When Les Blank died in 2013, he left behind one of the most respected bodies of work in documentary film. Best known for “Burden of Dreams” (1982), his documentary about the making of Werner Herzog’s opera-in-the-jungle epic “Fitzcarraldo” (1982), he began his career with a string of movies about musical subcultures in the deepest pockets of America: “The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins” (1968) focused on the titular guitar player secluded in his hometown of Centerville, Texas, while “Always for Pleasure” (1978) looked at the music and social traditions of New Orleans, to name just two stand-out works. In contrast, Leon Russell was at the height of his fame in 1972 when Blank began filming him at his recording studio compound situated on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees in Northeast Oklahoma. Russell was well known at the time for both his work with the famous session-group the Wrecking Crew (where he played on recordings with Phil Spector and the Beach Boys, among others) as well as his successful solo career. But when Blank arrived Russell was at a crossroads, splitting his time between performing his lively brand of southern-soul for packed audiences, and recording nostalgic and esoteric country records under the pseudonym Hank Wilson.For two years, Blank and a small crew lived on the compound, filming Russell and friends in the studio, following them on the road, and, when nobody was around, turning their camera on the people and places of the surrounding area. The result was “A Poem is a Naked Person,” which will finally arrive, after decades of never being released, in theaters on July 1. The exact reasons for why it took so long for the film to come out remain a mystery.“All we knew during all those years was that there was some kind of tension and Les was very limited when he could show it,” said the editor Maureen Gosling, who worked with Blank on “Poem” and many other films. “He couldn’t announce it publically, he had to be there in person, he couldn’t make any money on it,” she added, comparing it to photographer Robert Frank’s Rolling Stones concert film “Cocksucker Blues,” which has never seen a proper release but screens occasionally with Frank in attendance. “I think Les thought this was going to be a big deal for him. The fact that it didn’t get released at that time was a big disappointment.”Russell himself has been quiet on the subject. According to Gosling, he told the audience at the film’s premiere at SXSW earlier this year that he couldn’t even remember the reasons “Poem” was held for so long. It’s hard to believe it’s because of anything offensive in the film, which shows Russell in nothing but generous spirits, enjoying the familial atmosphere of the recording studio and at peak form on stage, his live performances emotional and freewheeling. It’s as loving a portrait Blank has ever made, with his camera going beyond the documentation of Russell and finding images in the Oklahoma landscape — ripples in the lake, a sunset — that visually capture the mood of the music.“It was Les’s big dream to see the film released,” said Harrod Blank, the filmmaker’s son. “That was number one on his list for me to deal with, after his death.” Not long before the documentarian died, Harrod got in touch with Russell through Facebook. It was a shot in the dark, but the singer responded the next morning. Eventually the two struck an agreement about finally releasing the film, even if Russell is still reluctant.“It’s something that hopefully Leon’s becoming used to,” Harrod added. “I think it’s going to help solidify both of their careers in peoples’ minds.”
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