Most television movies about real-life rock & roll heroes are a deadening mix of biographical bullet-points and sensational recreations of outré behavior. Rarely does the essence of a pop artist, great or otherwise, come into focus within the spuriously tragic atmosphere of the kind of TV bio-pic that has made fools of the likes of the Beach Boys and John Lennon. Happily, that's not the case with Leon Ichaso's Hendrix, a remarkably sensitive film, originally broadcast on cable, that refuses to exploit guitar legend Jimi Hendrix's mythic appetites nor reduce his prodigious genius to bite-size drama. It is, instead, a portrait of the artist as a field of incongruous energy, sprawling everywhere and nowhere at once, remote from his roots and pained by the disruptive, implacable force of his awesome talent. Wood Harris (Remember the Titans) is wonderful as Hendrix, masterfully capturing the rock god's legendary shyness, unabashed sexual adventurism, and constant redefinition of his purpose and sound. Keeping him on a short tether is Hendrix's management team, which insists he keep up a grueling schedule for the money and throws obstacles onto the path of his creative freedom. Cuban director Ichaso (Sugar Hill) makes clever use out of a fictional, black-and-white interview Hendrix supposedly gave a journalist on the day he died. In it he talks about everything that comes to mind: playing guitar for African American singers on the old rhythm & blues circuit, the thrill of his triumphs during the London blues scene in 1967, and his efforts to mollify advocates of black militarism without becoming involved in it. Terrific support work by Billy Zane as Hendrix's would-be puppeteer, Christian Potenza as former Animals bassist- turned-rock-manager Chas Chandler, and Dorian Harewood as Al Hendrix. --Tom Keogh
2.
No guitarist in modern history has attracted such devotion as the incendiary Jimi Hendrix. From his first band the Velvetones at age 16, through his stint as a paratrooper, to his lonesome death in 1970, this film captures the moments that made him a legend. A man of good humor and great talent, Hendrix still inspires more than thirty years after his death.
3.
He Set The World On Fire.
In stage, Jimi Hendrix electrified audiences with his powerful guitar playing and mesmerizing performances. But behind the scenes, this rising star was on a crash course with destiny. Filled with the boundary-pushing music that made him an icon and starring a fantastic ensemble cast including Wood Harris (Remember The Titans), Billy Zane (Titanic), Dorian Harewood (Sudden Death) and Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day), Hendrix is an eye-popping "re-creation of the era of peace, love and psychedelic guitar riffs" (The Hollywood Reporter)!
Raised on the wrong side of the tracks, young Jimi Hendrix knew that his music was going to be his ticket to greatness. Discovered by an unscrupulous manager (Zane) and put on an exhausting world tour, Hendrix was pushed to the limit…but it paid off. Stunning audiences at Monterey and Woodstock, this groundbreaking artist was clearly on his way up. Until fame led him into a dark haze of drugs and alcohol…a course which would fatally end his euphoric rise to the top.
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