One could fill a bookshelf with Louis Armstrong biographies, and any film that would tell the great man’s complete story would have to be many hours long, so we adjust our expectations accordingly. In this spirit, I’m glad to say that in its 102 minutes, Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues on Apple+ TV does an excellent job of outlining the major elements of Armstrong’s life. This documentary will hold the attention of even those among us—like the readers of The Syncopated Times—who come to the film already well-schooled about Armstrong.
Director of the film, Sacha Jenkins, tells the story without having to resort to a chronological approach. Rather, as themes arise, like Armstrong’s impact on American music, racism, his political activism, or family life, Jenkins circles back in time to tell the story. Structurally, this is more like a series of interlocking circles than a straight timeline. To help make this technique work, Jenkins cleverly utilizes graphic animations that are allusions to the collages that Armstrong himself used to make. These serve as transitional and/or illustrative devices that may have quotations from talking heads, from Armstrong (especially profane ones), or illustrations of people or places mentioned onscreen.
There’s a good balance between interviews with people like Orson Welles, Edward R Murrow, Dick Cavett, and Merv Griffin and commentary
