A musical portrait of Texas bluesman 'Lightnin' Hopkins. The film includes interviews and a performance by Hopkins. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.
Cinematography
Les Blank's vérité style puts you in the room.
Sound
Hopkins' guitar tone captured in stunning fidelity.
Director
Les Blank
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Les Blank shot this in Houston with a skeleton crew, often filming Hopkins in his own environment without permits or scripts.
This documentary helped spark the 1960s blues revival that brought forgotten artists like Hopkins to white college audiences—and sparked debates about exploitation versus preservation.
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