DVD Review: "Janis: Little Girl Blue"
Amy Berg’s documentary Janis: Little Girl Blue is an eye-opening affair, one that manages
to present the late 27-year-old songstress, who died of a heroin overdose, in a
new light. While Joplin’s legacy has long been cemented, Janis: Little Girl Blue does a great job in shedding new
appreciation on her sheer talent as a singer. This feat is accomplished via
rare archival footage of Joplin flexing her raw vocal ability, including one
particularly chilling performance of “Summertime.” Janis: Little Girl Blue is full of a plethora of talking heads including close relatives,
friends, musicians, boyfriends and former collaborators, as well as Joplin’s
letters to friends, lovers and her parents read aloud by the singer-songwriter
Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power. Joplin’s siblings Laura and Michael also offer
their remembrances along the way. If Janis: Little Girl Blue does nothing else, it effectively introduces
Janis Joplin to an entirely new audience and there’s a good chance that many
newcomers will look on and marvel at what they are watching just as Mama Cass
famously does, just one of many, many memorable moments from Janis: Little Girl Blue.
Grade: B+
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