most acclaimed Norteño musicians of the Texas-Mexican border, including Flaco Jimenez and Lydia Mendoza. Video includes bonus feature, Del Mero Corazon.
Hot Pepper · 1973Hot Pepper
★ 6.81973
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A musical portrait of Zydeco King Clifton Chenier, who combines the pulsating rhythms of Cajun dance music and black R&B with African overtones, belting out his irresistible music in the sweaty juke joints of South Louisiana.
Dry Wood · 1973Dry Wood
★ 6.51973
MovieDocumentary
Featuring the stories and music of seminal Cajun musicians "Bois Sec" Ardoin and Canray Fontenot, Dry Wood is a short, vibrant documentary portrait of life, food, music and festivity in the Louisiana Delta from the singular Les Blank. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.
In Heaven There Is No Beer? · 1984In Heaven There Is No Beer?
★ 6.51984
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A joyous romp through the dance, food, music, friendship, and even religion of the Polka. The explosive energy and high spirits of the polka subculture are rendered with warmth and dedication to scholarship in this journey through Polish-American celebrations. Polka stars like Jimmy Sturr, Eddie Blazonzyck and Walt Solek are featured.
