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Little Richard: I Am Everything

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6.9/10 • 18

2023-04-111h 38m

DocumentaryMusic

The story of the Black queer origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

Directors
Lisa Cortés
Editors
Jake Hostetter

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Little Richard

    Little Richard

    Self (archive footage)

  2. John Waters

    John Waters

    Self

  3. Mick Jagger

    Mick Jagger

    Self

  4. Billy Porter

    Billy Porter

    Self

  5. Tom Jones

    Tom Jones

    Self

  6. Paul McCartney

    Paul McCartney

    Self (archive footage)

  7. Nona Hendryx

    Nona Hendryx

    Self

  8. Valerie June

    Valerie June

    Self

  9. Nile Rodgers

    Nile Rodgers

    Self

Reviews2

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

May 6, 2023

7/10

I admit to not really knowing so much about this enigmatic and flamboyant man, and I found this effort from Lisa Cortes to be quite an engaging and enlightening introduction. Using a mix of actuality and some soundbites, we are presented with an observational documentary of an outwardly gay man who can truly claim to have "invented" rock 'n roll - with over a dozen, instantly recognisable, toe-tappers to his name. As ever, we have the usual music industry shenanigans, his flirtations with sex, drugs, booze and ultimately, his rediscovery of religion as possibly his only lifeline. It's a well paced analysis but I could have been doing with more of his actual performances - especially as his songs tended to be so very short. It's still quite astonishing that so much footage does still exist and the use of the early material really does work well to illustrate not just how captivating he was as an entertainer, but also how effective he - and his music - was at offering some (limited) conduits for racial and sexual integration at a time when segregation was still rife and homosexuality still very much illegal. A fascinating insight not just into this man, but into the times in which he flourished; of the influential role his music played around the USA at the time, and well worth a watch.

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  • Little Richard: I Am Everything backdrop
  • Little Richard: I Am Everything backdrop
  • Little Richard: I Am Everything backdrop

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
artists' liferhythm and bluesblack singereccentric artistgospel singerportrait of an artistr&b artistartistic revolutionmale pianistegocentric artistsgay artistlife and careerhomosexualrevolutionary singerbiopicbiographical documentary