Leadbelly
Wide movie poster for Leadbelly
Directed byGordon Parks
Written byErnest Kinoy
Produced byMarc Merson
David Paradine
StarringRoger E. Mosley
CinematographyBruce Surtees
Edited byHarry Howard
Thomas Penick
Music byHuddie Ledbetter
Fred Karlin
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
May 28, 1976
Running time
126 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Leadbelly is a 1976 film chronicling the life of folk singer Huddie Ledbetter (better known as "Lead Belly").[1] The film was directed by Gordon Parks,[2] and starred Roger E. Mosley in the title role.[3] The film focuses on the troubles of Lead Belly's youth in the segregated South including his time in prison, and his efforts to use his music to gain release.

Plot

Huddie Ledbetter leaves his father's house just barely into his twenties and arrives at a brothel on Fannin' Street run by Miss Eula, who nicknames him Leadbelly and has him play at the bar. For a while, she takes care of him until the police arrive, breaking up a party. Leadbelly and an old man escape via a train and Leadbelly buys a twelve-string acoustic guitar from the old man. Seeking work, he takes a job picking cotton. He soon leaves on a train to Silver City where he meets Blind Lemon and they start playing shows together.[4]

At one show, a drunken man tells Leadbelly to keep playing, and threatens him. Leadbelly responds by smashing his guitar onto him and is arrested. He escapes from jail and leads a normal life until he and two other men are on their way home after a night of drinking. One of the men mentions that the other man's woman had sex with Lead Belly during the evening. The man pulls out a gun to shoot Lead Belly but Lead Belly also pulls out his gun and is able to shoot the other man first, killing him. He is thrown in prison where he is forced to work in a chain gang. When he tries to escape, he is caught and put in a box. His father arrives and tries to bail Leadbelly out, but fails. Before leaving, he manages to convince the warden to get Leadbelly a twelve-string acoustic guitar.

After getting the new guitar, he plays a song for Governor Pat Neff who reassures Leadbelly he will be set free. After he leaves prison, he returns to Fannin Street, sees it has lost its former glory, and he is reunited with Miss Eula. He returns to his father's home only to find that a new family lives there. A group of men attack Leadbelly and slash his throat. Leadbelly happens to stab and kill a man in self-defense but is thrown back in prison. John and Alan Lomax visit the prison and interview Leadbelly, having him play all his songs for them. After he finishes telling his life story, they tell him they will see what they can do about getting him out of prison. The film ends with a title card stating that Leadbelly was released from prison and pursued his music career.[5]

Cast

Further reading

  • Kevles, Barbara. "The Marketing of Leadbelly." Cineaste Fall 2003: 34-35.
  • Boyd, III, L. Roi. "Exploring Gordon Parks' "Leadbelly": Thirty Years Later"
  • BTNews Vol.16, No.1 Winter/Spring 2006: 15-20.

References

  1. ↑ Ebert, Roger (1976). "Leadbelly". Chicago Sun-Times.
  2. ↑ The Criterion Channel's February 2021 Lineup|Current|The Criterion Collection.
  3. ↑ 70s Rewind: LEADBELLY, Singing His Own Damn Songs - ScreenAnarchy.
  4. ↑ Siskel Film Center.
  5. ↑ AFI|Catalog.
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