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Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? | 
| Director: Peter Meyer
Actors: Danny Glover, Keb' Mo', Keith Richards (ii), Robert Cray, Eric Clapton
Studio: Winstar
List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $8.99
You Save: $15.99 (64%)
New (3) Used (6) from $4.88
Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 23340
Format: Black & White, Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 77 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 1572523794
UPC: 720917112633
EAN: 9781572523791
ASIN: 1572523794
Theatrical Release Date: 1998
Release Date: December 22, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New VHS, still in factory shrink wrap.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
This ambitious mixture of dramatic reconstruction with traditional documentary affords excellent insight into legendary bluesman Robert Johnson's life, the enduring power of his music, and the myth which surrounds him. Can't You Hear The Wind Howl transcends its genre of "docudrama," providing the well-researched information we'd expect from a conventional documentary with the dramatic impact we could hope for from a Hollywood film. Contemporary bluesman Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) plays Johnson, and Danny Glover narrates, but the real star is Robert Johnson's music. The film's strength is its power of suggestion; we never see the Johnson character up close, never hear him talk. As if in a dream, he flits in and out of scenes, whether courting his girlfriend or stirring a juke joint to mayhem. But you'd be hard put picking him out of a police lineup. We never see him such that we can know him, which is an accurate representation of the elusive musician, according to the interview footage with Johnson's proteges and peers--among them Johnny Shines, Robert Lockwood Jr., and Honeyboy Edwards. Keb' Mo', who has included Robert Johnson songs on each of his three CDs, says that portraying Johnson had a lasting effect. "It's an internal thing," says Mo'. "In playing him, you pull in some of the spirit. The spirit of a juke joint, the spirit of the south at that time." This film falls nicely between an homage and an explanation. --Sam Sutherland
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Best Robert Johnson documentary yet July 8, 2007
RickKennedy (Cincinnati, Ohio USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This documentary was produced in 1997, and very little new and meaningful information on Robert Johnson has surfaced since then, except for further details over his death. So, the important facts about his life are contained here. But this is more than a documentary --- the dramatizations are fabulous. It is a very relaxing film, and beautifully showcases Johnson's original recordings. Keb Mo does a fine job in recreating Johnson's recording sessions. It is visually beautiful, and takes you to the heart of the Delta. Johnny Shines, Johnson's former traveling buddy, is wonderful, and credible. I grow weary of listening to Honeyboy Edwards because the authenticity of his claims are highly questionable. Just reading the back of Johnson's death certificate raises serious questions about Edwards' recollections. No matter. This is a very entertaining and transcending work.
The life and music of Robert Johnson May 7, 2007
Richard M. Winowski (Rockaway NJ)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Great overall presentation about the man and his music.
Best Robert Johnson DVD February 26, 2007
Rick T (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I think I have seen all the Robert Johnson documentaries available. I like this one the most. The interviews are good, most info that is around in other places too. Integrating the artful sequences of Keb Mo as Robert Johnson is what distinguishes this disc most to me. Turn the sound up on my system, watch it on the big plasma... it's about as close as most of us will ever get to the authentic roots of what is now called blues.
 A Steady Rollin' Man July 18, 2005
Robert Conroy (Elgin, Il)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Robert Johnson was one of the most enigmatic bluesmen of the 20th century and his life is still a mystery today.Fans only have two grainy pictures of Johnson and various accounts of the mans' life by those who knew him and those who purport to have known him.Having died at the age of 27 by poisoning only adds to the legacy.Johnson, like many of his contemporaries in that early century era, liked women and whiskey and that became his undoing...a jealous husband poisoned his drink and sent Johnson off into the history books forever.In this documentary, other bluesmen will tell you what Johnson was all about, right up to those final hours but some of their testimony is questionable, as was Johnsons' entire life.But the music is there and it lives up to the Johnson image. Many songs are haunting (Hellhound on My Trail, Come On In My Kitchen) and many are sad (Drunkenhearted Man,From Four Til Late)but they all carry Johnsons'unique stamp on the blues. One listen and you'll hear it.Danny Glover's narration is compassionate and blues musician Keb Mos' silhouetted figure makes you feel that you are watching actual footage of Johnson himself. Good stuff...
 Ambitious, a little cheesy? March 23, 2005
James Patrick Page
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
6-7 years after John Hammond provided us with a decent (if somewhat slight) documentary on Robert Johnson in 'The Search for Robert Johnson', 'Can You Hear the Wind Howl' attempted a far more ambitious interpretation of Johnson's life which, whilst offering little new information (and rehashing stories from interviewees [Johnny Shines, David Edwards] that have long circulated in 'blues' circles), nevertheless provided a good deal of (musical) context missing from the Hammond outing.
The depiction of Johnson here often times feels a little cheesy, until one realises that he's never quite been visualized like this before. And it's intelligently done, with Keb' Mo striking the famous pose from the 'King of the Delta Blues Vol. 1' album cover (an overhead view of a seated Johnson playing guitar) in a sequence that is artfully constructed via chiaroscuro lighting. (The only 'letdown' is that Mo mimes to Johnson's recordings; it might have been more convincing to have him perform them outright). Indeed, the filmmakers bravely attempt to depict Johnson living his daily life, which, whilst largely understated, becomes slightly repetitive (apparently Johnson spent quite a bit of time aimlessly wandering deserted warehouse backalleys and empty city streets!). Nevertheless, this is an interesting approach and prods the viewer to reflect upon the common life experiences of Johnson (and his personal tragedies) in straightforward dramatic terms.
We also receive information about Johnson's 'dying message'. I for one had never heard this piece of information before, and I wonder if it has since been disproven (Clapton's latest DVD, which offers an overview of Johnson 'evidence', makes no mention of this). Accompanied by an unsettling depiction of Johnson's final moments, this is perhaps the most important element of the documentary.
Danny Glover is serviceable in narration, although his somewhat stilted 'enthusiasm' grates at times. With a figure like Johnson, the need for a 'personality' to narrate the events of his life is questionable; Johnson needs no-one to make him interesting.
Overall, this is a largely entertaining depiction of Johnson that attempts to break away from 'museum piece' academics and consider Johnson's music in its lived, performed state. Whilst it does traffic in silliness at times (the 'Crossroads' sequence is more amusing than terrifying), 'Can't You Hear The Wind Howl' is a nice companion piece - if somewhat redundant - to the Hammond documentary.
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