Janis: Little Girl Blue
- Director: Amy Berg
- Producer: Amy Berg; Alex Gibney
CGiii Comment
There are quite a few generations that have no idea who Janis Joplin was...isn't that sad!
So...the filmmakers had a choice...to make this film as an introduction to the mighty woman...or, make another tribute to her memory. Alas, the latter won.
Okay...she came from a fairly comfortable background, she was educated...yes, she was bullied (hideously) at school, discovered she could sing, luck was on her side, met a string of hopeless men...and, was pretty hopeless with women herself. She abused alcohol and drugs like there was no tomorrow and she died...joining Club 27.
What she left behind was her music...and, there's simply not enough of it in this film.
Still...for those of a certain age...it's a hippy-trip down memory lane.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
The life and rise of Janis Joplin.
On stage and on camera, Joplin frequently projected an image of being high and happy-go-lucky. Berg's film reveals a more vulnerable character who cycled in and out of addictions and channelled her emotions into her art. Singer Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall) does an uncanny job of recreating Joplin's voice in readings from her letters. But the dominant voice is Joplin's own, in extraordinary performances drawn from both classic and rare footage.