Movie : Thunder Soul
Release Date : September 23, 2011
Studio : Roadside Attractions
Director : Mark Landsman
Screenwriter : Not Available
Starring : Craig Baldwin, Jamie Foxx and Craig Green
Genre : Documentary
Official Website : ThunderSoulmovie.com
IMDB Rating : 6.2
Story : Like a real-life “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the documentary “Thunder Soul” shows how one teacher can influence young people for the good through the rest of their lives.
In “Thunder Soul’s” case, the teacher is Conrad O. Johnson Sr., who taught music in Houston, Texas, schools for three decades, most famously as music director at Kashmere High School in the late ‘60s and most of the ‘70s. The Kashmere Stage Band broke out of what was often a staid form of band music to play a combination of Ellingtonian jazz and James Brown-like funk, some of it written by Johnson. It then combined that music with showmanship — including moves reminiscent of the soul acts of the period — to become a dominant force in stage-band competitions of the period, including the national championship.
The Houston Chronicle once said that “to compete against the Kashmere Stage Band in the ‘60s and ‘70s was to settle for … second place.” The band toured, made records, played in Europe — and, according to the documentary, inspired its school’s students to succeed in other areas as well.
Decades later, the Kashmere band became a new musical presence as artists sampled their old records. A 2006 CD reissue of Kashmere’s work, “Texas Thunder Soul 1968-74,” became a surprise hit on Amazon.com.
“Thunder Soul” builds its celebration of Kashmere and of Johnson around a 2008 reunion of members of the old school bands. Johnson, who retired from Kashmere in 1977 but continued to work in music into his early 90s, was 92 at the time of the reunion. His health had begun to decline, and he died shortly after the reunion concerts. But documentary maker Mark Landsman was able to record interviews with Johnson and the former student musicians (many of whom went on to music professions), as well as drawing on archival material.
The result is a loving tribute to a man who believed that music was fundamentally valuable to young people, but also that life was about more than music. People recall his insisting on appropriate conduct, language and discipline. His lessons stuck. And pride creeps into Johnson’s voice when he is told that the reunion musicians can still play — because to him, that means they were taught well all those years ago.
I wish the documentary dug more deeply into some issues, such as Johnson’s abrupt retirement from Kashmere in 1977; his students believe he was forced out by a hostile school administration. While music is often used in the background, there is only one full performance piece, from the reunion.
Still, the film moved me, both when Johnson spoke about his life and when students revealed their abiding affection for him. You can see that in those moments when his old students visit him, in their reverence for Johnson and their holding his hand. In times of budget worries and cuts in education funding, “Thunder Soul” tells us what a great teacher can achieve when given the opportunity.
Link Of Full Movie Video Comningsoon...........
Post a Comment