AND WHEN I DIE, I WON'T STAY DEAD
A film by Billy Woodberry
2016, 89 minutes
2016, 89 minutes
No. 149
Documentary
Documentary
Description
Legendary Beat figure Bob Kaufman considered poetry a key to human survival, an idea made all the more legitimate by the longevity it's granted: the things he saw, heard, tasted, felt, and, most of all, thought were preserved in his work. Embodying the spirit of those efforts, the new film from Billy Woodberry, director of the landmark Bless Their Little Hearts, is perhaps the closest we can come to knowing the man and his time.
The picture is alternately dense and fleet in its assemblage of archival footage and photos, interviews with contemporaries, and readings from the likes of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. And When I Die's cumulative effect is to understand a familiar, over-exposed era with new eyes, thanks in no small part to the honest assessment provided by some of New York's Beat generation some half-century removed.
Its soundtrack (with selections by the likes of Billie Holiday and Ornette Coleman) hums, the participants are lively in their recollection of the man and his words, and the pace of its montage is energetic — a whirlwind procession that will leave viewers with a vivid understanding of Kaufman and his work.
The picture is alternately dense and fleet in its assemblage of archival footage and photos, interviews with contemporaries, and readings from the likes of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. And When I Die's cumulative effect is to understand a familiar, over-exposed era with new eyes, thanks in no small part to the honest assessment provided by some of New York's Beat generation some half-century removed.
Its soundtrack (with selections by the likes of Billie Holiday and Ornette Coleman) hums, the participants are lively in their recollection of the man and his words, and the pace of its montage is energetic — a whirlwind procession that will leave viewers with a vivid understanding of Kaufman and his work.
Festivals
Official Selection, Vienna International Film Festival
Official Selection, International Film Festival Rotterdam
Official Selection, San Francisco International Film Festival
Official Selection, Doclisboa
Official Selection, International Film Festival Rotterdam
Official Selection, San Francisco International Film Festival
Official Selection, Doclisboa
Reviews
"An oral biography nimbly combining rich, varied archival footage with talking-head present-day interviews. The doc marks a welcome and overdue comeback for Woodberry some 31 years after his sole drama feature Bless Their Little Hearts." — The Hollywood Reporter
"This documentary—with a treasure trove of immersive rare photographs, illuminating interviews, and poetry readings —rescues Kaufman from obscurity, etching a fascinating and vivid portrait of the singular artist and his times... Viewers will be thankful that director Billy Woodberry’s film torpedoes Kaufman’s stated ambition 'to be completely forgotten.'" — Booklist
