Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.3|5.0
Starsìììì
Nat King Cole: Afraid of the
Dark—unsure of where it is going, almost afraid of telling its
story—mixes Mr. Cole’s music and his life story without any defined pattern and
with no depth. The movie does not give enough of itself to leave the viewer a feeling
of satiation, completeness, or fullness. One doesn’t really get to ‘know’ Mr.
Cole from this film and almost wonders if he really existed as a person or if
he was a figment of the imagination instead of a real entertainer who wooed the
world with his amazing talent. By the ending credits, there is a feeling of
boredom, a mild disappointment with nothing more to walk away with. The title
of the documentary promises strength. Director Jon Brewer should have let the title drive
the movie.
Storyline
The
Nat King Cole story told in documentary format.
Additional Thanks
Thank
you to Director Jon Brewer for directing effort. Thank you to Executive
Producer Jon Brewer for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast
include: Himself (Nat King Cole), Himself (Tony Bennett), Himself (Ralph
Carmichael), Himself (Johnny Mathis), Himself (George Benson), Himself (Harry
Belafonte), Herself (Maria Cole), Himself/Baptist Minister (Edward Coles),
Himself/Civil Rights Activist (Charles Evers), and Himself (Ivan Mogull).
Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?
Yes.
The documentary is not as thorough or revelatory as it could be and seems a
shallow presentation of the contribution Mr. Cole, through the music he left
behind, continues to render to the world. If one wants to get to know Nat King
Cole through his singing, YouTube offers more than this film.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.