Cadillac Records
Posted By Dooley on February 21, 2009
It’s not surprising that the movie Cadillac RecordsW wasn’t a huge box office hit, but I personally thought it was a fantastic movie. Today’s movie crowds are far more accustomed to fast paced, action packed, special effects loaded fare than this movie offers up.
I’ve read just about every book ever written on blues history and, in my opinion at least, Cadillac Records takes a superb look at one of the most important periods of our cultural and artistic history. For many people, such as my adult daughter, who have an interest in various kinds of music, but yet have no prior knowledge of blues or it’s history, the movie is a pleasant and educational experience. That is the real importance of the movie Cadillac Records.
Movies that manage to entertain people while preserving our national or even our world heritage are special works of art. Far too many movies about our history are biased one way or another and so they fail to convey the reality of the subject they are covering. Cadillac Records manages to show us, in a reasonably accurate and entertaining fashion, what was happening around the Chicago blues scene of the 1940’s and ’50’s and then allows us to form our own opinions about the characters and events in the story. I like that.
Watching the movie, it’s easy to see that the actors, producers and directors approached this movie more as a labor of love than just another chance at creating a box office smash hit. From the soundtrack musician’s playing style, to the wardrobe, the casting and right through to the nuances that the actors provided for their characters, you could feel the devotion of everyone to the project. So while the investors may never recoup their original investment, they have given us a priceless piece of cultural history wrapped up in a pleasing and entertaining package that will pay dividends to the blues community for many years to come.