Product Description

Legendary writer/director John Sayles (LONE STAR, PASSION FISH) returns with the must-see HONEYDRIPPER continuing his extraordinary examination of the complexities and shifting identities of American sub-cultures. The film is a fable about the birth of rock n' roll - a quintessentially American subject - and it will have you dancing in the aisles long before the end HONEYDRIPPER features an all-star cast including Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Stacy Keach, Mary Steenburgen, Yaya DaCosta and Sean Patrick Thomas; as well as such notable musicians as Keb' Mo' and the legendary Dr. Mable John. It also introduces a major new talent, Gary Clark Jr. who makes his electrifying film debut as Sonny. It's 1950 and it's a make or break weekend for Tyrone Purvis (DANNY GLOVER), the proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge. Deep in debt, Tyrone is desperate to bring back the crowds that used to come to his place. He decides to lay off his long-time blues singer Bertha Mae, and announces that he's hired a famous guitar player, Guitar Sam, for a one night only gig in order to save the club. Into town drifts Sonny Blake, a young man with nothing to his name but big dreams and the guitar case in his hand. Rejected by Tyrone when he applies to play at the Honeydripper, he is intercepted by the corrupt local Sheriff, arrested for vagrancy and rented out as an unpaid cotton picker to the highest bidder. But when Tyron's ace-in-the-hole fails to materialize at the train station, his desperation leads him back to Sonny and the strange, wire-dangling object in his guitar case. The Honeydripper lounge is all set to play its part in rock n' roll history

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24190 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-09-22
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Synopsis
Director John Sayles (LONE STAR) takes a journey back to racially segregated Alabama for this provocative feature. The year is 1950, and Tyrone 'Pine Top' Purvis (Danny Glover) is a club owner whose establishment, the Honeydripper Lounge, has fallen on hard times. With the club about to close, Tyrone decides to take one last gamble, announcing that the legendary Guitar Sam is to make an appearance at the Honeydripper. When Guitar Sam is a no-show, Tyrone calls on a young guitar player named Sonny (Gary Clark Jr.) to impersonate the errant star, hoping that none of his patrons will notice and the club will earn a late reprieve.


Sayles's plot is interweaved with plenty of racial tension and a blunt illustration of the rich/poor divide in America during these turbulent times. HONEYDRIPPER builds slowly towards the inevitable climax--the concert at Tyrone's club--with Sayles demonstrating his usual masterly eye for character study and his meticulous attention to detail in both set design and costume. The director stirs a little music history into the plot as he hints at how the South's passion for R&B and blues would ultimately lead to the birth of rock & roll, and the film's soundtrack is filled with gloriously uplifting tunes. The excellent cast features a reliably great turn from Glover, who is ably supported by an eclectic bunch of actors, including Charles S. Dutton, Keb' Mo', Stacy Keach, and Mary Steenburgen. Sayles brings his ample knowledge of African American history to the fore once again (see also: SUNSHINE STATE), providing plenty of food for thought, and some highly entertaining musical interludes, as he adds another fascinating entry to his wide-ranging cinematic canon.

Review
Delightful... love for music and musicians permeates the film --Daily Telegraph

Review
His best role in years, Danny Glover shines --Empire

Customer Reviews

The Honeydripper - Not quite sweet enough.
The latest in the lengthy career of indi film maker John Sayles is,in my oppinion, a mediocre affair.Sayles concentrates,as usual on the details of small town existance and often doesn't let the plot get in the way.This is a long,languid affair that for me,doesn't really come to life until the final reel.Being a music enthusiast i was drawn to the pivotal part of the story which is when acoustic blues became "plugged in" and "electrified" and was hoping for some great blues and r&b tunes to accompany the film.But alas,this most important and interesting part of musical history was given a backseat to Sayles's,at times,rather ponderous study of small town life in the 1950's deep south.
That aside,there is much to enjoy here with Danny Glover giving a world weary,and highly credible performance as "pinetop" the almost down and out pianist and club owner who spends most of the film bemoaning his bad luck at the disappearance of guitar legend "guitar Sam" and trying to work his way out of some tight financial spots.There's good support from Charles S.Dutton and all of the rest of the supporting cast but it could have been soooo much better if the music had been allowed to play a bigger part other than at the enjoyable and uplifting ending.
If you are a Sayles fan then this one won't disappoint but if you are a music fan looking for some real blues and r&b action then there's slim pickings (no pun intended).There is a bonus for blues fans as guitarist Keb Mo' appears in several quirky scenes which left you wanting and hoping he'd make an appearance in the grand finale jam session (he didn't by the way).Modestly enjoyable and no more.

A bit too bland and corny
I quite enjoyed this film, it has a good period feel (the early fifties), there are very good performances from Danny Glover and Stacy Keach, it features some nice music and it looks fine. However, the story is very slight and there is no real drama, plus it doesn't tell us anything that we didn't know already and for a John Sayles film it seemed strangely apolitical. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the blatant racism and appalling poverty that was still a feature of black people's lives in the South, even in the rockin' fifties. It reminded me a bit of the Cohen Brothers' "Brother, where art thou", particularly the bits featuring Keb' Mo' as a blind street singer, although it has none of that film's style or quirkiness. It is certainly a film that doesn't have to be seen on the big screen.

I'd happily watch this film again if it came on television but it is not a film that lingers in the mind or that I'd go out of my way to see again. I felt it was neither one thing nor another - not a drama because hardly anything dramatic happens and not a music film because it's all a bit too bland and corny. I thought that the best thing about the film was Danny Glover, who completely inhabits his (rather meagre) part and totally dominates the film, which without him wouldn't be worth watching.

Blues/Rock
I first caught this movie on BBC iPlayer and was so taken by the quality of acting, subject-matter and history that I knew I HAD to buy it! It is a movie that I will watch again and again. If you like the Blues or are interested in the birth of Rock, or just like good movies then buy it.