Joan Baez - How Sweet The Sound

Gripping study of the life of a legend

First shown in the American Masters documentary series on the American cable network PBS, it’s hard to imagine a more complete portrait of one of the most respected musicians of the last 50 years. Baez may never have ignited the consciences of music fans as much as her early sparring partner Bob Dylan, or beguiled and dazzled as much as Joni Mitchell, but her body of work remains consistent and impressive.

Mostly filmed during her world tour of the last 12 months, director Mary Wharton’s camera is at once both discreet and revealing, capturing an engaging and intelligent performer still driven to comment on the world around her with articulacy and insight. An abundance of archive footage shows her praying with Hanoi natives at the height of the Vietnam War, receiving a visit from Martin Luther King after having been jailed after a protest rally, even playing New York folk clubs as a teenager.

Dylan is on hand to serve up a tribute, as are other contemporaries such as Roger McGuinn and David Crosby. The “newer” guard is represented by Steve Earle, Baez’s collaborator on last year’s Day After Tomorrow album, and all are fulsome in their praise for a woman whose passion, artistry and social activism remain undimmed by the passing of time.

Proper | 79301860359 (DVD+CD)

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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