Unavailable for decades, this Oscar-winning documentary about mercurial bandleader Artie Shaw returns to the screen in a pristine new restoration! With Director Brigitte Berman in attendance!
“Beware of what you wish for in your youth, you may be so unfortunate as to get it. I got it and I realized it was not what I wanted.” Artie Shaw
The film revives the unique story of Artie Shaw, the legendary figure of the 1930s and ’40s swing era who broke the colour barrier by working with Black musicians like Billie Holiday.
The film—comprising interviews with Shaw, testimonies from his contemporaries, and archival footage—examines Shaw through an earnest and raw lens, confronting the contradictory nature of his perception of his career and life and his apparent desire for complete control of his image.
Much more than a jazz film, this entertaining documentary is an insightful story of a brilliant and complex individual.