D. Rae and I caught the US premiere of this Tuesday night, at the Library of Congress' tiny Mary Pickford Theatre - named after "America's Sweetheart," this was obviously an appropriate place for me to be.

I arrived before her, and when I saw poor, fragile, tardy D. Rae standing by the theatre wall I half-heartedly offered her my near-aisle seat. I was relieved when she said no. I glowered at her for even thinking I would really give up my seat to her, much less to the grey-haired woman standing next to her and apparently having some trouble breathing.

I didn't know who'd left the black briefcase saving on the seat to my right. Shortly before the program began, the series curator walked in with a tall gentleman, blue-suited and distinguishedly grey, in whose honor the briefcase was setted. Evidently a person of some importance, he was shortly introduced to the Head of the Music Division. He sat beside me, D. Rae and I exchanging glances over his shoulders wondering "Who is this guy?"

He turned out to be Bruce Lundvall, current president of Blue Note Records, former producer at Columbia and Elektra, founder of Elektra/Musician, and one of the most entertaining speakers I'veheard at LC. He introduced the film with anecdotes of growing up with Dex's music, of signing Dex to Columbia, of watching Dex' screen test (shown in tonight's film) for -Round midnight-. A great mimic, Lundvall demonstrated the clashing personalities present that fateful day:

film producer Irwin Winkler (portrayed with a nasal whine):   "So,  Dex, why doesn't jazz sell?"

Dex (portrayed in perfect faux baritone complete with pregnant  pause and sweeping, patient hand gesture): " ART FORM!"

director Bertrand Tavernier:  " Ohhh!"  [puts hand over heart, tips  head back in aesthetecstasy]

After that, the documentary itself was something of a letdown for me.  Dex tells his own story, through several interviews conducted at various periods of his career; the trouble being that these several interviews are jumbled together. For a more visually dynamic program, the director hadyoung Dex relate one phase of his career, then older Dex relate the next phase; thus the film jumped back and forth among several Dex'es of varying audio and visual quality, *sometimes in mid-sentence*. This drove me nuts, and detracted from the story.

Lundvall, whom the filmmakers had consulted in the making of this documentary, had described hours upon hours of concert footage edited forthis 52-minute program, originally produced for Danish television;  which made me wonder why all that concert footage was scrapped for things like stock footage of LA in the 50's and moody student footage of Dex descending a nightclub stairwell, so poorly lit that the shot amounts to nothing more than washed out shadow values; THIS took precedent over the music?

There is one terrifically charming piece of non-musical footage; Dex is strolling through what I guess is Copenhagen; at the first sign of drizzle, he opens a tiny umbrella over his towering person; this dissolves into a scene of Dex casually bicycling through the Danish countryside, finally arriving at the modest hut where he hangs his hat.

What music is there is terrific: great footage from a '64 trio date in Copenhagen, footage in front of Palle Mikkebourg's big-band arrangements, a mid-70's set in what looks like a hollowed-out church (I've seen this concert aired on BET on Jazz); some painful festival work from the last years of his life.

Answering a few questions after the film, Lundvall brought up what must have been a fascinating era; his mentor in the record business (I forget the guy's name) had brought Lundvall, then at Bucknell University in Central PA, to the local penitentiary to hear the prison band - then led by drummer Al "Tootie" Heath. Lundvall apologetically plugged the impending Blue Note video release of this film on video - it may be ready for the Xmas season. I can't recommend it as a film, but there's more than enough of historical interest for fan and novice alike.
 

Producer/Writer: Leonard Malone
Produced, Edited and Directed by:  Don McGlynn.